Hamptons International Film Festival and Guild Hall’s “Now Showing” series will continue in January with screenings of Kedi, The Final Year, and The Divine Order.
Kedi will screen on Saturday, January 6. For thousands of years hundreds of thousands of cats have freely wandered the metropolis of Istanbul, where the homeless animals have a holy reputation. Director Ceyda Torun set out to document the essence of these street cats in a documentary that follows Duman – the hentleman, Gamsız – the player, Deniz – the social butterfly, Psikopat – the pyscho, Aslan Parças – the hunter, Bengü – the lover, Sarı – the hustler.
“I grew up in Istanbul until I was eleven years old and I believe my childhood was infinitely less lonesome than it would have been if it weren’t for cats. And I wouldn’t be the person I am today,” Torun said. “Every year that I returned to the city, I saw it change in ways that made it less and less recognizable, except for the cats; they were the one constant element, becoming synonymous with the city itself and ultimately, embodying its soul. This film is, in many ways, a love letter to those cats and the city, both of which are changing in ways that are unpredictable.”
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Kedi can be seen on Saturday, January 6. (Courtesy Photo) |
The Final Year will screen on Saturday, January 20. Director Greg Barker gives audiences a behind the scenes look at President Barack Obama’s final year with footage shot over 90 days in 21 countries that features Secretary of State John Kerry, Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power, confidant and speech writer Ben Rhodes, and other vital administration members. The documentary includes historic visits to Ho Chi Minh City, Hiroshima, and Havana, Kerry’s negotiation at the UN for a Syrian ceasefire, and several other captivating moments in history.
“It’s hard not to watch Greg Barker’s film about President Barack Obama’s foreign policy team during the final year of his administration without feeling a twinge of nostalgia. Indeed, for most viewers inclined to check out a film about the subject, it will be hard not to cry,” said Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter. “This compelling documentary receiving its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival should prove irresistible to anyone interested in politics, and thanks to a certain businessman elected president, that number has definitely swelled in recent years.”
The Divine Order, which screened during the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, will wrap up January viewings on Saturday, January 27. Petra Volpe’s drama/comedy is set in 1971 in a quaint Swiss village, which seems to be unaffected by the cultural and social commotions of the 1960s. After seeing a women’s rights demonstration in Zurich, a shy, but popular housewife becomes the unforeseen beacon of the village’s suffragette movement.
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The Divine Order can be seen on Saturday, January 27. (Courtesy Photo) |
“The Divine Order is a heartfelt and captivating film about regular people demanding their right to an equal voice,” noted Dan Hunt, Associate Programmer of the Tribeca Film Festival.
All screenings will be held at Guild Hall, starting at 6 p.m. Admission is $12 for members and $15 for general admission.
Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street in East Hampton. For more information, visit www.guildhall.org.
