The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is back for another phenomenal year. The 26th annual festival will run from Thursday, October 4 through Monday, October 8. The Kindergarten Teacher, written by Sara Colangelo, will be the 2018 Opening Night Film starring Maggie Gyllenhaal who will be attending the evening alongside Rupert Everett at Guild Hall.
The film, which stars Maggie Gyllenhaal, Parker Sevak, Rosa Salazar, and García Bernal, tells the story of a kindergarten teacher who seeks to cultivate the poetic talents of one of her students, though with questionable methods. Colangelo is a 2013 alumna of HIFF’s annual Screenwriter’s Lab.
“We are elated to kick off our 26th edition of the festival with a film from one of our Screenwriters Lab alumna and to also announce an eclectic and intriguing first group of films with narratives and themes that are sure to resonate with our audiences,” said David Nugent, Artistic Director of the Hamptons International Film Festival.
The festival will also feature works from two other HIFF Screenwriters Lab alumna, including 2015 participant, Ísold Uggadóttir’s And Breathe Normally and Cathy Yan’s Dead Pigs. Uggadóttir’s film focuses on the blossoming relationship between two women in Iceland, while Yan’s film depicts the interwoven lives of five individuals in Shanghai, all based on true events. Additionally, this year’s HIFF will feature the U.S. Premiere of Eva Trobisch’s All Good, starring Aenne Schwarz, which takes a powerful look at the destructive instinct to refuse to define yourself as the victim. Rupert Evertt’s The Happy Prince will also screen, starring Everett, Colin Firth, and Emily Watson. The film is about the final years of renowned author Oscar Wilde’s life.
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Ísold Uggadóttir’s And Breathe Normally focuses on the blossoming relationship between two women in Iceland. (Courtesy Photo) |
In the World Cinema Narrative section of the Festival, Capernaum, a film directed by Nadine Labaki, will screen. The film focuses on a 12-year-old boy in Beirut who launches a lawsuit against his negligent parents. Additionally, Ali Abbasi’s Border, starring Eva Melander and Eero Milonoff, will screen. The film is about a person’s struggle to realize her place in the world.
The Views from Long Island section will feature Michael Dweck’s documentary The Last Race, about a Long Island stock car race track trying to maintain the tradition and history of the sport. The Air, Land, and Sea section will feature the U.S. Premiere of Sasha Friedlander and Cynthia Wade’s documentary Grit, chronicling the work of a young social and environmental activist in Indonesia.
2018 HIFF passes and packages will go on sale Wednesday, September 5 and individual tickets will go on sale Monday, September 24.
“To be able to include so many completed feature films from our prestigious Screenwriters Lab is truly a dream come true, especially for our opening night,” said Anne Chaisson, Executive Director of the Hamptons International Film Festival. “For eighteen years our lab has mentored over 75 screenwriters, and these three films from female directors offer diverse perspectives and have all garnered critical acclaim this year.”
For more information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.
