“SummerDocs” To Feature “Summer Of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” “The Lost Leonardo” And More

HamptonsFilm’s 13th annual SummerDocs series kicks off on Saturday, June 26 with Searchlight Pictures, Hulu, and Onyx’s Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised), directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson. After hosting a drive-in film series, Retrospective Mondays, Scary Wednesdays and First-Run Fridays, last summer because of the pandemic, SummerDocs are back at Guild Hall this year. As per usual, HamptonsFilm Co-Chairman Alec Baldwin and HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent will lead discussions with the filmmakers and guests after each viewing.

“Over the past thirteen years, SummerDocs has been a highlight for us and our audience,” said HamptonsFilm Executive Director Anne Chaisson. “We were delighted to be able to offer this program during the pandemic as a Drive-In experience packed with loyal documentary enthusiasts; and we are elated to be back in the John Drew Theater with our partner Guild Hall to continue this program on the big screen.”

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) centers around the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival and includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more. The documentary debuted at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award. The film will stream on Hulu in conjunction with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective and Searchlight Pictures will release it theatrically. HamptonsFilm will screen Summer of Soul on Saturday, June 26 at 7:00 p.m.

Sony Pictures Classics’ The Lost Leonardo, directed by Andreas Koefoed, will follow on Saturday, July 24 at 8:00 p.m. The doc delves into the story of the Salvator Mundi, the priciest painting ever sold at $450 million, which is claimed to be a long-lost Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece.

The series will conclude with discovery+’s Lily Topples the World, directed by Jeremy Workman, on Saturday, August 21 at 7:00 p.m. The film tells the story of 20-year-old Lily Hevesh, who is the world’s top domino toppler and the sole woman in her field.

“With these three documentaries that showcase the importance of history, culture, and art – we are excited for our audiences to experience the magic of these films. This series has brought some of the finest documentarians, artists, writers and performers in the world to the East End, and this summer’s films are no exception,” said Nugent.

Tickets are $40 per screening.

Additionally, HamptonsFilm has launched a complimentary outdoor summer screening series at Herrick Park in East Hampton. Every Wednesday night, a beloved film will be presented at 8:30 p.m. Upcoming features include Frozen (June 23), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (June 30), The Parent Trap (July 7), Grease (July 14), Dirty Dancing (July 21), Shrek (July 28), Mean Girls (August 4), Cars (August 11), The Wizard of Oz (August 18), and Finding Nemo (August 25).

Guild Hall is located at 158 Main Street in East Hampton. For more information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.