Brian De Palma And Toni Ross To Be Honored During 2019 Hamptons International Film Festival

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) will fêtte iconic director Brian De Palma with a Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2019 HIFF, which will include a special screening of one of the director’s many award-winning films. He will also participate in “A Conversation With” at the Festival with HIFF co-chair Alec Baldwin.

“Brian De Palma’s filmography suggests one word: excitement. Few directors in movie history have generated the kinds of feelings found in Brian’s films,” shared HIFF Co-Chairman Alec Baldwin. “Although he often worked with big stars and great writers, Brian is responsible for most of the excitement in his films.”

The American film director and screenwriter’s resume includes Carrie, Scarface, Dressed to Kill, The Untouchables, Carlito’s Way, Mission Impossible, and many, many more.

HIFF has selected Lee Krasner’s Vernal Yellow, from her Solstice Series, as this year’s poster artist. Krasner, who lived in Springs for many years, was a major figure in the 20th century abstract expressionism movement. The first solo retrospective of her work in Europe in over 50 years is currently on display at the Barbican in London, but if you don’t have a trip across the pond planned, her work can also be seen in a group show entitled Painters of the East End at Kasmin in New York City this summer.

“I go back on myself, into my own work, destroy it in some way and come up with a new thing… this seems to be a work process of mine… it’s a form of clarification… a form of growth,” the artist once described her use of collage.

“Celebrating local artists each year by commissioning or choosing their art for our official festival poster has been a hallmark of the Hamptons Film Festival since the very first year in 1993,” said HIFF Executive Director Anne Chaisson. “In looking at the array of talented artists who have donated their work — including Julian Schnabel, Eric Fischl, David Salle, Cindy Sherman, Bruce Weber, Bryan Hunt, Barbara Kruger, and John Alexander — we felt there was one grande dame whose work must be a part of this legacy: Lee Krasner.”

The Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award, which was established in 2017 and first given to its namesake, Dick Cavett, will be awarded to Toni Ross, the founding Chairman of the Board of HIFF in 1993. The Wesleyan University film studies graduate played a vital part in establishing the Wesleyan Cinema Archives, where she remains on the Board of Trustees. Her paintings, installations, and sculptures have been highlighted globally. She also founded The Hayground School, where she has shined a spotlight on the arts and culinary education, as well as the importance of diversity, assisting the underserved by ridding obstacles due to financial constraints. The restaurant entrepreneur is responsible for five East End favorites, including Nick & Toni’s in East Hampton.

“Toni Ross has been an instrumental champion of the arts and the East End community where she works and lives. She helped to launch the Hamptons International Film Festival and is the reason we are all here today. We look forward to honoring her at the festival in October,” said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent.

The 27th annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place Columbus Day Weekend (October 10 through October 14).

For more information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.