Filmmakers (ages 10 -18) are invited to join Anne Chaisson (film producer, Roger Dodger, P.S., Diggers) and Seth Redlus (television producer, LTV), along with other special guests, to create stories through the medium of digital video. The focus of the workshop is visual self-expression. Students will learn the entire process — from development and writing, to acting, blocking, production, cinematography and editing. Experienced filmmakers will share their knowledge and craft each day. The workshop will culminate in a screening of students’ work at Guild Hall.

The workshop will take place July 14 - 18. This 5-day workshop is $200/student and will take place at the Guild Hall Boots Lamb Education Center from 9am - 12pm daily.

To register, please e-mail Guild Hall Public Programs Associate Danielle Zahm at daniellepr@guildhall.org or call (631) 324-0806.

This program is sponsored in part by the Hamptons International Film Festival and LTV. Educational programs are made possible in large part through the generosity of Lewis B. Cullman in memory of his brother Joseph F. Cullman III.

The Hamptons International Film Festival and indieWIRE will be partnering again to “celebrate a person who best exemplifies the spirit of the independent film world.” This year’s “Toastee” will be Founder and Co-Chairman of Fortissimo Films, Wouter Barendrecht. “Having recently honored Marcie Bloom, Bob Berney and Ted Hope, three of the most respected executives in the New York film business, we faced a tough decision in regards to this year’s Industry Toast,” exclaimed Festival Executive Director, Karen Arikian. “With thoughts of broadening our geographical scope, Wouter Barendrecht immediately stood out as an individual whose experience, body of work and the respect garnered from his peers around the world skyrocketed him to the top of our list.” Barendrecht has guided films such as “In the Mood for Love,” “Super Size Me,” and Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Stones film “Shine a Light” to international success with his company. To view the full press release, please click here.

The Hamptons International Film Festival is pleased to announce the mentors and participants for our 8th Annual Screenwriters’ Lab. The Lab will take place May 9 - 11 in East Hampton, NY.

Participating screenwriters are as follows:
ALEX R. JOHNSON - LA SOBRINA
Cookie Rodriguez had just started driving the night shift for a Brooklyn car service when her niece turns up dead in the Williamsburg waterfront. Frustrated with the police investigation, she starts one of her own and finds that her niece was caught up in a corrupt world of gentrification, bribery, and Brooklyn real estate.

JAMES PONSOLDT - REFRESH, REFRESH
Three teenaged sons of Marine reservists fighting a distant war must prove to themselves their worth as men. In measures of heartbreak, brutality, and humor, REFRESH, REFRESH takes an honest, unflinching look at the unforeseen repercussions of violence and how we inherit a war at home.

BRADFORD TATUM - BOOK OF WATER
BOOK OF WATER combines historical fact with a vibrant magical realist style to tell the story of the life of Leonardo da Vinci. An Alfred P. Sloan supported script.

AVI WEIDER - ZEROES AND ONES
In creating an intelligent machine out of discarded computer parts, a young woman uncovers her grandmother’s long-buried secret of her survival from Auschwitz and finds a release from her own haunting memories. An Alfred P. Sloan supported script.

The four writers will be mentored by Maria Maggenti, Ira Sachs, Jeffrey Sharp, and Whit Stillman. For further information, please click here.

The Hamptons International Film Festival is no longer accepting submissions for our 2008 Screenwriters’ Lab, which will be held May 9 - 11 in East Hampton, NY. A full list of lab participants and mentors will be announced shortly. Submissions for next year’s lab will be open in January 2009.

The ¡Sorpresa! Network and the Hamptons International Film Festival announced today that they will continue their partnership with the ¡Sorpresa! Youth Film Competition at the 16th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival, to be held October 15th – 19th, 2008. For this year’s competition, ¡Sorpresa! is looking for outstanding short films created by young people ages 17 and under that illustrate “The World You Imagine” through a Hispanic lens. For further details, including the full press release, please click here.

Submissions for the 16th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival are now open! The early submission deadline is May 10th. For more information, including application forms and guidelines, please click here. For awards info, click here. The 16th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place October 15 - 19, 2008.

You may also submit your film via Withoutabox:

Mark your calendars: The 16th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival is set to take place October 15 - 19, 2008.

The Golden Starfish Category.

•    The Golden Starfish Best Narrative Feature, carrying an awards package of over $185,000 of in-kind production services, was presented to:
VALERIE (Germany, East Coast Premiere) Directed by Birgit Möller.
”A very accomplished first film about a woman’s struggle to survive at the margins of society while maintaining her dignity.”

•    The Kodak Award For Best Cinematography, worth $6,000 in kind services and product, to:
KINGS (UK, US Premiere) Directed by Tom Collins and photographed by PJ Dillon.
“For the beauty and texture, intermixing the past and present.”

•    The Zicherman Family Foundation Award For Best Screenwriter, carrying a $5000 cash prize was awarded to:
Writer/Director Chris Eigeman for TURN THE RIVER (US, World Premiere).
“For it’s unflinching realism, pitch perfect dialogue and 3 dimensional characters in a world that is so often given to stereotypes. “

•    The Golden Starfish Narrative Jury also handed out a Special Jury Best Actress Prize to:
Famke Janssen
”For a brave and touching portrayal of a woman fighting for her child and her life in TURN THE RIVER.”

Golden Starfish Narrative Competition jurors include: IFC Entertainment’s VP of Acquisitions and Production Arianna Bocco, Filmmaker Alison Maclean, & producer and Cinetic Media founder, John Sloss.

•    Golden Starfish Documentary Feature Film Award, carrying a cash prize of $5,000 was awarded to:
I AM AN ANIMAL: THIS STORY OF INGRID NEWKIRK AND PETA (US, World Premiere) Directed by Matthew Galkin.

•    The Golden Starfish Short Film Award with a prize of $5,000 cash was presented to:
AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE (Scotland, 2005) directed by Marisa Zanotti.

Golden Starfish Documentary and Short Film Competition jurors include: director of acquisitions for Docurama, Liz Ogilvie; SXSW’s Matt Dentler and filmmaker Jamie Johnson (Born Rich).

•    The Woozyfly.com Award for Best Music in a Film was presented by Woozyfly.com’s President & CEO, Jonathan Bomser.to:
Anastasia Brown for her work on AUGUST RUSH.

•    The Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution, was a tie and carries a $2,500 cash prize each, to:
BEHIND FORGOTTEN EYES (US, East Coast Premiere) Directed by Anthony Gilmore.
SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE (US, NY Premiere) Directed by Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg.

Conflict & Resolution Competition jurors include: human rights advocate and program coordinator for Europe and the former Soviet Union at WITNESS, Violeta Krasnic; Producer/Director Mickey Lemle and Assistant curator of film at MoMA, Sally Berger.

•    For the 8th consecutive year, the $25,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize in Science and Technology for a feature-length film that explores science and technology themes in fresh, innovative ways and depicts scientists and engineers in a realistic and compelling fashion, was presented to Julian Schnabel’s THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (France). The Award was presented by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Doron Weber.

•    The Golden Starfish Career Achievement in Acting Award to Vanessa Redgrave.  The award was presented to Ms. Burstyn by Hamptons Board Chairman Stuart Match Suna at the “Conversation With…” event where Miss Redgrave was the guest with moderator Alec Baldwin.  She was in town with her latest film the Hallmark Channel release of THE SHELL SEEKERS.  (In addition to Miss Redgrave’s Conversation With…, another “Conversation” occurred during the festival with special guest Sidney Lumet moderated by Adam Green).

•    The Lifetime Movie Network Best Female Student Filmmaker Award (previously announced) with a $5,000 First Prize and $2,500 Second Prize and screening on the Lifetime Movie Network was presented to:
Liliana Greenfield-Sanders for her film ANNA.
And in second place, Jessica Marie Sutherland for her film SEVEN TURN.

Jury Members for the LMN Award were actress Jennifer Lopez, producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Gale Anne Hurd, director Mimi Leder and publicist Catherine Olim.
Undergraduate and Graduate Student Film/Video Awards:
“For 15 years now, the Hamptons International Film Festival has awarded over 130 plus, undergraduate and graduate filmmakers a cash award and a viewing slot within the festival.  It has been my privilege and honor to be in charge of this program over the years, offering these talented student filmmakers the opportunity to participate in this wonderful festival and to meet other industry professionals – not to mention to be in the Hamptons at such a beautiful time of year.”
-  Jeremiah Newton Student Awards Director

•    ABAJEE (Pakistan/US) Dir. Maureen Bharoocha.
•    ALAN AND SAMIR (UK) Dir. Yann Demange.
•    BLUE DRESS (US) Dir. Katie Stern.
•    DEAR LEMON LIMA (US) Dir. Suzi Yoonessi.
•    QUINCY & ALTHEA (US) Dir. Doug Lenox.

The Golden Starfish Award for Best Young Videomaker went to: Vladislav Radak for his short film BLUE LORRY.
~    ~    ~    ~    ~

The 2007 Hamptons Film Festival’s Audience Award were presented at the Closing Night event at Bamboo on Sunday, October 21, 2007.

The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was presented to Chris Kraus’ FOUR MINUTES

The Audience Award for Best Documentary was presented to Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue’s BODY OF WAR

The Audience Award for Best Short Film was presented to Michael Dreher’s FAIR TRADE

Stuart Match Suna, Board Chairman of the Hamptons International Film Festival has announced that Karen Arikian, currently serving as Co-Director of the Berlin International Film Festival’s European Film Market (EFM), as well as the festival’s Official Delegate for the US/East Coast, will become the Festival’s new Executive Director. Ms. Arikian will assume her duties in March, 2008. A full press release can be found here.

Julian Schnabel’s THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY has been named the winner of the Hamptons International Film Festival’s $25,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize. The prize is awarded to a feature film that, “explores science and technology themes in fresh, innovative ways and depicts scientists and engineers in a realistic and compelling fashion.” A full press release can be found here. In addition Tickets to the Southampton screening of the film are still available; to order, please click here. Other Sloan events at the Hamptons include a live staged reading of Caitlin McCarthy’s WONDER DRUG (featuring actors Steve Guttenberg and Alysia Reiner) and a panel discussion about films & technology. To order tickets, please click here.