Four Films Announced in Signature Programs

Just eight weeks until the 29th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival! Today we are pleased to announce four films that will screen in our long-running Signature Programs.

Views From Long Island
Kelcey EdwardsTHE ART OF MAKING IT, set against the backdrop of a culture in crisis, follows a diverse cast of young artists at defining moments in their careers as they explore whether the art world ecosystem meant to nurture them is actually failing them. World Premiere. Supported by the Suffolk County Film Commission.

Conflict & Resolution
JR’s PAPER & GLUE features world renowned artist JR (Academy Award nominee for FACES, PLACES) turning the camera on his own work as he builds some of his monumental projects.

Air, Land & Sea
Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Liz GarbusBECOMING COUSTEAU takes an inside look at legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his life, career, and mission to protect the Earth. New York Premiere.

Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights
Garth De Bruno Austin’s THE LAST HORNS OF AFRICA features gripping and never-before-captured footage of the current rhino poaching war raging across Africa. East Coast Premiere.

“We are thrilled to announce a strong group of films screening as a part of our Signature Programs,” said HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent, “including films by local artists as well as those wrestling with the issue of the sanctity of our planet and the lives of the animals with whom we share it.”

“Especially this year, we are excited to bring together our film-loving community to celebrate the art of film and storytelling,” said Anne Chaisson, Executive Director of HamptonsFilm.


THE ART OF MAKING IT

World Premiere
Views From Long Island
dir. Kelcey Edwards (USA), 2021
Against the backdrop of a culture in crisis, THE ART OF MAKING IT follows a diverse cast of young artists at defining moments in their careers to explore whether the art world ecosystem meant to nurture them is actually failing them. Are we at risk of losing the creative voices of a new generation as universities, galleries and museums face cataclysmic changes? Or, are we on the verge of recreating outdated modes of experiencing art to make it accessible to all? Embracing the conundrum of how artists must be in the market yet not of it, THE ART OF MAKING IT is both a cautionary tale about what America stands to lose if we don’t rethink what we value and why and a love letter to those who persevere in their artistic practice in spite of the extraordinary odds against ever achieving success.


Jacques Cousteau on a 1970 dive while filming an episode of The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. (Credit: The Cousteau Society)

BECOMING COUSTEAU

New York Premiere
Air, Land & Sea

dir. Liz Garbus (USA), 2021
Adventurer, filmmaker, innovator, author, unlikely celebrity and conservationist: For over four decades Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his explorations under the ocean became synonymous with a love of science and the natural world. As he learned to protect the environment, he brought the whole world with him—he sounded alarms more than 50 years ago about the warming seas and our planet’s vulnerability. In BECOMING COUSTEAU, two-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Liz Garbus takes an inside look at Cousteau and his life, his iconic films and inventions, and the experiences that made him the 20th century’s most unique and renowned environmental voice—and the man who inspired generations to protect the Earth.


THE LAST HORNS OF AFRICA

East Coast Premiere
Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights
dir. Garth de Bruno Austin (United States), 2021
With unprecedented access, THE LAST HORNS OF AFRICA is a gripping and intimate look at the current rhino poaching war raging across Africa. We follow the journeys of two conservation heroes who put their lives on the line to protect the rhino in their care, while a top-secret, covert operation endeavors to bring down South Africa’s most notorious rhino poaching syndicates. Hidden away in South Africa is the world’s largest rhino orphanage, run by Petronel Nieuwoudt, who deals with the aftermath: the orphaned rhino calves knowingly left for dead by poachers. Through her eyes, the viewer gets an insight into the incredible bonds that are formed and the heart-wrenching reality of where these calves have come from. Meanwhile, in Kruger National Park—ground zero for rhino poaching—Don English, a veteran ranger, commands his brave team on the front line of the rhino horn war as they set out on an almost insurmountable task of protecting the rhinoceros in an area the size of Israel. From never-before-seen footage of South Africa’s largest undercover wildlife investigation and interviews with poachers, the filmmakers risk their lives as they are thrust into the underground world of illicit rhino horn deals organized by South Africa’s ruthless rhino poaching kingpins. THE LAST HORNS OF AFRICA is a firsthand look at the complexities and moral debates of contemporary conservation, which has found itself entangled in the dark web of corruption and the illegal wildlife trade.


PAPER & GLUE

Conflict & Resolution
dir. JR (France, USA), 2021

In PAPER & GLUE, JR turns the camera on his own work as he builds some of his most monumental projects. From early illicit graffiti videos captured on Paris rooftops at night, to the US-Mexico border, to the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, to a current collaboration at a California supermax prison, the film follows JR as he turns these communities inside out, turning images of residents into eye-catching and immersive art installations. PAPER & GLUE follows the Oscar-nominated FACES PLACES, which was directed by JR along with Agnès Varda.


The 2021 edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival will take place October 7–13 with live and in-person events and screenings across the Hamptons. Passes will be on sale after Labor Day. See the announcements to date.

HamptonsFilm will take enhanced safety measures for the 29th edition in accordance with COVID-19 regulations across the state. Attendees will be required to show proof of vaccination for all in-person events, and will be required to wear masks. HamptonsFilm holds the safety of our guests, filmmakers, and staff as our highest priority, and is closely monitoring any and all changes to New York State and Suffolk County health guidelines.

HIFF thanks the supporters for this year’s festival, including corporate sponsors Audi, Netflix, KORE Private Wealth, and official media sponsors WNBC, Variety, The Purist, and The East Hampton Star. HamptonsFilm is grateful for the long-term support from New York State Council on the Arts and Suffolk County.

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