Beginning its third decade this Thursday, October 10, the 21st edition of the Hamptons International Film Festival runs through Monday, October 14. More than seventy features will screen in the tony townships located about 100 miles east of New York City, offering locals a chance to sample potential Oscar contenders and acclaimed international work, while also drawing Manhattan industry for an early Fall weekend getaway. Among the lineup are more than two dozen feature docs, with some of the highlights noted below.
Five films figure in the Golden Starfish Documentary Competition: Ryan McGarry’s CODE BLACK (pictured), chronicling the impact of institutional changes on a group of ER doctors; Liesbeth De Ceulaer’s BEHIND THE REDWOOD CURTAIN, offering multiple perspectives on California’s legendary sequoias; Jennifer Steinman’s DESERT RUNNERS, following athletes determined to complete the challenging 4 Desert Ultramarathon Series; Mike Mattila’s portrait of two contemporary Chinese artists, CHIMERAS; and Dan Shadur’s look at Jewish life in the Shah’s Iran, BEFORE THE REVOLUTION.
The bulk of Hampton’s nonfiction programming is part of the World Cinema section. Some notable titles here are: Dori Berinstein’s tribute to the late, acclaimed composer, MARVIN HAMLISCH: WHAT HE DID FOR LOVE; Donna Zaccaro’s portrait of her trailblazing mother, GERALDINE FERRARO: PAVING THE WAY (pictured); Samantha Grant’s in-depth revisitation of the Jayson Blair scandal, A FRAGILE TRUST; Douglas Kass and Roger Kass’ exposé of the poaching of migratory songbirds, EMPTYING THE SKIES, based on Jonathan Franzen’s New Yorker article; Whitney Ransick’s behind-the-scenes post-mortem of 1990s indie film, MISFIRE: THE RISE AND FALL OF THE SHOOTING GALLERY; Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller’s 1930s murder mystery, THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR: SATAN CAME TO EDEN, Teller’s exploration of one man’s art obsession, TIM’S VERMEER; and Alex Gibney’s untangling of an athlete’s deception, THE ARMSTRONG LIE.
Docs also figure in the fest’s long-running Conflict and Resolution strand, such as Carlos Agullo and Mandy Jacobson’s PLOT FOR PEACE, revealing how an enigmatic French businessman’s secret machinations helped engineer Mandela’s release from jail; and Elaine Raheb’s SLEEPLESS NIGHTS; while this year’s UK Focus includes a couple of nonfiction pieces, like Cathy Pearson’s war photographer overview, GET THE PICTURE (pictured).
what (not) to doc 