The Hamptons International Film Festival has unveiled the lineup for its 34th edition, scheduled to take place from October 2 to 12. For a festival positioned in a particularly crowded stretch of the North American fall film calendar, the lineup confirms a precise formula: films that have already made an impact on the international circuit, several world premieres, and a program of conversations with cast and filmmakers designed to turn screenings into live editorial events.
The closing slot on October 12 will go to Wicker, a fantasy directed by Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson. Initially presented at the Sundance Film Festival, the film brings together Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård, Elizabeth Debicki, and Peter Dinklage. The choice says a great deal about the role Hamptons intends to play: not necessarily the absolute first stop for every title, but a key platform capable of refocusing attention on works that have already begun to turn heads, offering them to a different audience at a critical stage in their lifecycle.
The festival had already announced that opening night would be headlined by I Play Rocky. It had also announced a directing award for Phil Lord and Chris Miller and a lifetime achievement award for Bob Balaban. Balaban has a direct tie to the organization: beyond his work as an actor and director, he sits on the board of HamptonsFilm, the non-profit behind the event.
Conversations become part of the program
In the now-finalized slate, one of the most notable elements is the presence of talks paired with individual screenings. The two “Centerpiece” events will be The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, directed by Tim Blake Nelson, and Noah Segan's The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. Following their respective screenings, conversations are scheduled with Amanda Seyfried, who is in the cast of The Life and Deaths of Wilson Shedd, and John Turturro, tied to The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.
The program also includes a conversation with Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote and directed The Debut, and a session with Ron Howard dedicated to Avedon, the director's documentary on photographer Richard Avedon. Both titles will be screened before the sessions with their creators. It is an approach that expands the experience beyond the theater: for both the local audience and festival guests, the presence of the key figures allows films to be seen at the very moment their public narrative, critical reading, and, potentially, market positioning take shape.
However, this concentration of prominent names does not equate to a showcase built purely on celebrity. Seyfried, Turturro, Eisenberg, and Howard are attending in connection with specific works, while the programming alternates between narrative, documentary, and locally rooted productions. In this sense, the sessions serve as an extension of the curation, rather than events detached from the rest of the selection.
Two world premieres from the Long Island area
Alongside films that have already screened elsewhere, Hamptons preserves a space for brand-new premieres in the Views from Long Island section. Making their world premieres here will be Barbizon, by Jake Silbermann, and Not Dead Yet, directed by Eric Weber and Nick Weber.
Barbizon focuses on Erica Pappas, a sculptor who teaches chess to affluent Hamptons families. Not Dead Yet, meanwhile, stars Richard Kind as an advertising executive trying to reinvent himself. Both projects share an explicit connection to the festival's host region, offering a useful counterpoint to a lineup largely composed of titles hailing from other events. For a showcase of this scale, presenting world premieres is not about competing head-to-head with major international festivals, but rather about retaining an ability to discover and launch films that does not rely solely on circulating already established works.
David Nugent, Chief Creative Officer of HamptonsFilm, highlighted as the goal of the selection the opportunity to bring to audiences both films from diverse international backgrounds and the artists who made them. Bob Feinberg, Executive Director of the organization, pointed instead to the communal dimension of the theatrical experience. In the words of the festival’s leadership, a vision emerges that aligns with the program: the event aims to be a venue for viewing, but also a meeting point between audiences and the creative industry.
A useful stop on the October calendar
Its spot on the calendar is an essential part of its identity. Hamptons takes place right after Venezia, Telluride, and Toronto, and concurrently with the New York Film Festival. At this time of year, distributors, industry professionals, the press, and audiences closely follow the titles that can maintain momentum heading into the winter and awards season. The festival does not operate in the same way as events that host major world premieres, but it can provide an additional stop for films seeking attention, word-of-mouth buzz, and direct engagement with audiences.
This also explains the varied nature of its lineup. The presence of Wicker, coming from Sundance, highlights the importance of continuity across festivals; the Long Island premieres preserve a degree of exclusivity; sessions with talent and filmmakers make the schedule more distinctive during a week in which the cultural offerings across the New York area are vast. These are not three independent silos, but rather the elements through which a regional event can maintain its relevance within an ecosystem increasingly concentrated around a handful of major gatherings.
For the films, October exposure can have varying impacts depending on their pre-established distribution path, and the announcement does not specify which titles will subsequently hit theaters or streaming platforms. It would therefore be premature to read the selection as a comprehensive indicator of upcoming commercial strategies. The lineup, however, reveals which works and figures the festival aims to connect with its audience: an auteur fantasy featuring a prominent cast, new projects from recognizable directors and actors, a documentary on Richard Avedon, and stories tied to the social geography of the Hamptons.
The 34th edition will therefore hinge on this combination. The pull of big names attracts media attention; the selection of titles already screened at major festivals taps into the season's debate; the two world premieres provide a concrete reason to follow Hamptons as a launchpad. Starting October 2, the reception from screenings and talks will measure how effectively this strategy stands out in the crowded autumn calendar.
