Hamptons Film Fest expands on its international ambitions

by Anthony Kaufman, Variety, September 29, 2006

The Hamptons Intl. Fim Festival is doing its best to live up to its name, reaching beyond the secluded, star-speckled shores of eastern Long Island to encompass the world. "We're really looking for international discoveries," says HIFF artistic director Rajendra Roy. "That's our mantra this year."

In its 14th outing, fest continues to establish its niche, as a showcase for American indies, but moreover as a place for foreign films that have been overlooked at other festivals or have yet to premiere in the US.

"I think there is a slow and steady growth of interest from (international) sales companies to use the Hamptons," says Karen Arikian, co-director of Berlin's European Film Market. "Sundance is too hard to get into, so you need to look at other outlets, and I think the proximity to New York and the ability to attract media from that region is very attractive."

"The New York Film Festival does a great job of showcasing high-end auteurs," notes Roy, "but in terms of discovering international directors, that's open ground and we can step into that area."

Roy, who moonlights as a programmer for the Berlinale, takes advantage of his overseas connections and now makes a point of integrating foreign films into Hamptons' Golden Starfish competition, which comes with a hefty prize of more than $190,000 in goods and services. Acknowledging that the competition was oftentimes the fest's "weakest category," he says it's now the "strongest it's been in the last five years."

HIFF organizers note that their cultured ticket-buyers gravitate to global fare. The fest's Audience Award consistently goes to foreign films. Last year, German Oscar nominee "Sophie Scholl: The Last Days" was a co-winner; previous years have honored Denmark's "Italian For Beginners" and Germany's 2003 Oscar triumph "Nowhere In Africa."

And as of last year, the festival's Rising Stars program -- inspired by Berlin's Shooting Stars -- was opened up to foreign thesps. This year's crop includes Polish actress Dagmara Dominczyk ("Mentor") and Germany's Sandra Huller ("Requiem").

Germany, in particular, has been well represented at the festival since the "Nowhere In Africa" victory. Oliver Mahrdt, German Films' rep on the East Coast, says Teutonic sales agents and producers now flag the festival on their calendars. "I'm being bombarded in April and May with films that are going to be submitted to the Hamptons," he says. "It's just a very friendly festival for foreign film."

"I think they've really built their audience for foreign films," adds Nancy Gerstman, co-prexy of Zeitgeist Films, US distrib of both "Nowhere In Africa" and "Sophie Scholl." "They were the first to acknowledge that 'Nowhere In Africa' was an important film."

The festival also has relationships with UniFrance, the Canadian consulate and the Israeli film industry, the latter most apparent in the festival's popular Films of Conflict and Resolution sidebar.

Though even outside of the political hot-button section, Roy notes their programming leans towards "serious films," including opening night kickoff "The Situation," Philip Haas's Iraq-set drama from Shadow Distribution. "A lot of these films have tougher subject matter," he says, "and a festival like ours can provide a great service to them."

But Roy acknowledges that acquisitions at HIFF are "virtually impossible, unless a film has screened at another festival." He advises industryites to catch up with Toronto titles and see how they play before an American audience, "and make their decision here," he adds.

Sony Pictures Classics EVP Dylan Leiner says that he often tracks the reaction of previously premiered films at HIFF. "The feedback we get from there can help us consider or reconsider pictures for acquisition," he says. Leiner adds that SPC uses the festival to showcase fall releases to East Coast Academy members and, more generally, "the sophisticated upscale audience."

Caption: World view: HIFF opens this year with Iraqi war drama "The Situation," below; German thesp Sandra Huller, in "Requiem" at right, is touted in the fest's Rising Stars program.