Hamptons International Film Festival

Hamptons International Film Festival Announces Screenwriters Lab Participants

Kate Erbland — Wed, 30 Mar 2016 15:00:00 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) has today announced the mentors and screenwriters for the 16th annual Screenwriters Lab, which will take place April 8-10 in East Hampton, NY. The Lab aims to pair up-and-coming screenwriters with established screenwriters, directors and producers for a very special weekend of intense and informative one-on-one mentoring sessions.

The three screenplays set to be included in this year's Lab include Shane Andries’ "The Delegation," Cathy Yan’s "Dead Pigs" and Marshall Curry and Davy Rothbart’s "Biggz." This year's mentors include filmmaker Debra Granik, screenwriter Michael Weber and Pixar writer Mike Jones.

Of the news, HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent said, "The Screenwriters Lab is a highlight of the year-round work that HIFF does as we bring together a wide range of artists from the industry and pair them with a new wave of writers and filmmakers who are at crucial junctures of their developing careers. Our submissions were up over 40% this year, and these three projects really represent some of the most exciting voices we had the pleasure of reading."

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Screenwriters Lab Announces Creation of New Fund

2016 also marks the first year that HIFF will be enjoying the support of the newly announced Melissa Mathison Fund, which aims to help screenwriters to nurture "their connection to both important industry contacts and the public by showcasing selected scene readings from their screenplays by established actors at the Festival in October."

This year's HIFF will also include a special screenwriting Master Class featuring last year’s mentor and Academy Award Best Original Screenplay winner for "Birdman: Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance," Alexander Dinelaris. The class will be open to the public and will take place at 5:30pm on April 9 in East Hampton.

Check out more information about this year's screenwriters and screenplays picked for the Lab, read on, with all information provided by HIFF.

"The Delegation" by Shane Andries
Longline: When a rookie congressional aide learns that a group of Americans living in a remote jungle commune might be in danger, she convinces a maverick Congressman to send a delegation to investigate the truth behind the group's nefarious and questionable leader–Jim Jones.

"Biggz" by Marshall Curry and Davy Rothbart
Longline: Big is a white, 350-pound aspiring rapper from Downriver Detroit who makes a living as a small-time drug dealer and babysitter. When repair costs for a leaky roof push him to get involved in a smuggling operation, he finds that making easy money is harder than he thought.

READ MORE: Attention, Screenwriters: Submit Your Screenplays to the Hamptons International Film Festival Lab

"Dead Pigs" by Cathy Yan
Longline: While thousands of dead pigs float down the Huangpu River, five people cross paths as they search for their place in a rapidly transforming, modern China.

The 16th Annual Screenwriters Lab will take place April 8-10 in East Hampton, New York. This year's Hamptons International Film Festival will run from October 6-10.

Check out a trailer for Debra Granik's latest, "Stray Dog," below:

Hamptons International Film Festival Screenwriters Lab Announces Creation of New Fund

Kate Erbland — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 17:05:23 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival has today announced the creation of their inaugural Melissa Mathison Fund for their 16th Annual Screenwriters Lab, taking place next month. This year's Lab is co-presented by the new fund and will pair up-and-coming screenwriters with various established screenwriters, directors and producers for a weekend dedicated to one-on-one mentoring sessions and fostering growth. Over 50 screenplays have been part of the Lab since its creation, including produced projects like "Short Term 12," "Little Accidents" and "Fort Bliss." Mentors have included such luminaries as Nicole Perlman, Oren Moverman, Anne Boden and Ryan Fleck, Whit Stillman and Maggie Greenwald.

Mathison, the beloved screenwriter behind such classics as "E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial" and "The Indian in the Cupboard," passed away last year and the Fund was created to honor and commemorate her career and passion.

"By choosing emerging female screenwriters to participate through this fund in Melissa’s name, her legacy will endure for generations to come," said Anne Chaisson, HIFF Executive Director, of the announcement. "We are so proud to be able to honor her dedication to the craft of screenwriting during our annual Screenwriters Lab."

READ MORE: Attention, Screenwriters: Submit Your Screenplays to the Hamptons International Film Festival Lab

This year's will Lab will also feature a screenwriting Master Class from last year’s mentor and Academy Award Screenplay winner for "Birdman," Alexander Dinelaris, which will be open to the public. "Alex was one of the most exciting parts of last year’s Lab. His passion, insight, and tales of working on the most celebrated film of last year had us all enthralled. We at HIFF wanted our audiences to have the chance to hear from him as well, and our first Master Class will allow that to happen," said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent of the pick.

Following the Lab, The Melissa Mathison Fund Screenwriter(s) will continue their connection to both important industry contacts and the public by showcasing selected scene readings from their screenplays by established actors at the Festival in October. Past actors that have performed in these readings include Academy Award winner Melissa Leo, Michael Stuhlbarg, Harris Yulin, Richard Kind and Steve Guttenberg.

The 16th Annual Screenwriters Lab will take place April 8-10 in East Hampton, New York. This year's Hamptons International Film Festival will run from October 6-10.

Check out a chat with Dan Rather from last year's Hamptons International Film Festival below.

Attention, Filmmakers: Hamptons International Film Festival Now Accepting Submissions

Elle Leonsis — Mon, 22 Feb 2016 17:20:05 GMT

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 'Spotlight' and Carol as Centerpiece Films

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) announced this morning that the submission process for its 24th year has officially begun. Documentary filmmakers may especially want to pay attention to the festival this year as HIFF is an Academy Award-qualifying festival for the Documentary Short Subject award. Screening your documentary short at the festival will make it eligible for the Oscar even if the short doesn't end up getting theatrical distribution.

HIFF has been granted the opportunity in light of its successful year of short films in 2015. Specifically, three of this year's Oscar nominated short documentaries were selected at the festival: "Spectres of the Shoah," "Body Team 12" and "Last Day of Freedom."

David Nugent, the Hamptons International Film Festival Program Director, said in an official statement: "We are honored to now have two of our award categories recognized by the Academy [...] Each year this festival grows, making it even more exciting to see the wealth of talent and art it attracts."

The 24th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival takes place October 6- 10. Click here for more information about HIFF.

READ MORE: 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival Completes Lineup, Including 'Bridge of Spies' Closing Night

7 Films to Catch Up On at This Year's Female-Powered Athena Film Festival

Kate Erbland — Wed, 17 Feb 2016 20:23:19 GMT

"Far From the Madding Crowd"

Fans of Carey Mulligan's work will be able to catch up with her starring turn in Sarah Gavron's "Suffragette," which is also set to play at the festival, but they should be sure to make time to check out her other great 2015 performance in Thomas Vinterberg's lush adaptation of the classic Tom Hardy novel. Remarkably well-cast as Bathsheba Everdene, Mulligan contends with all sorts of seemingly unsolvable problems — like bringing back her impoverished farm from the edge, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with in the sexist farming community and dealing with scads of suitors — in a deeply feminist (and very satisfying) story. Gorgeously lensed and filled with some of the most stunning costumes of the year, "Far From the Madding Crowd" got lost in the Oscar crush (a May release date and little play on the festival circuit probably didn't help matters), but there's still time to catch up with a film that's one of the best of last year.

"Inside Out"

Odds are you've already caught up with Pixar's latest masterpiece, but why not revisit the Pete Docter film with the benefit of hindsight? The clever conceit that sets "Inside Out" apart from other animated brethren — it takes place totally inside the head of a snappy young girl named Riley as her life is going through tremendous personal upheaval — isn't just a trick, it's a nifty way to approach what could be an otherwise standard coming-of-age story. Subsequent rewatches only further inspire admiration for the film's craftsmanship, from its overall look (the ingenuity of Riley's brain layout alone!) and the way it tells its story in ways that appeal to all ages (no easy feat).

"Mustang"

France's current Oscar nominee for best foreign language film has frequently been touted as "'The Virgin Suicides,' but in Europe" — and stop right there; what else could you possibly want out of a film? — but the story of five sisters caught up in the confines of a world they are desperate to break out of stands very much on its own merits. The cast is filled with fresh, new talents in the form of the five (surprisingly, not related in real life) sisters, who find themselves grievously punished for just acting their age. Shut up by rigid relatives, they find solace in each other and their steadfast beliefs that they can change the world (or, well, their own world) by sticking together.

"Testament of Youth"

Oscar nominee Alicia Vikander had a very busy year at the movies, between her work in lauded films like "The Danish Girl" and "Ex Machina" and lesser-seen blockbusters like "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." and "Seventh Son," but few people checked out her finely tuned performance in this historical biopic. Set in the UK during the early days of World War I, the film follows Vikander as budding scholar and writer Vera Brittain, who must balance her academic and professional dreams with a personal experience that grows more painful by the day. It's an understated and powerful performance that deserved more attention in Vikander's mightily crowded 2015.

"A Ballerina's Tale"

Nelson George's well-made documentary about Misty Copeland, a barrier-busting African-American ballerina, enjoyed a healthy run on the festival circuit, but never really caught on theatrically. The film is an engrossing look inside the often cloistered world of ballet dancing, told through the unique experience of Copeland, who made history when she became the first African-American ballerina to ascend to principal dancer status at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre. An understanding of ballet and a familiarity with Copeland are not essential to enjoying the film, which is so succinctly told and neatly crafted that it has the power to make ballet fans (and Copeland devotees) out of any audience.

"He Named Me Malala"

Another frequent fest entry, Davis Guggenheim's latest documentary is an intimate look inside the life of teen activist Malala Yousafzai. Guggenheim spent a lot of time with his young subject in order to best understand her path from school girl to crusader — and all the horrifying detours in between — and the result is a crowd-pleasing feature with a strong story to tell.

"Trapped"

A recent Sundance premiere, Dawn Porter's documentary bravely takes on the issue of so-called "TRAP" laws that restrict abortions in a multitude of ways. Porter's film goes deep, and her subjects range from clinic workers to lawyers, all of whom are fighting the battle to keep abortion safe and legal — and out of the hands of biased lawmakers. It's a forward-thinking, essential new look at a maddening issue that continues to divide the country.

The 6th Annual Athena Film Festival runs from February 18 – 21 at New York City's own Barnard College.

READ MORE: Meet France's Oscar Entry, 'Mustang,' a Controversial 5-Headed Monster of Femininity

Dan Rather on Why 'Truth' is the Best Journalism Movie of All Time (Plus Exclusive Video)

Zack Sharf — Thu, 04 Feb 2016 17:00:52 GMT

[Editor's Note: This post is presented in partnership with Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand in support of Indie Film Month. Today's pick, "Truth," is available now On Demand. Need help finding a movie to watch? Let TWC find the best fit for your mood here.]

"This movie has no dragons or robots or sex," Dan Rather proudly stated about the upcoming drama "Truth," "but my hope is that it will broaden a new conversation. I want it to spark up a new, broader discussion about the importance of the free, independent and necessary press as part of the red beating heart of democracy and freedom."

READ MORE: 'Truth' Director James Vanderbilt on Why Cate Blanchett Was the Key to His Searing Debut

Joining moderator Alec Baldwin at the Hamptons International Film Festival over the weekend, the famed reporter wasted no time in confessing his mistakes to the packed theater. "Truth," writer-director James Vanderbilt's drama about the darkest period of Rather's career, finds Robert Redford stepping into the anchor chair as the iconic journalist, a casting decision the real Rather finds to be a "surreal experience" that "he's still trying to process." The movie gets to the bottom of the 2004 Killian documents scandal, or what many now call "Rathergate."

During a September 2004 segment on CBS' "60 Minutes II," Rather and producer Mary Mapes (played by a searing Cate Blanchett in the film) aired a story uncovering George W. Bush's involvement in the Air National Guard from 1972-73. Based on documents the pair had come in contact with, Rather reported that Bush had been AWOL from the Guard for over a year. Right wing and conservative media attacked the two after finding the documents to be fabricated, and the resulting scandal made national headlines and cost Rather and Mapes their jobs from CBS.

"We made some mistakes," Rather vulnerably admitted to the crowd. "If we had to do it over again would I do things differently? Of course. Journalism is not a precise science. I did at the time what I thought was journalistically and ethically the right thing to do. Our story was true...They couldn’t attack the truth of the story, so they attacked the process by which we arrived at the truth — was it flawed? Yes, it was flawed. Was it more flawed than it should have been? Yes. Am I responsible for some of that? Yes. This is the point: The story was true. It was true then, it was true now."

Rather's conviction earned applause from the Hamptons crowd, and he continued to be adamant about the truth behind the story that derailed his career with CBS. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts," he said. "After [George W. Bush] got in to this special unit of the Guard, he did at least reasonably well as a pilot but then he disappeared for a year. Nobody disappears from the U.S. military for a year without reporting it...We made mistakes, but hold us responsible for what we did — recognize that as flawed as it was, we got to some basic truths. We got to some facts."

READ MORE: Toronto: Dan Rather Gets Emotional at World Premiere of Fact-Based 'Truth'

Rather's faulty reporting forced him out of the network news business after more than four decades on the job, and watching CBS try to erase his acclaimed track record from their history books has been painful for the 83-year-old newsman. While talking about reconciling with his departure from CBS, he admitted to missing the camaraderie of the news team most.

Rather ended with a list of his favorite journalism movies — "Network," "Broadcast News" and back-to-back Robert Redford vehicles "All the President's Men" and "Up Close and Personal" — though he feels more than confident that "Truth" trumps them all and rises to the very top of the genre.

"I have no financial interest in 'Truth,'" he clarified, "but I don’t think there's anything that's been on the big screen that shows you how investigative reports work — what the craft is — as well as this film. It takes you inside how the sausage is made. If you want to know what it’s really like to be inside the newsroom and out on the streets and on the phone, this is the best that’s ever been on the big screen."

"Truth" opens in select theaters this Friday, October 16. Watch an exclusive clip from the HIFF talk above, in which Rather speaks to whether or not his reporting on the Killian documents story was an anomaly.

READ MORE: Toronto Review: Robert Redford is Dan Rather in 'Truth,' But Cate Blanchett Runs the Show

Indiewire has partnered with Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand for February's Indie Film Month. Enjoy exceptionally creative and uniquely entertaining new Indie releases ("Grandma," "Youth," "Room" and more) all month long on Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand. Go HERE daily for movie reviews, interviews, and exclusive footage of the suggested TWC movie of the day and catch the best Indie titles on TWC Movies On Demand.

This feature was originally published on October 12, 2015.

Attention, Screenwriters: Submit Your Screenplays to the Hamptons International Film Festival Lab

Tarek Shoukri — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 15:52:15 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival has opened submissions for its 16th annual Screenwriters Lab, an intimate gathering that will take place in East Hampton, New York from April 8-10, 2016. The Lab aims to nurture screenwriting talent by pairing emerging screenwriters with experienced mentors. Industry mentors, which will include both screenwriters and creative producers, will work closely with members to help develop their scripts and hone their creative vision.

The Screenwriters Lab has launched projects that have screened in festivals around the world, such as indie hit "Short Term 12," starring Brie Larson. Recently, the Lab hosted acclaimed mentors such as Whit Stillman ("Metropolitan"), Ira Sachs ("Love is Strange") and Oren Movermen ("The Messenger").

The Screenwriters Lab seeks a wide selection of screenplays that address a range of topics. The deadlines for the HIFF Lab are below:

Earlybird Deadline: December 1, 2015

Regular Deadline: December 15, 2015

Late Deadline: December 29, 2015

WAB Extended Deadline: January 12, 2016

For more information on the Screenwriters Lab and how to apply, head here.

Top Casting Directors For Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg and More Reveal Industry Secrets

Zack Sharf — Fri, 16 Oct 2015 16:27:02 GMT

READ MORE: 5 Reasons Why You Need To Hire A Casting Director And Not Do It Yourself

The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival welcomed three of the industry's top casting directors to share secrets and to offer up tips during a panel entitled "The Art of Casting: Casting Society of America." Moderated by the New York Vice President of the Casting Society of America Bernard Telsey, the panelists included Ellen Lewis, who has worked with Martin Scorsese for the past 25 years, Eve Battaglia, one of independent cinema's most successful casting directors, and Richard Hicks, the President of the Casting Society who has working relationships with Christopher Guest, Ken Loach and more.

Over the course of the hour-long discussion, the casting directors provided no shortage of humorous casting stories and quick tips. The panelists opened up about the challenges and frustrations of working in this unique and integral industry job. Below are some of the panel's must-read highlights straight from the casting directors themselves.

Ellen Lewis ("Goodfellas," "Forrest Gump," "13 Going On 30," "Bridge of Spies")

The challenge of casting "Bridge of Spies": "It was slightly intimidating, I have to say, walking into the room, but it was a lot of fun. Steven had a very open mind, which is what you always want in a director...The challenge of the film was that half of it takes place in Germany. You start getting tapes in -- because I was the filter to then present Steven with the ideas -- and when you're looking at people who are speaking in a language you don't understand and you don't have any context for who they are, it can be very confusing. It's our job to narrow down choices for a director and look at the faces, look at the reading and see who fits into the texture of the film. We go through their auditions and also their pictures with the director so that you have faces that people will be able to distinguish and know who they are looking at."

The pros of casting in the digital age: "The pro is that the outreach is much bigger because people can self-tape from all over the world really, depending on what it is we're looking for."

The cons of casting in the digital age: "Because of the internet, people aren't meeting actors as much as they used to. Steven actually didn't meet a lot of the actors until they got to set. The cons are that everybody within a creative team can now watch those auditions and casting is subjective. What you've done now is open this decision making to 15 people, where everyone has a different opinion. I know I'm extremely lucky because I still work primarily in film where the director, for the most part, is still the person who is making the creative choice, so that you have one voice that is making those decisions, which I believe in. I think the fact that everything can now be uploaded is not a great thing."

Casting directors deserve an Academy Award: "We would like to get an Academy Award [for casting]. We would like to be recognized. A movie does not go on without our participation in it. We are the first ones on a film. Without the actors, there's no need for anyone to wardrobe, do sound or anything. What we do is audition actors all day -- it's private, delicate, so vulnerable for people to come in and face the rejection they do. I think that's why our recognition isn't as big as it should be. It's really a very special thing what goes on in that room and it's our job to make the actor feel as comfortable as possible because we want you to do well. It's crazy to me the SAG Awards don't recognize casting directors in the Best Ensemble category. I don't understand why casting directors aren't there. I doubt the director or the writer did that on their own!"

Eve Battaglia ("Interview With A Vampire," "Transamerica," "Blue Caprice," "Lullaby")

Cast wherever you can: "I've done everything: Craigslist. I've stood in Washington Square Park with fliers, I've lurked in playgrounds. One of my first jobs, I was hanging outside of schools trying to find kids."

Producers will always want big names: "Sometimes with these little films, producers have to get a star attached to bring in the money. For 'When I Live My Life Over Again,' Christopher Walken and Amber Heard -- the project came to me with them attached. They were the calling cards because who doesn't want to be Christopher Walken's family? We have this great kid who plays Christopher Walken's grandson. Bob really told me, 'I want Christopher Walken's grandson,' which is code for eccentric, quirky, interesting. A lot of little kids in the business look like the boy next door or a perfect little sports kid, that's not what he wanted."

Diversity is a challenge, but correcting it starts with the screenplay: "If they've written an all white cast, you can usually open their minds to some of the roles. It's getting easier now but it's always been hard to have a blended family or interracial romance because the producers or directors may think that drives the story some way and that's not the way they want to go. You end up getting the doctors, the shrink and the nurse with color. It's a struggle we all work on all the time."

Richard Hicks ("For Your Consideration," "Lars and the Real Girl," "Gravity," "Zero Dark Thirty")

Find actors who want to try something different: "'Meadowland' came to me with no one attached to it. So how do you solve that? One of angles I use in casting a project is looking at the list of actors who might be right, and finding someone who might have something to prove by doing this part. We have a lot of Hollywood actors who are looking to do something that's artistically satisfying or do a part they might not have done before. When you're doing a little independent movie, you don't have money and you often don't have an A-list director, so you need something that will draw that actor. Olivia Wilde hadn't had a chance to prove how deep she is as an actress and how willing she was to go to a dark, sad place."

The first person you cast is the most important: "Once we got Wilde, one of the next hires was Elisabeth Moss. The first few people you hire tell the other actors and help tell the world what this movie is going to be. When they know it's an actor of quality -- like Olivia and Elisabeth -- they take note and read the script and are more inclined to do it than if you've made a mistake in that part. If you're lucky, then it becomes a snowball that goes downhill and gathers actors without you doing much pushing."

Don't limit the search to lookalikes: "Physical resemblance helps, but you need to find actors who will create a parallel world that the audience will be willing to go with that version of it. It's not an exact duplication because you can never exactly duplicate, but they take the essence of the character and explore it."

Social media doesn't matter, though it is considered: "It doesn't mean anything that someone has one million Twitter follows except that they have one million Twitter followers, but it is becoming another metric used to feel comfortable about hiring this person and not that person. It's all smoke and mirrors though. It's a balancing act in the conversation and social media is becoming one of the things that's talked about."

Emily Blunt on Tom Cruise and the New Wave of Emboldened Female Characters

Zack Sharf — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 15:07:31 GMT

Emily Blunt is in the middle of talking about one of her earliest theater gigs when a phone in the audience at the Hamptons' Bay Street Theater begins to ring. "Whose ever phone that is, get out!" she yells with exaggerated enthusiasm. As the audience begins to cheer, Blunt's true colors reveal themselves. "I"m kidding! I'm kidding!" she shouts. "Oh my, that poor person!"

READ MORE: Toronto: Why 'Sicario' Star Emily Blunt Keeps Getting Put On the 'Strong Woman' Short List

Currently riding a wave of acclaim thanks to the Denis Villeneuve border thriller "Sicario," Blunt stopped by the 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival over the weekend to take part in its "A Conversation With..." discussion series with Variety's Jenelle Riley. Blunt, who also received the festival's Creative Impact in Acting Award, was a pure delight as she reflected on her various collaborations with some of the industry's biggest talent, including Judi Dench, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise.

"I do feel incredibly proud to be a part of this new wave of emboldened female characters, who are proving to make money at the box office, which hasn't always been the case," she said in regards to her current status in the business. But her appreciation of where her career has taken her was just the beginning of a lively discussion about all she's learned in her 10 years and counting. Check out all of the highlights from Blunt's Hamptons discussion below.

Blunt originally wanted to study modern languages.

"I was late to the party with the interest in acting. I enjoyed it at school. I was in school plays and enjoyed the drama classes. When I was 17, the head of drama said, 'Do you want to be in this play that we're going to take to the Edinburgh Theater Festival?' It was the end of the summer holidays and I really needed to turn some money, but it wasn't the plan. I wasn't going to go to drama school. I was going to go to the university to study modern languages. But I went and this agent came to see it and asked if I wanted to give it a go. It is something that I've fallen more and more in love with over the years. It wasn't ever this burning ambition for me, it was a slow burn."

Working with Judi Dench taught Blunt the importance of happiness on set.

"It was a play called 'The Royal Family' in the West End and Judi Dench was in the play with me and it was a remarkable learning curve," Blunt said of her first professional gig. "I hadn't trained or anything, so I feel like I got my three years of school just working with her and watching her. She went about it with such joy and there was no angst or torture to it. She just wanted everyone to have a good time, and I think I adopted that very early on and I've sort of continued to work from a happy place. I do my best work when I'm happy. It was amazing. I remember all these famous people came to see the play because of her, and she always invited me for champagne and like.. Johnny Depp was there! Oh my god! It was so crazy! I was 18, it was wild!"

Pawel Pawlikowski proved to Blunt that performance ambiguity is key.

"['My Summer of Love'] was different than anything I had ever done because the whole thing was improvised. It was this organic, freewheeling approach and it was really frightening and exhilarating. I learned more from Pawel Pawlikowski than anyone I've ever worked with because he taught me the importance of ambiguity and nuance and not knowing and how interesting the power of suggestion can be -- the space between people is more interesting than what they actually say to each other. I've never forgotten that experience. I've taken it with me through everything I've ever done."

No one throws acting curveballs quite like Meryl Streep.

"She's the best. I was very intimidated. She was very focused on ['The Devil Wears Prada']. I became friends with her after the film really. On the film, I wouldn't say she's a Method actor, but she's very focused and slightly adopts the characteristic of the character she's playing, she remains in their skin and they sort of dwell in her a little bit. She's naturally a very gregarious person, a very happy person, and I think she had a very hard time playing that part and restraining herself and being so cold and unpleasant. She's wonderful to work with because she throws you curveballs and you just don't know what she's going to do. She keeps you on your toes very much."

Blunt tips her hat to Tom Cruise, and she thinks you should, too.

"He had seen 'The Adjustment Bureau,' which was quite physical in some ways and there was chemistry and back-and-forth between Matt [Damon] and I, and Tom pushed for me to get ['Edge of Tomorrow']. I hadn't known him at all. He's the sweetest, sweetest thing. He's so generous. He loves the job -- this boundless enthusiasm for the job, it's sort of infectious working with him." "

"Look how cool he is. He did 'Edge of Tomorrow' and then 'Mission' with Rebecca Ferguson, who kicks his ass in the film again. I think it's just remarkable and unusual for an action star of his stature to really want these empowered roles for women in action roles. You have to take your hat off to him because I think a lot of guys wouldn't be alright with that. On the whole, the women play these moody-eyed damsels and the guys run around saving the world. He is more a rarity in that way. He loves strong women."

Blunt wants a director who will inspire the confidence to try anything.

"I love a very spirited opinion. I don't want someone who has their head in their hands and doesn't know what to do. I will take a spirited opinion from a director any day of the week over a vague one. I love someone who is very collaborative and gives you space. I just want space to feel like I can throw anything against the wall and then we'll see what sticks. The directors I've worked with, the few that I've felt very unhappy with, it was that I felt straightjacketed and I was trying to conform to something they saw in the character that I was never going to be able to match. I love working with people who embolden you to try anything. Acting is so much about confidence."

"Sicario" gave Blunt the opportunity to play a character all too rare in Hollywood these days.

"I'm blown away by 'Sicario.' It's an extraordinary film; it's very uncompromising, morally very ambitious and it creates discussion. I love that people leave the movie theater and they feel inspired to discuss, where as a lot of films leave you feeling numb. To be a part of a film that ambushes people the way that it does is really special...The script is completely original. You just don't get many parts like that where your female protagonist is in this action-fueled, masculine world holding her own, and still a woman, not trying to be butch and swagger. I love the themes of morality in an amoral world and the cycles of violence in it, too."

"Sicario" is now playing in theaters nationwide.

'Room' and 'Where to Invade Next' Win Audience Awards at Hamptons International Film Festival

Zack Sharf — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 14:01:30 GMT

READ MORE: Why Michael Moore Loves Death Threats and Donald Trump and is Hopeful For America's Future

The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival has filled out the rest of its 2015 award winners by announcing that Lenny Abrahamson's "Room" and Michael Moore's "Where to Invade Next" have won the Audience Awards for Best Narrative Feature and Best Documentary, respectively. "All American Family" won the Audience Award for Best Short Film.

“We are so pleased with the dedication of our filmgoers to consistently vote for their favorite films each year," said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent. "Our Audience Award winners are indicators of the level of films we are able to bring to the festival each year."

"Where to Invade Next" marks Michael Moore's first film in six years and finds the director traveling to numerous countries to investigate their policies and laws on a wide range of social, economic and political issues. The film will be released in December in select theaters via a new distribution company formed by Tom Quinn, Jason Janego and Tim League.

"Room" has become one of the season's most anticipated awards titles after earning acclaim for its performances at screenings in Telluride and Toronto. Brie Larson and newcomer Jacob Tremblay play a mother and son who must learn to reenter the world after escaping from years of imprisonment in a small shed. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Emma Donoughe. A24 stars rolling "Room" out in theaters this Friday, October 16.

HIFF ran October 8-12. Check out the previously announced winners here.

READ MORE: Telluride Review: Brie Larson is a Revelation Alongside Stunning Newcomer Jacob Tremblay in 'Room'

Why Michael Moore Loves Death Threats and Donald Trump and is Hopeful For America's Future

Zack Sharf — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:51:18 GMT

It's been six years since Michael Moore took to the big screen, and for anyone thinking he may have lost his rabble-rousing spirit and bombastic humor in the interim, guess again. "Where to Invade Next," which finds Moore infiltrating numerous countries to investigate how they handle a wide range of social, economic and political issues, might just be his most uproarious and impassioned effort yet. If the reaction to the film at the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) over the weekend is any indication -- it was interrupted about a dozen times by huge bursts of applause -- Moore might just have the biggest hit of his career on his hands.

READ MORE: Review: Has Michael Moore Gone Soft? With 'Where to Invade Next,' He Changes His Tune

In addition to screening his latest documentary at HIFF, Moore sat down with New York Film Critics Circle member Marshall Fine for the festival's "A Conversation With..." discussion series. Sporting his trademark hat and zip-up sweatshirt, Moore was his typical firecracker self, rattling off sly quips left and right about politics and the state of America, though he was also quite relaxed and whole-heartedly optimistic, which just so happen to be two characteristics that make "Where to Invade Next" so enjoyable.

From remaining optimistic about our country's future to revealing his love for death threats and Donald Trump, check out the highlights from Moore's lengthy HIFF conversation below.

With "Where to Invade Next," Moore wanted to make a film about America without ever stepping foot in it.

"The original idea was to go and invade other countries and steal things -- other than oil -- that we could use. And I would do it without firing a shot. I had three rules: Don't shoot anybody, don't take any oil and bring something back home that we can use...It became clear to us once we were invading these countries that it would be a much better movie if I made a movie about America without ever shooting a single frame of this movie in America. So that became a challenge. What would that movie look like? I liked the challenge of that. That seems almost impossible. I'm not interested in doing the same old movie and as a filmmaker I'm bored with that."

Preserving Moore's ignorance was key to the film's success.

"It's best that I don't know a whole lot. It's best that I'm ignorant going into it so that the reactions remain real. For this film, I had a basic outline, and one of my rules was that I wanted to find things I had no idea about...We heard things in the European way were better, but we had no idea to what extent. The producers and the field producers were told not to tell me much of anything. I have a basic outline of why I'm in Italy, let's say, and that's because over the years I've had Italians tell me about how much paid vacation they get -- it's outrageous."

"But that's all I know. I don't know how many weeks it is or what they get, so when I'm interviewing that couple and she says to me in addition to these paid weeks of vacation that also when you get married the law mandates you get 15 days paid vacation for your honeymoon -- the look on my face, which when you see the film is a complete 'what the fuck?' and 'you've got to be shitting me,' that's real. I'm not an actor and I don't want to act that. I don't do any pre-interviews. I like it to happen random."

Moore took six years off because he can't be the only one speaking out.

"Well, in the last year and a half my father died and I got divorced. Everyone in the room has been through a death I'm sure of, and they say half the room has been through a divorce. But the real answer, in these six years, I wrote a book I'm very proud of, but I said at the end of 'Capitalism: A Love Story' that I'm tired of doing this. I don't need to be the poster boy on FOX News. I need other things to happen. I need other people to get involved. I need other people to make movies. It just can't be me doing it. I'm not the only one, but I sure seemed to be singled out as the devil. There's two Michael Moores -- the fictional one that's been invented by Rush Limbaugh and FOX News and the right wing, and then there's the real me."

After so many life-threatening assaults, Moore has come to like death threats.

"I think after I gave that speech at the Oscars and made 'Fahrenheit 9/11' the next year, I got to a point where I would like death threats because it was a death threat. I learned from the security people that that's a good thing, because it cathartically gets the hate out and they don't need to do anything. The threats are the good thing. A person who is going to hurt you does not send you a note [laughs]. So I'm a big fan of death threats!"

"I suffered through half a dozen assaults, from people with weapons or things. There was a guy with a knife that leapt up on the stage in Nashville, there was a guy with a metal pipe in Oregon who came at me...I was on the corner of 19th and Broadway and this guy came at me with what looked like a metal compass and he came right at me to stab it in my face and Ron, the security guy, got his hand up in time and it went right through his hand. I was in Fort Lauderdale and a guy gets out of Starbucks, a nicely dressed man...and he takes the lid of his coffee and throws it right at my face. The guy who was with me got his face just quick enough in front of mine, he took the hit and got second degree burns."

"The worst of these was a guy from Illinois who decided to drive up to northern Michigan where I lived and he built a fertilizer bomb to blow up our house. He was going to plant it underneath the house and blow it up. His AK-47 went off accidentally and a neighbor called the cops and he was arrested. In an apartment they found a diary and he had a list of people he was going to assassinate and I was at the top of his list...At that point people who live with you say they don't want to be the collateral damage of what is obviously going to happen to me. Life starts to suck in a huge way. I made two very good friends with Ben and Jerry."

Moore doesn't want Donald Trump's show to end any time soon.

"I think Trump is a great performance artist. I hope his show doesn't end very soon. I'm enjoying it...He did point out he went against the war in the first year and broke with the Republicans and Bush. He criticized Bush. He wants to tax the hedge fund guys. That's not an endorsement, but there's something going on that he's tapping into with a lot of people. Look, history is full of examples of crazy demigods being able to manipulate the frustrations of the middle class. He's doing well and unless he implodes in some way it's very possible he'll be the Republican nominee. But because this next election will be decided by women, people of color, women, women, people of color and young people -- look, there isn't anything more uncool to an 18-year-old than Donald Trump. He's already lost the general election, so it might be best if they nominate him cause it will be entertaining for the rest of us.

Moore remains optimistic about American's future.

"I have been writing about private prisons, women not being equal parts of the power structure and others for a very long time. I should be much more pessimistic and cynical than I am. Nothing has changed, and yet to me everything has changed. After the 2004 election when all those states made it part of their constitution that if you love somebody of the same gender you couldn't marry them, that was just 10-11 years ago. Now, it's gone. Just like that it happened -- obviously it was a long struggle. But things change all the time."

"If I told you in 2006 that our fellow Americans would elect, two years from now, a black man with the middle name of Hussein, that would've just been 'crazy Mike' again out on some limb. We do incredible things. This amazing thing about us as a country is we, in spite of ourselves, we really pull off some wonderful things, and I have a lot of optimism that once the American public -- I realize the American public is kept ignorant to a large degree for various reasons -- but eventually when people learn the truth they will do the right thing. Ignorance can be corrected."

Dan Rather on Why 'Truth' is the Best Journalism Movie of All Time (Plus Exclusive Video)

Zack Sharf — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 18:23:19 GMT

"This movie has no dragons or robots or sex," Dan Rather proudly stated about the upcoming drama "Truth," "but my hope is that it will broaden a new conversation. I want it to spark up a new, broader discussion about the importance of the free, independent and necessary press as part of the red beating heart of democracy and freedom."

READ MORE: 'Truth' Director James Vanderbilt on Why Cate Blanchett Was the Key to His Searing Debut

Joining moderator Alec Baldwin at the Hamptons International Film Festival over the weekend, the famed reporter wasted no time in confessing his mistakes to the packed theater. "Truth," writer-director James Vanderbilt's drama about the darkest period of Rather's career, finds Robert Redford stepping into the anchor chair as the iconic journalist, a casting decision the real Rather finds to be a "surreal experience" that "he's still trying to process." The movie gets to the bottom of the 2004 Killian documents scandal, or what many now call "Rathergate."

During a September 2004 segment on CBS' "60 Minutes II," Rather and producer Mary Mapes (played by a searing Cate Blanchett in the film) aired a story uncovering George W. Bush's involvement in the Air National Guard from 1972-73. Based on documents the pair had come in contact with, Rather reported that Bush had been AWOL from the Guard for over a year. Right wing and conservative media attacked the two after finding the documents to be fabricated, and the resulting scandal made national headlines and cost Rather and Mapes their jobs from CBS.

"We made some mistakes," Rather vulnerably admitted to the crowd. "If we had to do it over again would I do things differently? Of course. Journalism is not a precise science. I did at the time what I thought was journalistically and ethically the right thing to do. Our story was true...They couldn’t attack the truth of the story, so they attacked the process by which we arrived at the truth — was it flawed? Yes, it was flawed. Was it more flawed than it should have been? Yes. Am I responsible for some of that? Yes. This is the point: The story was true. It was true then, it was true now."

Rather's conviction earned applause from the Hamptons crowd, and he continued to be adamant about the truth behind the story that derailed his career with CBS. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not to their own facts," he said. "After [George W. Bush] got in to this special unit of the Guard, he did at least reasonably well as a pilot but then he disappeared for a year. Nobody disappears from the U.S. military for a year without reporting it...We made mistakes, but hold us responsible for what we did — recognize that as flawed as it was, we got to some basic truths. We got to some facts."

READ MORE: Toronto: Dan Rather Gets Emotional at World Premiere of Fact-Based 'Truth'

Rather's faulty reporting forced him out of the network news business after more than four decades on the job, and watching CBS try to erase his acclaimed track record from their history books has been painful for the 83-year-old newsman. While talking about reconciling with his departure from CBS, he admitted to missing the camaraderie of the news team most.

Rather ended with a list of his favorite journalism movies — "Network," "Broadcast News" and back-to-back Robert Redford vehicles "All the President's Men" and "Up Close and Personal" — though he feels more than confident that "Truth" trumps them all and rises to the very top of the genre.

"I have no financial interest in 'Truth,'" he clarified, "but I don’t think there's anything that's been on the big screen that shows you how investigative reports work — what the craft is — as well as this film. It takes you inside how the sausage is made. If you want to know what it’s really like to be inside the newsroom and out on the streets and on the phone, this is the best that’s ever been on the big screen."

"Truth" opens in select theaters this Friday, October 16. Watch an exclusive clip from the HIFF talk above, in which Rather speaks to whether or not his reporting on the Killian documents story was an anomaly.

READ MORE: Toronto Review: Robert Redford is Dan Rather in 'Truth,' But Cate Blanchett Runs the Show

'Rams' and 'Missing People' Win Top Honors at 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival

Zack Sharf — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 15:00:00 GMT

READ MORE: Cohen Media Group Acquires Cannes Winner 'Rams'

The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) handed out its 2015 awards at a gala in East Hampton this morning. Grimur Hákonarson's Cannes sensation "Rams" was awarded the HIFF Award for Best Narrative Feature, presented by The Wall Street Journal. The movie was the Cannes Un Certain Regard prize winner and follows two estranged brothers who own neighboring sheep farms.

The HIFF Award for Best Documentary Feature went to David Shapiro's "Missing People," which chronicles an enigmatic young woman's investigation into the long unsolved murder of her brother. "Over" and "Last Day of Freedom" took home the awards for Best Narrative Short Film and Best Documentary Short Film, respectively.

"Our aspiration for the festival has always been to highlight the importance of diversity in film and support emerging talent in the industry," said Artistic Director David Nugent. "We are incredibly proud of this year’s lineup and having had achieved these goals once again."

Check out all of the 23rd HIFF winners below:

HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature sponsored by The Wall Street Journal

"Rams," directed by Grimur Hákonarson

Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature

"Embrace of the Serpent," directed by Ciro Guerra

HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature sponsored by ID Films

"Missing People," directed by David Shapiro

Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature

"Chuck Norris Vs. Communism," directed by Ilinca Calugareanu

HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film sponsored by The Wall Street Journal

"Over," directed by Jörn Threlfall

Honorable Mention for Narrative Short Film

"Patriot," directed by Eva Riley

HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film sponsored by ID Films

"Last Day of Freedom," directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones, Nomi Talisman

Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice

"The Uncondemned," directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel

Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award

"Suffragette," directed by Sarah Gavron

Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant

"When I Live My Life Over Again," directed by Robert Edwards

The 2015 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution

"The Uncondemned," directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel

The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence

"The Champions," directed by Darcy Dennett

READ MORE: Watch: Rescued Fight Dogs Get a New Leash on Life in Exclusive 'The Champions' Trailer and Poster

'Suffragette' Director Sarah Gavron Honored at Hamptons Film Fest

Matt Brennan — Mon, 12 Oct 2015 14:51:26 GMT

With "Suffragette" already in the news before its U.S. release on Oct. 23—it opened the 59th BFI London Film Festival last week, and stars Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan stirred up the internet by posing for Time Out London in T-shirts with the suffragette slogan "I'd rather be a rebel than a slave"—Tangerine Entertainment presented the film's director, Sarah Gavron, with its Juice Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival this weekend.

The award is given to female filmmakers for their first or second feature film, and comes with a $1,000 cash prize and five hours of consulting from the production company, which highlights media by women directors. The Juice Fund is sustained entirely by donations from individuals and organizations, in partnership with New York Women in Film & Television.

READ MORE: "'Suffragette' Breaks at Telluride, Meryl Streep Slams Lack of Female Directors (VIDEO)"

"Suffragette," written by Abi Morgan ("The Iron Lady"), features an Oscar-worthy Mulligan as Maud, a 24-year-old laundrywoman who joins the women's suffrage movement in Britain in the early 20th century; the film also co-stars Helena Bonham Carter and Ben Whishaw. (Streep cameos as wealthy suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst, to whom the aforementioned slogan is attributed.) Reviews to this point have been mixed, with Morgan's screenplay coming in for particular criticism, and recent history suggests that it can be hard to shake off ideological controversies during awards season. Whatever you think of those T-shirts—tone-deaf or taken out of context—the fact remains that off-screen flare-ups can slow, or sink, an Oscar campaign, and it often takes positive news, like the Juice Award, to change the conversation.

'Truth' Director James Vanderbilt on Why Cate Blanchett Was the Key to His Searing Debut

Zack Sharf — Fri, 09 Oct 2015 18:26:22 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival kicked off last night with a warmly-recieved screening of James Vanderbilt's "Truth." The drama unfolds the story of "Rathergate," in which CBS news anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes reported about George W. Bush's service in the Alabama National Guard. The story became a national scandal in 2004 after some of the evidence used to prove the President had gone AWOL was reported as fabricated, resulting in Rather and Mapes' departure from CBS after years of Emmy Award-winning reporting.

READ MORE: Toronto Review: Robert Redford is Dan Rather in 'Truth,' But Cate Blanchett Runs the Show

Joining producer Brad Fischer and co-star Dennis Quaid, writer-director Vanderbilt spoke to the audience at the Opening Night screening about his interest in the project. The movie is based on Mapes' 2005 memoir, which the filmmaker had read an excerpt of in Vanity Fair. Looking for a story he could direct himself after years of only screenwriting (Vanderbilt's credits include everything from "Zodiac" to "The Amazing Spider-Man" franchise), Vanderbilt was instantly hooked by this true story of journalism.

"When I read the book, the first thing that struck me was how much I didn't know about something I thought I knew a lot about," he said. "I've always loved process stories and movies that can take you behind the curtain of how something works and make you learn what it's like to walk a mile in these people's shoes. This story had all of that, plus this really fascinating woman at the center of it."

Casting this "fascinating woman" ended up being the most integral part of the production process. "Truth" may feature Dan Rather, but Mary Mapes is undoubtedly the film's blazing driver of the action. "It started with Cate Blanchett," said Fischer, who reached out to the actress after her big Oscar win for "Blue Jasmine." "Jamie had not directed a film before, but if she responded to the screenplay then she was responding to Jamie's vision as a storyteller. We were incredibly lucky."

Blanchett brings a searing and vulnerable intensity to the film, which is why she's back in the Best Actress Oscar race this year opposite her equally-acclaimed performance in "Carol." Once the team got Blanchett on board, the rest of the pieces fell into place, including Robert Redford. Vanderbilt always wanted a "legend to play a legend," and while he had known Redford from a failed project he wrote that the actor was going to direct, it was Blanchett's casting that ultimately sealed the deal.

"I knew [Redford's] first question would be, 'Well, who's playing Mary?'" Vanderbilt shared. "I wrote him this long letter about what 'All the President's Men' meant to me and why I thought this would be a great film and why him playing a journalist again could mean a lot. I wrote the word 'please' like 10 times in there as well. I also mentioned, 'Oh, by the way, you're screen partner will be Cate Blanchett.' He then called me up, which never happens, it's always an agent, and I fell out of my chair."

Assembling such a start-studdest cast -- Elisabeth Moss and Topher Grace also co-star -- proved to be quite a surreal and second-guessing experience for a debut director, and it took validation from cast members like Quaid to convince Vanderbilt that he could really take charge.

"On my first day I'm staring down the barrel of Cate Blanchett, Dennis Quaid, Elisabeth Moss and Topher Grace all in one scene, so I'm trying to do my best, but I've got these legendary actors doing this," he remembered. "You try and be a good director and the captain of the ship, but inside, I am peeing myself. Hopefully only on the inside! At the end of the second day as we were leaving, Dennis came and said, 'You're okay. It's going well. It's good.' I was like, 'Oh, my God! Dennis Quaid just said I'm doing a good job directing.' It was such a moment of like, 'Okay, I can do this.' It was such a gift for him to say that."

The finished result is a crackerjack exploration of the foundations and consequences of 21st century journalism. Vanderbilt wisely keeps every character in the grey space between hero and villain, which is exactly what Quaid responded to in the script. "[The movie] is as close as you could get to [the story] without politicizing it, without really taking sides. In a way, it was real journalism," he said.

"These are real people who have families who are walking around and a movie getting made with their characters in it is going to affect them in some way," Vanderbilt continued. "I think there's no reason to demonize someone just because you can...We talked about how everybody in the film is just trying to do their jobs and do it the best way they can in the circumstances they find themselves. You have to play it in an honest place as a human being, and I always thought that was the most important part."

"Truth" opens in select theaters on October 16.

READ MORE: Toronto: Dan Rather Gets Emotional at World Premiere of Fact-Based 'Truth'

Watch: Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Clip From Award-Winning Short 'Last Day of Freedom'

Paula Bernstein — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 14:26:12 GMT

"Last Day of Freedom" uses thousands of hand-drawn animations from actual documentary footage and archival material to tell the true story of a man who agonizes over whether to call the police when he realizes his brother Manny, a Vietnam veteran, committed a crime.

Directed by Dee Hilbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman, "Last Day of Freedom" has already taken top prizes at a number of festivals, including the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize (which qualified it for Oscar consideration).

In granting the Jury Prize, the jury said, "This film demonstrates and reminds us of the simple power and intimacy of the human voice. It interweaves different visual styles of animation and engages the audience fully in an increasingly fraught tale that ultimately presents the supreme cost of doing the right thing."

READ MORE: This Romantic Short Film Was Shot Entirely on an iPhone 6:

Dealing with hot-button issues such as racism, veterans' care, mental health and criminal justice, the film will have its New York premiere at the upcoming Hamptons Film Festival.

Watch the "making of" clip above to see how the directors brought the story to life with hand-drawn animation and see some images from the film below:

READ MORE: Attention, Filmmakers: Essential Short Film Tips

Filmmaker Nicholas Louvel Killed in Crash Two Weeks Before Hamptons International Film Festival

Aubrey Page — Thu, 24 Sep 2015 17:28:09 GMT

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 'Youth' as Southampton Opening Night Film

Nicholas Louvel, whose latest film, "The Uncondemned," was set to have its world premiere at the Hamptons International Film Festival, passed away early this morning in a single-car accident in East Hampton. The 34-year old New Yorker was a director, producer and editor. His work in the film business included projects as varied as "Domino One," "Bridge" and "The Thomas Crown Affair."

The official statement from the festival reads, "The family at the Hamptons International Film Festival is deeply saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague Nick Louvel. His passion and filmmaking will be truly missed and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this tragic time."

"The Uncondemned" documents the groundbreaking 1997 fight for the first conviction of rape as a war crime in Rwanda and was co-directed by Louvel and Michele Mitchell.

READ MORE: 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival Completes Lineup, Including 'Bridge of Spies' Closing Night

23rd Hamptons International Film Festival Completes Lineup, Including 'Bridge of Spies' Closing Night

Zack Sharf — Tue, 22 Sep 2015 16:09:29 GMT

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 'Spotlight' and 'Carol' as Centerpiece Films

The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival has completed its 2015 official lineup by announcing the slates for its Spotlight, World Cinema and Shorts programs. Additionally, the festival has confirmed that Emily Blunt, Michael Moore and Dan Rather will take part in its trademark "A Conversation With…" discussions, while Steven Spielberg's "Bridge of Spies" will close the event on Monday, October 12.

"Our Spotlight and World Cinema films, from all around the world and right here in the Hamptons, make up the heart of our Festival’s line up, and we are so proud of this year’s selections," said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent. "In addition, it is an honor for us to close our 23rd festival with Steven Spielberg’s new film, as he was a part of our very first edition."

This year's Spotlight Films include the North American premiere of "A Royal Night Out," the U.S. premieres of "I Saw the Light," "The Lady in the Van" and "Louder Than Bombs," plus "Anomalisa," "Macbeth" and "Born to Be Blue." "Suffragette, "When I Live My Life Over Again," "Brooklyn," "Experimenter," "Meadowland" and "Where To Invade Next" round out the section.

The World Cinema Documentary titles include: "The C Word," "Class Divide," "Harry Benson: Shoot First," "By Sydney Lumet," "Bolshoi Babylon," "Sherpa," "Crocodile Gennadiy," "Dream/Killer," "Harry & Showman," "How To Dance in Ohio," "In Transit," "Palio" and "The Russian Woodpecker."

The World Cinema Narrative selections are: "The Preppie Connection," "Cafe Derby," "Babai," "A Monster With A Thousand Heads," "11 Minutes," "All About Them," "Dheepan," "Disorder," "45 Years," "Room," "The Wave," "The Club," "Krisha," and "Son of Saul."

The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival runs October 8-12. Visit the festival website for more information.

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces New Signature Programs

23rd Hamptons International Film Festival to Honor Emily Blunt, Albert Maysles And More

Aubrey Page — Thu, 17 Sep 2015 16:00:32 GMT

READ MORE: 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival Picks 'Truth' for Opening Night and Reveals Competition Program

As the Hamptons International Film Festival gears up for its 23rd year, an inaugural Awards Dinner has been announced to honor acclaimed actress Emily Blunt, legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (who will be awarded posthumously), the independent production company Killer Films and the outgoing chairman of HIFF, Stuart Match Suna.

Blunt, who was previously recognized as one of HIFF's Rising Stars in 2005, will be presented with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award. Blunt has starred in films such as "Edge of Tomorrow," "The Young Victoria" and the upcoming "Sicario."

Maysles, whose film "Iris" won the Audience Award at HIFF last year, will be presented with a posthumous tribute for his work on films like "Grey Gardens" and "Gimme Shelter."

Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, founders of the New York City–based production company Killer Films, will be honored with the Industry Award for their organization's 20th anniversary. Killer Films' many credits include "Far From Heaven" and "Kids."

Rounding out the evening is Stuart Match Suna, HIFF founding member, who will step down this year after 18 years as chairman. Longtime board member Alec Baldwin will present Suna's award.

The 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will be held October 8-12.

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces New Signature Programs

Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 'Youth' as Southampton Opening Night Film

Jessica Cariaga — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 18:00:57 GMT

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) announced today they will celebrate their 23rd year with Paolo Sorrentino’s "Youth" for the Southhampton Opening Night on Friday, October 9.

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces SummerDoc Series Lineup

The festival's official synopsis reads: "Starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine as Fred and Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel as Mick, Paolo Sorrentino's 'Youth' explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena (Rachel Weisz), Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda (Jane Fonda)."

The festival also announced its Views From Long Island section, which will focus on local filmmakers, Long Island landscapes and its communities, as well as this year's Conflict & Resolution (C&R) program, highlighting films that address the emotional and physical complications associated with war and violence.

The 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will run over Columbus Day Weekend, October 8 - 12.

The full list of Views Long Island films and Conflict and Resolution films can be seen below.

Views From Long Island Films

"The Class Divide" (USA)

Directed by Marc Levin

World Premiere

"Harry & Snowman" (USA)

Directed by Ron Davis

New York Premiere

"How to Dance in Ohio" (USA)

Directed by Alexandra Shiva

New York Premiere

"When I Live My Life Over Again" (USA)

Directed by Robert Edwards

"Picturing Barbara Kruger" (USA)

Directed by Pippa Bianco

East Coast Premiere

Conflict and Resolution Films

"The Uncondemned" (USA)

Directed by Nick Louvel, Michele Mitchell

World Premiere

"The High Sun" (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia)

Directed by Dalibor Matanic

US Premiere

"He Named Me Malala" (USA)

Directed by Davis Guggenheim

"Democrats" (Denmark)

Directed by Camilla Nielsson

"The Armor of Light" (USA)

Directed by Abigail Disney

"Last Day of Freedom" (USA)

Directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman

New York Premiere

"Kingdom of Garbage" (Iraq, UK, USA, Netherlands)

Directed by Yasir Kareem

"Plamen" (USA)

Directed by Dress Code

East Coast Premiere

"Take Me to the Moon" (China, Spain)

Directed by Enric Ribes and Oriol Martinez

North American Premiere

23rd Hamptons International Film Festival Picks 'Truth' for Opening Night and Reveals Competition Program

Zack Sharf — Wed, 26 Aug 2015 20:00:00 GMT

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 14th Annual Screenwriters' Lab

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) has announced that James Vanderbilt's "Truth" will be the Opening Night film on Thursday, October 8 in East Hampton, New York. The film stars Robert Redford, Cate Blanchett, Topher Grace and Elisabeth Moss and follows news anchor Dan Rather (Redford) during his final days at CBS News. The Sony Pictures Classics film will open in theaters on October 16.

"We had the pleasure of having James Vanderbilt serve as a mentor in our Screenwriters Lab back in 2009, and we're thrilled to have him back as the director of our Opening Night film," said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent. "He’s made a sharp and insightful film with wonderful performances that makes audiences consider the ever-changing relationship between journalism and politics in today's media."

HFF has also revealed the titles competing in its its narrative and documentary film sections. Highlights in the Narrative Competition include Matt Sobel's "Take Me To The River," Avishai Sivan's "Tikkun" and Grímur Hákonarson's Cannes-winning "Rams," while David Shapiro's "Missing People" and Michael Madsen's "The Visit" will screen in the Documentary Competition.

The Feature Jury Prize winner in each category receives a package of essential goods and services valued at over $85,000 to be used toward the making of his or her next feature film and a cash prize of $3,000. This year's jury includes Michael H. Weber (writer of "(500) Days of Summer"), Dan Guando (head of U.S. Production and Acquisitions at The Weinstein Co.), Josh Charles (star of "The Good Wife"), Marshall Fine (renowned author, journalist and film critic) and Sarah Lash (acquisitions consultant at Conde Nast Entertainment.).

The full lineup for each competition can be found below. HIFF runs October 8-12. Synopses provided by the festival.

Narrative Competition Films

EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (Colombia)

East Coast Premiere

Director: Ciro Guerra

Inspired by the real experiences of explorers in the Amazon, EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT centers on the relationship between Karamakate, a shaman of an extinct tribe carrying secrets and traditions, and two scientists in search of a sacred plant, capable of immense healing. Opting for powerful black and white cinematography, director Ciro Guerra tracks their parallel stories over 40 years with trips deep into the jungle. Winner of the top prize at the Cannes Directors Fortnight, the film intimately captures the thirst for knowledge and the ravages of colonialism that have destroyed the harmony and balance at the heart of the indigenous way of life.

RAMS (Iceland)

East Coast Premiere

Director: Grímur Hákonarson

Brothers Gummi (Sigurdur Sigurjonsson) and Kiddi (Theodor Juliusson) live side-by-side but have not spoken in forty years. Stubborn and competitive, they only communicate via handwritten notes delivered by their loyal sheepdog Somi. When a deadly virus threatens their prize-winning sheep and livelihood, they are forced to come together to save their unique family breed, and themselves, from extinction. Winner of the Un Certain Regard Award in Cannes, RAMS details the hardships of daily farm work in remote Iceland with humanism and humor. Stunningly combining otherworldly landscapes and powerful performances, director Grímur Hákonarson expertly builds this gentle comedy to reveal a deeper and emotionally moving tale.

TAKE ME TO THE RIVER (USA)

East Coast Premiere

Director: Matt Sobel

Accompanying his parents to a Nebraskan family reunion couldn't be more uncomfortable for Ryder (Logan Miller), a gay Californian teenager. For his mother's sake he agrees to act "normal," but nonetheless attracts some unwanted attention from his conservative relatives. The only one who seems to like him is 9-year-old Molly (Ursula Parker), but a strange encounter between the two of them raises many questions and places Ryder at the center of a long-buried family secret. A superbly acted drama from first-time filmmaker Matt Sobel, TAKE ME TO THE RIVER reveals itself through Ryder’s perplexed point of view, unfolding in an atmosphere of mystery and trepidation.

TIKKUN (Israel)

East Coast Premiere

Director: Avishai Sivan

Haim-Aron (Aharon Traitel) is considered an illui (a prodigy) at his Yeshiva. He is absorbed in his studies to such a degree that he completely isolates himself from the outside world, going days without eating or sleeping. When a near death experience changes his perspective on life, he starts to slowly explore life outside of his secluded ultra-orthodox community and begins to doubt his faith. Seeing Haim-Aron’s transformation torments his father (Khalifa Natour) with nightmares in which he is instructed to perform Tikkun (rectification). With its riveting performances and the arrestingly beautiful black and white cinematography, Avishai Sivan’s haunting film is sure to linger long in your imagination.

FRENCH BLOOD (France)

US Premiere

Director: Diastème

Marco (Alban Lenoir) is a young Neo-Nazi and skinhead who, along with his friends, terrorizes the lower-class suburbs of Paris hoping to clear out the “scum” that is polluting the pure, white landscape of their beloved country. Spanning almost 3 decades in Marco’s life as he struggles to understand his own anger and brutal actions, this evocative and moving portrait--the sophomore effort from writer-director Diastème--offers a rare and unsettling look into the rise of xenophobia in France. With a brilliant performance by Lenoir, this poignant drama distinguishes itself as a unique and powerful work by an emerging talent.

Documentary Competition Feature Films

CHUCK NORRIS VS COMMUNISM (United Kingdom, Romania, Germany)

New York Premiere

Director: Ilinca Calugareanu

In the 1980s, the last decade before the revolution overthrew communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, Romania was marred by intense austerity, isolationism and a pervasive cultural blackout. For the oppressed population, a new form of escapism emerged: illicit video nights in which smuggled Western films were shown. The majority of the films were dubbed by the same person, Irina Nistor, one of the most recognizable voices in pre-revolution Romania. First-time director Ilinca Calugareanu’s endearing and entertaining documentary shows how the magic of film created an awakening that helped to instill the seeds of the revolution.

A GERMAN YOUTH (France)

East Coast Premiere

Director: Jean-Gabriel Périot

Covering a decade of worldwide political unrest (1965-1975), A GERMAN YOUTH is a fascinating portrait of the Baader-Meinhof Group (a.k.a The Red Army Faction), a radical movement which drew into its orbit not only disillusioned students, but also established journalists and intellectuals as well as important filmmakers such as Michelangelo Antonioni, Jean Luc Godard and RW Fassbinder. Culled together from a fascinating pastiche of agitprop, news broadcasts, interviews, student films, and other archival footage, A GERMAN YOUTH provides the context for an ideology that shaped an entire generation.

MISSING PEOPLE (USA)

East Coast Premiere

Director: David Shapiro

MISSING PEOPLE follows Martina Batan, the director of a prominent New York art gallery, as she investigates her young brother's long unsolved murder while obsessively collecting and researching the violent work and life of Roy Ferdinand, an outsider artist from New Orleans. Driven by both a hunger for closure and an inexplicable fascination with Ferdinand as an artist, Martha’s journey is truthfully captured by Shapiro’s brave approach to this unusual and personal story. As Martina struggles to process the information she has dug up, the inevitable collision of these parallel narratives leads to a chain of dramatic events.

THE VISIT (Finland, Denmark)

New York Premiere

Director: Michael Madsen

Michael Madsen’s engrossing new documentary imagines an event that has yet to happen — an alien invasion on Earth. Leading us on a captivating journey through surreal, slow-motion, dream-like tableaus intercut with interviews with scientists from NASA, SETI (Search For Extraterrestrial Life Institute) and experts from the UN, THE VISIT takes an imagined encounter and stimulates the implications and the potential response from humankind. With questions such as “What makes you happy?,” “Do you know what is good and what is evil?,” “How do you think?” and of course, “Why are you here?,” Madsen constructs an unsettling scenario that forces us to reconfigure our insular mentality and reflect on humanity.

NEWMAN (USA)

World Premiere

Director: Jon Fox

Orphan. Entrepreneur. Recluse. Genius. Megalomaniac. Inventor Joseph Newman is all of the above. A controversial figure in the scientific community, Newman rose to notoriety with “The Newman Device,” an electromagnetic machine that he claimed produced more energy than it took to power it. What should have been a revolutionary discovery was stopped by a lengthy and disheartening legal battle with the United States Patent Office. In his enthralling debut, filmmaker Jon Fox deftly seeks to understand the enigmatic inventor — through intimate discussions with Newman’s colleagues and, surprisingly, with the man himself.

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces New Signature Programs

Hamptons International Film Festival Announces New Signature Programs

Zack Sharf — Mon, 10 Aug 2015 15:49:46 GMT

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 14th Annual Screenwriters' Lab

As the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) gears up for its 23rd year this October, organizers have announced a handful of signature programs that will debut at this year's event. HIFF has launched the Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights program, which will provide filmmakers the opportunity to advocate social justice issues and animal rights, and has renamed its morning talks the Winick Talks at Rowdy Hall in honor of late director and producer Gary Winick. In addition, the festival will partner with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration's PLURAL+ International Youth Video Program as it continues to extend its education initiatives in the Hamptons.

The Compassion, Justice & Animal Rights signature program will showcase three narrative or documentary films, one of which will receive the annual Zelda Penzel "Giving Voice to the Voiceless" Award. The platform will look to awaken respect for the dignity and rights of living beings, and will allow filmmakers to share information and tools to create a safe and humane world. The festival has chosen to world premiere Darcy Dennett's "The Champions" in the new signature program. The documentary follows the pit bulls rescued from the brutal fighting ring of NFL quarterback star Michael Vick.

"Billions of animals continue to be abused every day and denied their basic right to life and protection against violence and cruelty," said David Nugent, HIFF Artistic Director. "This new signature program will allow the festival to join the important film movement that brings justice to animals, an effort that has been increasing impact and visibility worldwide."

The festival also announced the Winick Talks at Rowdy Hall in honor of Gary Winick (director: "13 Going on 30"; producer: "Tape"), who premiered multiple films at the festival and won the HIFF Audience Award in 1999 for his drama "The Tic Code." The Gary Winick Memorial Fund, which was established to help young filmmakers hone their craft and further the art of cinema, will support the Winick Talks at Rowdy Hall. The events will take place October 9-11 at 10am, where each morning guest artists will be featured in a moderated conversation.

Focusing on the themes of migration, diversity and social inclusion, the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and the International Organization for Migration's PLURAL+ festival annually showcases films selected from a pool of over 200 submissions. Each year, approximately 25 films, which are a maximum of 5 minutes in length and in any language with English subtitles, receive awards selected from an International Jury. HIFF will showcase these films during the film festival as well as throughout the year in East End schools.

The 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will be held October 8-12.

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces SummerDoc Series Lineup

Alec Baldwin and Randy Mastro to Serve as Co-Chairmen of Hamptons International Film Festival

Meredith Mattlin — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 19:00:00 GMT

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 14th Annual Screenwriters' Lab

Alec Baldwin and Randy Mastro are now the co-chairmen of the board of directors of the Hamptons International Film Festival, taking over for one of HIFF's founders, Stuart Match Suna, after his 18 years as chairman.

Mastro, a well-known lawyer and professor and a 9-year member of HIFF's board, said, "I’m honored to be serving with Alec and expand what Stuart Match Suna has already successfully done with HIFF." Baldwin, who has been a member of the board for ten years, expressed excitement as well, saying, "Stuart Match Suna has had a clear vision for HIFF ever since its inception, and I feel very privileged to have been part of such a passionate team."

The two will begin serving as co-chairs starting after this coming festival in the fall.

The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival will take place from October 8-12.

READ MORE: Hamptons International Film Festival Announces SummerDoc Series Lineup

Hamptons International Film Festival Announces SummerDoc Series Lineup

Conor Soules — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 18:42:17 GMT

READ MORE: '20 Feet From Stardom' Director Morgan Neville Returns to Sundance with 'Best of Enemies'

The 23rd Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) has announced the official lineup for the seventh annual SummerDocs series. SummerDocs showcases the best in documentary film and focuses on features that ignite social change.

The series opens on August 1 with "Best of Enemies," directed by Robert Gordon and Academy Award winner Morgan Neville ("20 Feet From Stardom"). The film focuses on how ABC influenced a new era in the political public discourse. William F. Buckley Jr., a key member of the new conservative movement, and Gore Vidal, a left winged novelist and polemicist, duked it out in a 1968 debate. The newsroom became a boxing arena as the two exchanged blows in the form of political ideologies. The live and unscripted exchange paralleled the Democratic and Republican national conventions, skyrocketing viewer ratings for ABC News.

The second film of the series, “Listen to Me Marlon," will be a must-see for classic film lovers. Directed by Stevan Riley, the documentary sheds insight on the private life and creative motivation behind actor Marlon Brando. A nonlinear piece, the movie features Brando narrating the story of his life. The back and forth chronology shapes his past memories in the context of the present.

Brad Barber and Scott Christopherson's "Peace Officer" will be the third SummerDocs screening. Told from the point of view of a former sheriff, the film focuses on his investigation to uncover the truth behind the tragic killing of his son-in-law in a controversial standoff. It is a timely film, discussing issues with the increasing militarized state of American police forces. The film debuted at SXSW, where it won the Grand Jury Prize and Documentary Audience Award.

"We have a provocative and engaging slate for our seventh year that truly exemplifies the high caliber filmmaking we value at HIFF," said Artistic Director David Nugent.

Candescent Films will return to the festival to sponsor the Audience Award for the 2015 SummerDoc series.

Hamptons International Film Festival Announces 14th Annual Screenwriters' Lab

Zack Sharf — Wed, 08 Apr 2015 20:54:03 GMT

READ MORE: Attention, Screenwriters: Nicholl Fellowship Application Deadlines Coming Up

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) has announced the mentors and screenwriters participating in its 14th annual Screenwriters' Lab, taking place this weekend, April 10-12, at the The Maidstone Hotel in East Hampton, NY. Co-sponsored by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the HIFF Screenwriters' Lab pairs budding screenwriters with established writers, directors and producers for a weekend of one-on-one mentoring sessions.

This year’s mentors include: Alexander Dinelaris (Academy Award winner for "Birdman: Or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance"), Nicole Perlman (co-writer of "Guardians of the Galaxy"), Evan Hayes (President of Production at Parkes+MacDonald/Image Nation) and Helen Schulman (celebrated author and co-screenwriter of the film "P.S.").

The four selected screenplays for 2015 are: Kendell Kline's "Jane," Jared Goodman's "European Zero," Ísold Uggadóttir's "And Breathe Normally" and Philip Aceto's "The Gloaming."

Writers of the selected screenplays will head to East Hampton this weekend to share and discuss their projects and meet with veterans of the industry who will advise them on how to develop their scripts and move their projects closer to production. During evening events, the participants will meet with members of the local artistic community, HIFF board members and friends of the festival. Over fifty screenplays have taken part in the lab since its inception, four of which have gone on to be produced, including Destin Cretton's critically acclaimed "Short Term 12." Past mentors have included Michael Cunningham ("The Hours"), James Vanderbilt ("Zodiac"), Oren Moverman ("The Messenger") and Hawk Ostby ("Children of Men").

"The Screenwriters' Lab is a highlight of the year-round work that our organization does as it brings together a diverse range of talent from the industry and pairs them with a new wave of writers and filmmakers that are just beginning to make their mark," said HIFF Artistic Director David Nugent.

Following the lab, the two Sloan Screenwriters will continue their connection to both important industry contacts and the public by showcasing selected scene readings from their screenplays by established actors at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October.

READ MORE: Attention, Screenwriters: The Reddit Screenwriting Contest is Open (and Free to Enter!)

Laura Dern Explains the Moving Significance of Her Role in 'Wild'

Thelma Adams — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 14:00:00 GMT

Laura Dern floated into the Hamptons International Film Festival on Friday night in a petal pink Zac Posen, leggy and lanky and sophisticated. And yet when she opened up about playing Cheryl Strayed's working-class mother, Bobbi, in Jean-Marc Vallee's "Wild" opposite Reese Witherspoon, it was clear that whether Dern wore tube tops from Target or designer dresses, beneath the fabric beats a warm and caring heart.

In the post-screening Q&A, Dern (also recently seen in "The Fault in our Stars" and TV's "Enlightened") discussed her central role in this rare mother-daughter love story. It's adapted from Strayed's wildly popular memoir about abuse and redemption and a 1000-mile hike on the Pacific Coast Trail. While there has been Oscar buzz for Witherspoon's stripped down, sexed up Cheryl, Dern deserves Best Supporting Actress attention for maximizing every scene she's in.

Dern's character, Bobbi, appears entirely in flashback as Strayed walks the trail, encountering strangers and the stranger within herself while digesting the past. "I fell in love with the book and Nick Hornby's adaptation," said Dern. "I had this oddly isolated experience because I focused on Cheryl's mother, Bobbi, and the idea of earned gratitude."

In one pivotal kitchen scene, Witherspoon's Cheryl sits at the kitchen table and confronts her mother for always seeing the bright side of life, singing and dancing while she cooks, despite their poverty and struggles and past spousal abuse. Bobbi pauses, stirring the soup to explain to her daughter that her apparently sunny attitude is a conscious choice.

"What's beautiful about Cheryl's remembrance of her mother," Dern explained to the audience, discussing Strayed's refusal to sugarcoat her past behavior, "is that in a very shameless way as Cheryl shares her story with us, she really honors the mess of being a daughter, the lack of respect that is essential in being a daughter as you grow up, and with the tragic loss of her mother, the realization of the gift of her mother."

Dern added that the scene "was to have such profound poetry and value in terms of wisdom that her mother was offering. But Jean-Marc [Vallee] makes sure to film that moment in such a way that it's thrown away, like many of our memories of the most valuable moments in our life. I think he does a beautiful job to hold both the poignancy of the moment and allow it to be both simple and honest."

The actress had her own personal way into the material as well. "The thing that's the most profound for me, that I took away from this movie is that we're asked to consider and to be grateful for our mistakes without judging," she said.

In a touching anecdote that choked up the full house, the mother of two revealed how close and familial they all became on set: Strayed's tow-headed daughter, Bobbi Strayed Lindstrom, plays Cheryl as a child in flashbacks. The author told Dern that while little Bobbi had never met her own grandmother, who died before she was born, Dern became the only Bobbi, the only grandmother, the girl ever knew.

Sniffles ensued – Dern included.