HIFF 2014 Views From Long Island Announced; Bob Balaban Named Honorary Chairman

The end of summer is always bittersweet. While we’re sad to see those long, lazy beach days disappear, the silver lining is that HIFF is suddenly right around the corner: October 9-13.

Today we are pleased to announce our selections for the Views from Long Island section, which focuses on local films and filmmakers with geographic ties to the Hamptons. We welcome Showtime Networks* as a lead sponsor for the section this year, and for the sixth year, the Suffolk County Film Commission will present their annual Next Exposure Award (with a cash value of $6,000) to one of the full-length features in the section.

Bob Balaban at SummerDocs screening of Last Days in Vietnam: August 16, 2014. Photo: Eugene Gologursky

Bob Balaban at SummerDocs screening of Last Days in Vietnam: August 16, 2014. Photo: Eugene Gologursky

The Festival is also pleased to announce that renowned Hamptonite Bob Balaban will be this year’s Honorary Chairman. Balaban has a long history with HIFF, having been awarded the 1994 Audience Award for a film he wrote, produced and directed called The Last Good Time; he was named a member of the Honorary Board that same year. This fall he will star in the Broadway revival of Edward Albee’s play A Delicate Balance, with Glenn Close and John Lithgow.

“This is a great festival in a great location. It’s a joy to attend for the viewers. And the prefect place to launch your independent film or doc,” says Balaban.

Please find the film selections for Views From Long Island below.

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Gabriel

Lou Howe’s Gabriel, much of which was filmed in the Hamptons, stars Rory Culkin as Gabriel. Longing for stability in the throes of mental illness, Gabriel will stop at nothing until he proposes to his high school girlfriend–never mind the fact that they haven’t seen each other in years. A sure-footed portrait of a young man on the edge, Howe’s debut feature examines our fixation with the nuclear household, and whether or not it’s all it’s cracked up to be.

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Diplomacy

The festival will hold the New York premiere of Amagansett resident Volker Schlöndorff‘s Diplomacy. At the end of World War II, General Dietrich von Choltitz, the governor of Nazi-occupied Paris, received an order to destroy the city if the Nazis were to lose it to Allied Forces. Adapted from the stage and directed by legendary German filmmaker Volker Schlöndorff, Diplomacy is deeply connected with its moment in history, yet resounds with timeliness in its study of diametrically opposed ideologies and the necessary search for common ground.

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Weenie

The short film Weenie will mark its world premiere at the Festival. Weenie was filmed in East Hampton, and filmmaker Dan Roe lives in Sag Harbor, teaching at The Ross School. The film’s main character Weenie is 16. Weenie wants to go to a party. Weenie has just been grounded. Weenie’s mom just doesn’t understand. What will Weenie do?


The Hamptons International Film Festival greatly appreciates the support from their corporate sponsors, including Delta AirlinesAltour InternationalSilvercup StudiosA&E Indie FilmsCorcoranThe Wall Street Journal, and WNBC New York.

Select passes and packages are now on sale for HIFF 2014. A limited number of Founders Passes are currently discounted 15% until Labor Day.


*Set against the beautiful backdrop of the eastern end of Long Island, the upcoming SHOWTIME® series The Affair explores two marriages and the emotional and psychological effects of the affair that disrupts them. The provocative drama stars Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, and Joshua Jackson, and premieres on Sunday, October 12, at 10:00pm ET/PT on SHOWTIME.

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