The 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival is pleased to announce an inaugural Awards Dinner celebrating internationally acclaimed actress Emily Blunt, iconic independent film production company Killer Films (celebrating its 20th anniversary), legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (receiving a posthumous tribute), and longtime HIFF board chairman Stuart Match Suna.
The dinner, which will take place in East Hampton on Sunday, October 11, 2015, will benefit the Festival’s year-round programming initiatives, the annual Screenwriters’ Lab, and the longtime summer initiatives; SummerDocs and the Student Filmmaking Workshops.
“The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate independent voices in cinema, and it is in that spirit that we choose to fete this extraordinary group of individuals, each of whom has made a remarkable impact on independent film culture,” said Executive Director Anne Chaisson. “Also, it is with great admiration that we celebrate our outgoing chairman Stuart Match Suna. His vision and support over the past 18 years has led HIFF to where it is today.
Emily Blunt
As part of the Awards Dinner, Emily Blunt will be presented with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award. Blunt attended the festival previously in 2005, when she was recognized as one of HIFF’s Rising Stars [now Variety’s Ten Actors to Watch], in conjunction with her performance in Gideon’s Daughter, for which she won a Golden Globe. One of the most gifted actresses of her generation, Blunt’s versatility as a performer can be witnessed in such films as The Devil Wears Prada, The Young Victoria, Edge of Tomorrow, Into the Woods, and the upcoming release Sicario, in which she stars as an FBI agent enlisted by an elected government task force to aid in the escalating war against drugs at the border area between the U.S. and Mexico. The Lionsgate film also stars Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin.
Killer Films
Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, who founded the New York-based production company Killer Films in 1995, will be honored with the HIFF Industry Award for 20 years of innovative, risk-taking movies and for consistently championing unique voices in independent cinema. Killer Films has produced several of the most acclaimed American independent films over the past two decades, including Carol, Still Alice, which made its US Premiere at last year’s HIFF Closing Night with Julianne Moore in attendance, Far From Heaven, Boys Don’t Cry, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Happiness, and Kids.
Albert Maysles
Legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles will receive a posthumous tribute. Maysles passed away in March 2015, leaving a rich cinematic legacy, including Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter, Salesman, and Iris, which won HIFF’s Audience Award last year for Documentary.
Stuart Match Suna
HIFF founding board member Stuart Match Suna will be honored for his 18 years as Board Chairman. After this year’s Festival, Suna will step into the Chair Emeritus role, handing the Chairman reins over to longtime board members Randy Mastro and Alec Baldwin. Under Suna’s leadership, the Festival expanded into Southampton, Montauk, Sag Harbor, and Westhampton, and evolved into a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing film culture. Alec Baldwin will present the award to Suna.
For more information, or to reserve tickets, please e-mail beth@hamptonsfilmfest.org.
The 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival, which will be held over Columbus Day Weekend, October 8 – 12, 2015, greatly appreciates the support from corporate sponsors, including Delta Air Lines, Altour International, The Wall Street Journal, and WNBC New York. The Box Office will open on September 26 in NYC, East Hampton and Southampton.
