HIFF has a long tradition of recognizing excellence across the film industry, and 2026 is no different! At HIFF4, we will honor icon Bob Balaban with a Lifetime Achievement Award, up-and-coming stars Rosalind Eleazar, Jordan Firstman, and Anthony Ippolito, and present our Achievement in Directing award to Phil Lord and Chris Miller the directors of the juggernaut PROJECT HAIL MARY. Join us in celebrating these talents…
Academy Award® nominee Bob Balaban will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, presented Sunday, October 11, sponsored by UBS.
A longtime East End resident and HamptonsFilm Board Member, Balaban has built a prolific career across film and television, with credits including GOSFORD PARK, MOONRISE KINGDOM, BEST IN SHOW, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION and CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. In addition to his celebrated work as an actor, Balaban has directed films including BERNARD AND DORIS, THE EXONERATED, GEORGIA O’KEEFFE and THE LAST GOOD TIME, which received the HIFF Audience Award in 1994.
Flyte Breakthrough Director Jordan Firstman will be honored following CLUB KID on October 8.
HIFF 2026 Flyte Breakthrough Director Jordan Firstman (I Love LA) writes, directs, and stars in one of the year’s buzziest Cannes breakout hits. Hard-partying New York City club promoter Peter (Firstman) clings to drugs, casual sex, and all-night dance floors well into his thirties. His whirlwind lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of 10-year-old Arlo (Reggie Absolom)—the son he never knew he had. Through the pair’s developing relationship, CLUB KID upends the irreverent hedonism of New York nightlife with incisive humor and unexpected heart, expanding upon the idea of what family can mean. An A24 release.
Flyte Breakthrough Performer Rosalind Eleazar will be honored following MISTY GREEN on October 7.
Chris Rock writes, directs and co-stars in the tale of Misty Green (HIFF 2026 FLYTE Breakthrough Performer Rosalind Eleazar), a talented actress whose once-promising career has stalled, leaving her in a downward spiral. When she learns her dream role is being cast by a director (Rock) she has worked with before, Misty sets out to reignite her stardom, but must first overcome their contentious past and work through her own personal demons. Brought to life through Eleazar’s magnetic performance, MISTY GREEN is a powerful Hollywood story of resilience and reinvention in the face of the soul-draining hustle required to succeed in an ever-changing entertainment industry. An A24 release.
Flyte Breakthrough Performer Anthony Ippolito will be honored following I PLAY ROCKY on October 2.
Behind the juggernaut success of one of the most beloved sports films in history—celebrating 50 years since its original release—is an equally inspiring underdog story driven by ambition and perseverance. I PLAY ROCKY chronicles the electrifying true events of a then-unknown actor named Sylvester Stallone who fought tooth and nail to prove his unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write ROCKY—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa.
Armed with a straight-from-the-heart script about a scrappy boxer from Philadelphia, a determined Stallone must convince studio executives that he’s the right man for the job. Directed by two-time Academy Award® winner Peter Farrelly (GREEN BOOK) and anchored by a prodigious breakout performance from Anthony Ippolito (HIFF 2026 FLYTE Breakthrough Performer) as a young Stallone, this legendary real-life story vividly immerses us into the sweaty and heroic process of making ROCKY. An Amazon MGM Studios release.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller will be honored at a special event on October 3.
The festival will honor Academy Award-winning filmmakers Phil Lord and Chris Miller with the Achievement in Directing Award for their work on PROJECT HAIL MARY, the 2026 blockbuster starring Ryan Gosling, Sandra Hüller and James Ortiz. The film is Amazon MGM Studios’ highest-grossing film of all time and had the second-biggest domestic opening weekend for a non-franchise, original live-action film. Longtime collaborators Lord and Miller began their directing partnership with CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS, followed by hits including 21 JUMP STREET, 22 JUMP STREET and THE LEGO MOVIE. They have also collaborated as screenwriters and producers on SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE, SPIDER-MAN: BEYOND THE SPIDER-VERSE and more. Lord and Miller will join the festival on Saturday, October 3, for a special conversation.
The 34th annual Hamptons International Film Festival will run October 2-12, 2026, with screenings and events taking place across the Hamptons.
Passes for the HIFF34 are on sale now, and ticket packages go on sale September 1. HamptonsFilm Members can purchase tickets (at a discount) before the general public pre-sale for individual tickets begins September 19 and 20, with individual tickets to the general public on sale September 22. Become a HamptonsFilm Member today for early access. More programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
HIFF thanks this year’s festival sponsors: Presenting Sponsor Artemis Rising Foundation; Premier Sponsor Audi (official vehicle); Lead sponsor Flyte (official air travel partner); Signature Sponsors Luminara Napa Valley and Hamptons Magazine; Premium Contributing Sponsors Netflix, Shadowbox Studios, Assemble Media, Lismore Road, AlmaMatcha, UBS, Twomey Latham, Sotheby’s International realty, and Hampton Jitney; Official Media Partners WNBC, The Express News Group, The Atlantic, Long Island Broadcasting (WEHM, WBAZ & WBEA), Dan’s Papers, Now Voyager, and The Gotham/Filmmaker Magazine; Contributing Sponsors Discover Long Island, The Hedges Inn, The Maidstone, Regal Cinemas, Southampton Playhouse, Wolffer Estate, Dos Hombres Tequila and 91 East, Guild Hall, Lion’s Nook, Nick & Toni’s, NYWIFT, Primo Aperitivo, Serafina, Stony Brook Southampton hospital, The White Room Gallery.
Foundation supporters include New York State Council on the Arts and Suffolk County.
