The 32nd edition of HIFF will present the East Coast Premiere of Netflix’s THE PIANO LESSON as the Centerpiece Film on October 5, sponsored by Naturopathica.
Directed and co-written by Malcolm Washington, and featuring an ensemble cast including honorary Academy Award® winner Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, and Ray Fisher, the film is an adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name. The story follows the Charles household, where a prized heirloom piano is tearing two siblings apart. On one side, a brother (John David Washington) plans to build the family fortune by selling it. On the other, a sister (Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family’s heritage. Malcolm Washington, Danielle Deadwyler, and John David Washington are scheduled to attend and participate in a post-screening conversation about the film.
At the screening, and in recognition of his feature directorial debut, Malcolm Washington will receive this year’s Breakthrough Director Award, celebrating an up-and-coming filmmaker with an uncommonly bright future.
dir. Malcolm Washington (USA), 2024
A battle is brewing in the Charles Household. At the center stands a prized heirloom piano tearing two siblings apart. On one side, a brother (John David Washington) plans to build the family fortune by selling it. On the other, a sister (Danielle Deadwyler) will go to any lengths to hold onto the sole vestige of the family’s heritage. Their uncle (Samuel L. Jackson) tries to mediate, but even he can’t hold back the ghosts of the past.
Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork, THE PIANO LESSON explores the intergenerational dynamics of identity, resilience and transcendence – revealing startling truths about how we perceive the past and who gets to define our legacy. The film is directed and co-written by Malcolm Washington in his feature directorial debut. From Oscar nominated producers Denzel Washington and Todd Black, and featuring an all-star cast including Samuel L. Jackson, John David Washington, Ray Fisher, Michael Potts, Erykah Badu with Danielle Deadwyler and Corey Hawkins. A Netflix release.
Passes and packages for HIFF32 go on sale September 4. A HamptonsFilm Members pre-sale for individual tickets begins September 21, with individual tickets to the general public on sale September 23. Join today for early ticket access. More programming will be announced in the coming weeks.
The 32nd annual Hamptons International Film Festival will run October 4-14, 2024, with in-person screenings and events taking place across the Hamptons. HIFF thanks this year’s festival sponsors: new Presenting Sponsor Artemis Rising; returning sponsors Premiere Sponsor Audi; Signature Sponsors UBS and King & Spalding; official Media Partners WNBC, The Atlantic, The East Hampton Star, The Purist, and Variety; Contributing Sponsors Naturopathica, Silvercup Studios, Netflix, Assemble Media, and Dragon Hemp; and foundation supporters New York State Council on the Arts and Suffolk County Film Commission.
