The HIFF34 Opening Night Film on Friday, October 2, will be the East Coast Premiere of Peter Farrelly’s ultimate underdog story I PLAY ROCKY, starring Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone. Ippolito will be our guest on Opening Night, where he will receive a HIFF34 Flyte Breakthrough Performer Award.
Dir: Peter Farrelly (USA) | 2026
East Coast Premiere
Friday, October 2, 2026
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.
Congratulations to Anthony Ippolito, HIFF34 Flyte Breakthrough Performer
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.
