In 2021, we celebrated our lucky 13th season by screening documentaries all summer in partnership with our friends at Guild Hall.
June 26: SUMMER OF SOUL
July 24: THE LOST LEONARDO
August 21: LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD
SummerDocs host (and HamptonsFilm Board member) Alec Baldwin and Artistic Director David Nugent once again led conversations with filmmakers and guests, presenting entertaining and engaging documentary filmmaking from revolutionary storytellers to audiences on the East End.
PAST EVENTS
SUMMER OF SOUL: Searchlight Pictures, Hulu, Onyx
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson
Saturday, June 26, 7:00PM | Guild Hall*
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more. A Searchlight Pictures, Hulu, and Onyx release.
Additional support for this screening provided by
THE LOST LEONARDO: Sony Pictures Classics
THE LOST LEONARDO
Directed by Andreas Koefoed
Saturday, July 24, at 8:00PM | Guild Hall*
THE LOST LEONARDO tells the inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. From the moment it is purchased from a shady New Orleans auction house, and its buyers discover masterful brushstrokes beneath its cheap restoration, the fate of the Salvator Mundi is driven by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. But as its price soars, so do questions about its authenticity. Is this multi-million dollar painting actually by Leonardo – or do certain power players simply want it to be? Unravelling the hidden agendas of the world’s richest men and most powerful art institutions, THE LOST LEONARDO reveals how vested interests became all-important, and the truth secondary. A Sony Pictures Classics release.
LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD: discovery+
LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD
Directed by Jeremy Workman
Saturday, August 21, at 7:00pm | Guild Hall*
LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD follows 20-year-old sensation Lily Hevesh—the world’s most acclaimed domino toppler and the only girl in her field—as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. Filmed for over 3 years across countless cities and featuring appearances by Jimmy Fallon, Katy Perry, Will Smith, YouTuber Casey Neistat, and a steady stream of Gen-Z creators, LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD is a coming-of-age story cloaked within a unique portrait of an artist, a story of how passion and artistry can make dreams come true, and an unlikely American tale of a quiet Chinese adoptee who transforms into a global artistic force with over 1 billion YouTube views. From director Jeremy Workman (THE WORLD BEFORE YOUR FEET) and from executive producer Kelly Marie Tran (STAR WARS: THE LAST JEDI), in her first film in a producing role. A discovery+ release.
SummerDocs presented by:
Past SummerDocs selections, including ICARUS (2017), TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM (2013), LAST DAYS OF VIETNAM (2014), THE COVE (2009), SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) and HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE (2012), have gone on to receive Academy Award® wins and nominations. See the entire archive here!
The series has also featured films from filmmakers including Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, Davis Guggenheim, Andrew Rossi, Chiemi Karasawa, Jesse Moss, Fisher Stevens, Rory Kennedy, Morgan Neville, Marina Zenovich, Louie Psihoyos, and Steve James.
Guests of the program have included Daniel Ellsberg, Billy Joel, Lisa Fisher, Ethel Kennedy, Rodriguez, Tony Bennett, Simon Doonan, Chaz Ebert, and Laird Hamilton.
