Like peeling back the layers of an onion, HamptonsFilm continues to tease highlights of the Hamptons International Film Festival in advance of its weeklong program beginning Oct. 5.
In addition to its previously disclosed opening night film, "Nyad," the festival announced yesterday that it will screen Alex Gibney's "In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon" and Todd Haynes's "May December." Mr. Haynes will also be honored with an award for achievement in directing.
"In Restless Dreams" follows Mr. Simon into the studio during the making of "Seven Psalms," his latest album. The film takes a retrospective examination of his career, which spans six decades. Mr. Gibney will attend the festival and discuss the documentary after the screening.
Mr. Haynes's film, a Spotlight selection, has Natalie Portman as an actress researching a role by studying a woman played by Julianne Moore, whose relationship with an underage boy was a tabloid scandal. Now years later, as that couple's twins prepare to graduate from high school, the unusual family's unique dynamics appear to collapse under scrutiny.
The director will sit down for a long-form interview as part of the festival's A Conversation With . . . series. Mr. Haynes's career as a director includes "Velvet Goldmine," "Far From Heaven," "Carol," and "The Velvet Underground," which was his first documentary feature film.
David Nugent, the HamptonsFilm artistic director, said Mr. Haynes's latest is "a gripping exploration of scandal and its influence over American society.”
The festival also has five world-premiere screenings this year. "Avenue of the Giants," directed by Finn Taylor, stars Stephen Lang, Elsie Fisher, Robin Weigert, and Luke Blumm in a story about a man in his 70s with a secret who befriends a teenager with her own issues, allowing each to go through a process of healing.
Directed by Brendan Walsh, "I'll Be Right There" is a comedy starring Edie Falco, Charlie Tahan, Jeannie Berlin, and Bradley Whitford about a single mother going through some things, such as her pregnant daughter's wedding, a son with his own problems, and her own confusing and unfulfilling love life.
Also premiering will be "Tell Them You Love Me," a documentary directed by Nick August-Perna that will also be in competition. It is the story of a well-regarded university professor who becomes involved with a man with cerebral palsy, teaching him to use a keyboard to communicate.
"Through exclusive footage and interviews with those on both sides of the case, this feature documentary weaves a riveting and endlessly nuanced story about communication, race, and sex," according to the festival.
Joanna Rudnick's "Story and Pictures By" takes a look at children's picture-book creators, and Patricia E. Gillespie's "They Called Him Mostly Harmless," a Max original documentary, focuses on a mystery involving a dead hiker in Florida's wilderness.
The festival will run through Oct. 12, with screenings and events across the South Fork. Passes and packages will be on sale beginning Sept. 5 at the HamptonsFilm website. Look for further announcements over the next few weeks.
