HIFF to Host Inaugural Awards

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) recently announced that they will be hosting an Inaugural Awards Dinner next month.

The event will be celebrating internationally-acclaimed actress Emily Blunt, iconic independent film production company Killer Films (celebrating its 20th anniversary), legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles (receiving a posthumous tribute), and longtime HIFF board chairman Stuart Match Suna.

The dinner, which will take place in East Hampton on Sunday, October 11, during the 23rd annual Hamptons International Film Festival (October 8–12, 2015), will benefit the Festival’s year-round programming initiatives, the annual Screenwriters’ Lab, and the longtime summer initiatives; SummerDocs and the Student Filmmaking Workshops.

As part of the Awards Dinner, Blunt, Golden Globe winning actress, will be presented with the Variety Creative Impact in Acting Award.

The founders of the New York-based production company Killer Films, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, will be honored with the HIFF Industry Award for 20 years of innovative, risk-taking movies and for consistently championing unique voices in independent cinema.

Legendary documentary filmmaker Maysles will receive a posthumous tribute.

Maysles passed away in March 2015, leaving a rich cinematic legacy, including Grey Gardens, Gimme Shelter, Salesman and Iris, won HIFF’s Audience Award last year for Documentary.

HIFF founding board member, Suna, will be honored for his 18 years as Board Chairman.

After this year’s festival, Suna will step into the Chair Emeritus role, handing the Chairman reins over to longtime board members Randy Mastro and Alec Baldwin.

Under Suna’s leadership, the Festival expanded into Southampton, Montauk, Sag Harbor, and Westhampton, and evolved into a year-round cultural organization dedicated to championing film culture. Alec Baldwin will present the award to Suna.

“The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate independent voices in cinema, and it is in that spirit that we choose to fete this extraordinary group of individuals, each of whom has made a remarkable impact on independent film culture,” Executive Director Anne Chaisson said. “Also, it is with great admiration that we celebrate our outgoing chairman Stuart Match Suna. His vision and support over the past 18 years has led HIFF to where it is today.”

For ticketing and additional information, please visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.