What You Need to Know For The 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival

The highly anticipated 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival is quickly approaching.

Tickets to the 23rd annual festival, which will take place on Columbus Day weekend from Oct. 8 to Oct. 12, will be going on sale starting this Saturday at 10 a.m.

Last year, about 15,000 people flocked to East Hampton for the event, according to HIFF Artistic Director, David Nugent

If you’re going to be one of the thousands attending the event, here’s what you need to know:

• Using the rush line is a good idea.

Nugent said that getting on the rush line is “always a good idea” as the festival offers up extra tickets for purchase to every film on a first-come-first-served basis right before each movie starts. He says that while no films are ever sold out, he encourages people to use the rush line.

Tickets can be purchased online, by phone or at the box offices in East Hampton, Southampton and New York City.

• Ticket prices depend on what you want to see.

General film tickets are $15 for adults, $13 for seniors over 65, and $8 for children ages 12 and under.

Spotlight film tickets are $28 and $22 for early bird spotlight (starting before or at 4 p.m.).

Opening and closing night film tickets are $35 each.

Centerpiece film tickets are $35 and encore screenings are $28.

Tickets to A Conversation With... are $30 and for the Sloan Screenplay Reading are $10.

• The festival will be premiering some of the most highly anticipated films.

While there’s no idea which one film is the most highly anticipated, “Every year I always think I know, and then I’m surprised,” Nugent said.

Some of the movies that will be shown during the four day festival include: A Royal Night Out (North American premiere), I Saw The Light (U.S. premiere), The Lady In The Van (U.S. premiere), Louder Than Bombs (U.S. premiere), Anomalisa (East Coast premiere) and Macbeth (East Coast premiere).

Also playing will be When I Live My Life Over Again, which was shot in the Hamptons andRoom, which won an award at the Toronto Film Festival, according to Nugent.

There will also be a sneak preview of Born To Blue.

“We have a strong slate this year which includes 72 features and 59 shorts representing a total of 41 countries,” HIFF Executive Director Anne Chaisson said.

• Including six spotlight films.

These films are: Suffragette, When I Live My Life Over Again, Brooklyn, Experimenter, Meadowland andWhere To Invade Next.

• And the opening, centerpiece and closing films:

Opening (East Hampton): Truth (USA) directed James Vanderbilt

Opening (Southampton): Youth (Italy/France/UK/Switzerland) East Coast Premiere directed by Paolo Sorrentino

Centerpiece (Saturday): Spotlight (USA) East Coast Premiere directed by Tom McCarthy

Centerpiece (Sunday): Carol (UK/USA) directed by Todd Haynes

Closing: Bridge of Spies (USA) directed by Steven Spielberg

• Expect plenty of films outside the mainstream.

Nugent says the festival will continue its tradition of showing the films “outside the mainstream cinema.”

• And expect to see something new this year.

This year, the festival will be introducing a new program to focus on animal rights and hosting a special screening with the UN. The screening will be taking place at the East Hampton Library.

• Also expect some celebrities to attend.

So far, it looks like actress Emily Blunt, actress Olivia Wilde, actor Morgan Freeman, documentary filmmaker Michael Moore will be attending the event, according to Nugent.

Moore will also be taking part in “A Conversation With...” on Sunday, Oct. 11 starting at noon at Bay Street Theater.

For tickets and additional information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.

Photo: still from the film, Room