Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH will be the Opening Night film of the 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival in Southampton. The festival revealed the films selected to screen in the Views From Long Island section – which focuses on local filmmakers, the area’s unique landscapes, and the important social and political issues facing Long Island communities; and the films in the Conflict & Resolution (C&R) program – recognizing and celebrating films that deal with the complex issues and the human dramas associated with war and violence.

Starring Academy Award winner Michael Caine as Fred and Academy Award nominee Harvey Keitel as Mick, Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH explores the lifelong bond between two friends vacationing in a luxury Swiss Alps lodge as they ponder retirement. While Fred has no plans to resume his musical career despite the urging of his loving daughter Lena (Academy Award Winner Rachel Weisz), Mick is intent on finishing the screenplay for what may be his last important film for his muse Brenda (Academy Award winner Jane Fonda). And where will inspiration lead their younger friend Jimmy (Paul Dano), an actor grasping to make sense of his next performance? Set against a sprawling landscape of unforgettable sights and intoxicating music, YOUTH asks if our most important and life-changing experiences can come at any time – even late — in life.  Fox Searchlight will release the film on December 4, 2015.

The Views From Long Island program will feature the World Premiere of Marc Levin’s THE CLASS DIVIDE, Ron Davis’ HARRY & SNOWMAN, Alexandra Shiva’s HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO, Robert Edwards’ WHEN I LIVE MY LIFE OVER AGAIN, and Pippa Bianco’s short film PICTURING BARBARA KRUGER. A $3,000 Suffolk County Next Exposure Grant will be awarded in this category.

The Conflict & Resolution (C&R) program will feature the World Premiere of Nick Louvel and Michele Mitchell’s THE UNCONDEMNED, Dalibor Matanic’s THE HIGH SUN, Davis Guggenheim’s HE NAMED ME MALALA, Camilla Nielsson’s DEMOCRATS, Abigail Disney’s THE ARMOR OF LIGHT, Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman’s short film LAST DAY OF FREEDOM, Yasir Kareem’s short film KINGDOM OF GARBAGE, Dress Code’s short film PLAMEN, and Enric Ribes and Oriol Martínez’s short film TAKE ME TO THE MOON.

The 23rd Annual Hamptons International Film Festival will be held over Columbus Day Weekend, October 8th to 12th, 2015

SOUTHAMPTON OPENING NIGHT FILM
YOUTH (Italy)
Directed by Paolo Sorrentino
East Coast Premiere
A stunning new film from Academy Award winner Paolo Sorrentino (THE GREAT BEAUTY), YOUTH follows two old friends as they vacation in a Swiss luxury resort. Fred (Michael Caine) is a retired composer and conductor, enjoying his retirement and Mick (Harvey Keitel) a film director planning his final film. While musing about their lives and illustrious careers, their past resurfaces and a sense of melancholy disrupts the vacation. With a phenomenal cast of characters, played by Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano, and the iconic Jane Fonda, YOUTH is a whimsical meditation on the crossroads of friendship and aging. Lusciously lensed and scored, the Swiss Alps serve as magical setting for this mesmerizing tour de force.

FULL LIST OF VIEWS FROM LONG ISLAND FILMS

THE CLASS DIVIDE (USA)
Directed by Marc Levin
World Premiere
Director Marc Levin (SCHMATTA: RAGS TO RICHES TO RAGS, HIFF ‘09) presents CLASS DIVIDE, a look into the modern effects of gentrification in West Chelsea, New York, seen through the eyes of students from both sides of the street—one avenue and worlds apart. On one side of the intersection of 10th Avenue and 26th Street sits Avenues, a world-class private school with a $50,000 per year price tag; on the other side sits the Elliott-Chelsea public housing projects, home to thousands of low-income and underemployed residents. In the face of rising inequality, stagnant class mobility, gentrification and much more, the kids from both sides of the street grapple with their relationship to each other amid the stark transformation.

HARRY & SNOWMAN (USA)
Directed by Ron Davis
New York Premiere
At the end of World War II, Harry deLeyer journeyed to Long Island, New York, where he made a name for himself as a horse trainer and riding instructor at the exclusive Knox School. His career took a new turn when he paid $80 for an Amish plow horse named Snowman, bound for the glue factory. With the odds against them, Harry and Snowman went on to break show jumping records, becoming household names in the late 1950’s after winning the sport’s Triple Crown. The award winning documentary HARRY & SNOWMAN is a touching tale of a unique, decade-long friendship, told firsthand by Harry, now 85.

HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO (USA)
Directed by Alexandra Shiva
New York Premiere
Finding a date, getting dressed up, and going to a school dance can be difficult for any teenager. For many living with autism, the idea of going to a spring formal is even more intimidating (and even frightening), considering the need to navigate social cues they don’t understand. Alexandra Shiva’s HOW TO DANCE IN OHIO follows a group of young people as they attempt to overcome their fears and prepare mentally, emotionally, and physically for this rite of passage. With a gentle and sensitive eye, Shiva follows the group through counseling and a series of role-play exercises leading up to the big dance.

WHEN I LIVE MY LIFE OVER AGAIN (USA)
Directed by Robert Edwards
Escaping New York City, Jude (Amber Heard) heads to the wintry, desolate Hamptons for some self-reflection and reinvention. The daughter of a famed romantic crooner, Paul Lombard (Christopher Walken), Jude has inherited not only his musical talent, but also his vice of self-destruction. When the aging Paul attempts to revitalize his career with a self-penned comeback song, Jude is pressured to take initiative to shape her life. With a supporting cast that includes Oliver Platt and Hamish Linklater, WHEN I LIVE MY LIFE OVER AGAIN is a charming examination of regret, family, and the evolution of life.

PICTURING BARBARA KRUGER (USA)
Directed by Pippa Bianco
East Coast Premiere
Narrated by the legendary photographer herself, this brief portrait of Barbara Kruger raises many questions about art and the artist.

FULL LIST OF CONFLICT AND RESOLUTION FILMS

THE UNCONDEMNED (USA)
Directed by Nick Louvel, Michele Mitchell
World Premiere
Beneath Rwanda’s lush, scenic greenery lies the brutal story of a genocide that fostered not only the systematic massacre of Rwandan citizens, but also the gruesome rape of its women. Up until this point rape had not been considered a war crime and was committed with impunity. THE UNCONDEMNED tells the story of a group of international lawyers who fought to redefine the term genocide to include rape. With the heroic testimony of the genocide survivors the filmmakers paint a vivid and moving account of the brave fight for justice for those still living with the ghosts of others’ crimes.

THE HIGH SUN (Croatia, Slovenia, Serbia)
Directed by Dalibor Matanic
US Premiere
The inter-ethnic wars that tore Yugoslavia apart loom large in the background of Dalibor Matanić’s latest film THE HIGH SUN, winner of the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Although never shown on screen, the tumult of the conflict seeps through and disrupts the lives of three young couples in stories that mirror the turmoil and healing process of a nation at war with itself. The tryptic spans decades: the first story is set in 1991 at the beginning of the war, the second one in 2001 at the end of the war, and the final one a decade later. With superb performances by Tihana Lazovic and Goran Markovic, THE HIGH SUN illuminates the tenacity of love across hatred and ethnic divides.

HE NAMED ME MALALA (USA)
Directed by Davis Guggenheim
Academy award winner Davis Guggenheim’s (AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, WAITING
FOR SUPERMAN) latest documentary is a candid look into the life of Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. An advocate for education and children’s right, Malala was rushed to the hospital after being attacked by the Taliban on October 9th, 2012. With the entire world rallied behind her, Malala recovered and co-founded The Malala Fund to empower girls worldwide by facilitating access to education with the belief that “one child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world”.

DEMOCRATS (Denmark)
Directed by Camilla Nielsson
More than two decades after president Robert Mugabe’s corrupt dictatorship began, international pressure forced Zimbabwe to assemble a bipartisan committee to begin writing the country’s first democratic constitution. With remarkable access and over the course of three years, director Camilla Nielsson traces the arduous process of negotiations led by two rivals appointed to head the committee as they compete and debate the democratic process. At times dramatic and often comical, DEMOCRATS balances the clash of personalities against the backdrop of Mugabe’s regime with intimate moments of honesty and respect.

THE ARMOR OF LIGHT (USA)
Directed by Abigail Disney
With her directorial debut, THE ARMOR OF LIGHT, Abigail Disney presents a candid portrait of a brave evangelical minister who questioned whether someone could be both pro-life and pro-gun. A leader of the anti-abortion movement and his church, Reverend Rob Schenck was forced to reconsider his position after meeting Lucy McBath, a fellow Christian and gun control activist, whose son, Jordan Davis, was shot in Florida. Forming an unlikely alliance, the two embarked on a courageous journey, taking on the NRA and the church, giving hope to the idea that we can unite across party lines and find a common ground.

LAST DAY OF FREEDOM (USA)
Directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones and Nomi Talisman
New York Premiere
When Bill Babbitt realizes his brother Manny has committed a crime, he agonizes over his decision–should he call the police?

KINGDOM OF GARBAGE (Iraq, UK, USA, Netherlands)
Directed by Yasir Kareem
Zahraa, an Iraqi refugee, dreams of going to school while scouring a landfill site with her brother. When a trade between Zahraa and the self-proclaimed ‘King of Garbage’ goes wrong, the siblings’ relationship is tested to the breaking point.

PLAMEN (USA)
Directed by Dress Code
East Coast Premiere
In early 2013, angered by high electric and heating bills, Bulgarians took to the streets. In acts of protest, at least seven Bulgarian citizens set themselves on fire. One of them was Plamen Goranov, a 37-year-old construction worker and artist from the Black Sea city of Varna.

TAKE ME TO THE MOON (China, Spain)
Directed by Enric Ribes and Oriol Martinez
North American Premiere
In the Antex textile factory in Hangzhou, China, dreams of a better future are within reach, and the charismatic boss seeks the utopia of a happy factory of more than 2,000 workers.