ROOM (pictured above) and WHERE TO INVADE NEXT were honored with the Audience Awards for Narrative Feature and Documentary Feature, respectively at the just wrapped 2015 Hamptons International Film Festival. ALL-AMERICAN FAMILY won the audience award for best short film.
Adapted from the bestselling novel by author and screenwriter Emma Donoghue, ROOM directed by Lenny Abrahamson, follows Jack (Jacob Tremblay) and his Ma (Brie Larson), who live in a small, locked room. Having never left Room, Jack believes that only the things in the room are real and that everything he sees on TV is make-believe. Right after his fifth birthday, Ma reveals the secret that has kept them confined to the room all these years. A harrowing journey of discovery ensues, and Jack has to come to terms with the fact that there’s more to the world outside Room.
In an unexpected twist, Michael Moore’s (BOWLING FOR COLUMBINE, FAHRENHEIT 9/11, ROGER & ME) latest project, WHERE TO INVADE NEXT, does not refer to American imperialism, but rather to Moore himself. Armed with a camera and a flag, the Oscar®-winning documentarian “invades” a slew of European countries in an attempt to learn more about their successful practices and programs. From Norwegian prisons to female-run Icelandic banks, to Italian employee benefits, Moore travels around the world with the intention of bringing these progressive philosophies back to the States.
The festival ran from October 8th through October 12th and played over 134 films from around the world.
HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015 WINNERS:
HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Feature sponsored by The Wall Street Journal
Rams, directed by Grimur Hákonarson
Honorable Mention for Narrative Feature
Embrace of the Serpent, directed by Ciro Guerra
HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Feature sponsored by ID Films
Missing People, directed by David Shapiro
Honorable Mention for Documentary Feature
Chuck Norris Vs. Communism, directed by Ilinca Calugareanu
HIFF Award Winner for Best Narrative Short Film sponsored by The Wall Street Journal
Over, directed by Jörn Threlfall
Honorable Mention for Narrative Short Film
Patriot, directed by Eva Riley
HIFF Award Winner for Best Documentary Short Film sponsored by ID Films
Last Day of Freedom, directed by Dee Hibbert-Jones, Nomi Talisman
Victor Rabinowitz and Joanne Grant Award for Social Justice
The Uncondemned, directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel
Tangerine Entertainment Juice Fund Award
Suffragette, directed by Sarah Gavron
Suffolk County Film Commission Next Exposure Grant
When I Live My Life Over Again, directed by Robert Edwards
The 2015 Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution
The Uncondemned, directed by Michele Mitchell, Nick Louvel
The Zelda Penzel “Giving Voice to the Voiceless” Award: Dedicated to Those Who Suffer in Silence
The Champions, directed by Darcy Dennett