Editor

The 15th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival presented its Golden Starfish Awards at a ceremony held at the UA Cinema in East Hampton, NY on Saturday, October 21, 2007.

The 2007 HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL celebrates its 15th anniversary – a decade and a half of premieres, screenings, programs & events, tucked away amongst the changing leaves and quiet beaches of fall in the East End. The Hamptons is where talent, industry and audiences come together exchanging ideas, experiences and cinema in what has now become one of leading international film festivals of the world. This year’s Hamptons fest runs October 17th through 21st, 2007, in East Hampton, New York with additional venues in Southampton, Sag Harbor and Montauk.

The heart of the Hamptons International Film Festival has always been its Golden Starfish Award and the films in the competitions for Best Narrative Feature (over $185,000 in goods and in-kind services), Best Documentary Award ($5,000 in cash) and Short Film Award ($5,000 in cash). The Hamptons International Film Festival also awards the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Feature Film Prize in Science and Technology ($25,000 in cash); the Kodak Award for Cinematography ($6,000 of goods and in-kind services); the Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution ($5,000 in cash); the Zicherman Family Foundation Award for Screenwriting ($5,000 in cash); Best Undergraduate and Graduate Student Films (eight $1,000 cash awards); and new this year, the Lifetime Movie Network Award for Best Female Student Filmmaker ($5,000 in cash), the woozyfly.com Best Music Award and, to be announced at an event in NY next week, the ¡Sorpresa! Youth Film Competition (a one-week scholarship to the New York Film Academy).

On hand to host the awards ceremony were two special guests, Jodi Applegate and Ron Corning of Fox 5 New York’s “Good Day New York!”

In addition to our two hosts the presenters of the ceremony included Board Chairman Stuart Match Suna, Festival Manager Gianna Chachere and Programmers Josh Koury and David Nugent.

The Golden Starfish Category.

• The Golden Starfish Best Feature, carrying an awards package of over $185,000 of in-kind production services, was presented to:
VALERIE (Germany, East Coast Premiere) Directed by Birgit Möller.
”A very accomplished first film about a woman's struggle to survive at the margins of society while maintaining her dignity.”

• The Kodak Award For Best Cinematography, worth $6,000 in kind services and product, to:
KINGS (UK, US Premiere) Directed by Tom Collins and photographed by PJ Dillon.
“For the beauty and texture, intermixing the past and present.”

• The Zicherman Family Foundation Award For Best Screenwriter, carrying a $5000 cash prize was awarded to:
Writer/Director Chris Eigeman for TURN THE RIVER (US, World Premiere).
“For it's unflinching realism, pitch perfect dialogue and 3 dimensional characters in a world that is so often given to stereotypes. “

• The Golden Starfish Narrative Jury also handed out a Special Jury Best Actress Prize to:
Famke Janssen
”For a brave and touching portrayal of a woman fighting for her child and her life in TURN THE RIVER.”

Golden Starfish Narrative Competition jurors include: IFC Entertainment's VP of Acquisitions and Production Arianna Bocco, Filmmaker Alison Maclean, & producer and Cinetic Media founder, John Sloss.

• Golden Starfish Documentary Feature Film Award, carrying a cash prize of $5,000 was awarded to:
I AM AN ANIMAL: THIS STORY OF INGRID NEWKIRK AND PETA (US, World Premiere) Directed by Matthew Galkin.

• The Golden Starfish Short Film Award with a prize of $5,000 cash was presented to:
AT THE END OF THE SENTENCE (Scotland, 2005) directed by Marisa Zanotti.

Golden Starfish Documentary and Short Film Competition jurors include: director of acquisitions for Docurama, Liz Ogilvie; SXSW’s Matt Dentler and filmmaker Jamie Johnson (Born Rich).

• The Woozyfly.com Award for Best Music in a Film was presented by Woozyfly.com’s President & CEO, Jonathan Bomser.to:
Mark Mancina for his work on AUGUST RUSH.

• The Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution, was a tie and carries a $2,500 cash prize each, to:
BEHIND FORGOTTEN EYES (US, East Coast Premiere) Directed by Anthony Gilmore.
SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE (US, NY Premiere) Directed by Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg.

Conflict & Resolution Competition jurors include: human rights advocate and program coordinator for Europe and the former Soviet Union at WITNESS, Violeta Krasnic; Producer/Director Mickey Lemle and Assistant curator of film at MoMA, Sally Berger.

• For the 8th consecutive year, the $25,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize in Science and Technology for a feature-length film that explores science and technology themes in fresh, innovative ways and depicts scientists and engineers in a realistic and compelling fashion, was presented to Julian Schnabel’s THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY (France). The Award was presented by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Doron Weber.

• The Golden Starfish Career Achievement in Acting Award to Vanessa Redgrave. The award was presented to Ms. Burstyn by Hamptons Board Chairman Stuart Match Suna at the “Conversation With…” event where Miss Redgrave was the guest with moderator Alec Baldwin. She was in town with her latest film the Hallmark Channel release of THE SHELL SEEKERS. (In addition to Miss Redgrave’s Conversation With…, another “Conversation” occurred during the festival with special guest Sidney Lumet moderated by Adam Green).

• The Lifetime Movie Network Best Female Student Filmmaker Award (previously announced) with a $5,000 First Prize and $2,500 Second Prize and screening on the Lifetime Movie Network was presented to:
Liliana Greenfield-Sanders for her film ANNA.
And in second place, Jessica Marie Sutherland for her film SEVEN TURN.

Jury Members for the LMN Award were actress Jennifer Lopez, producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Gale Anne Hurd, director Mimi Leder and publicist Catherine Olim.
Undergraduate and Graduate Student Film/Video Awards:
“For 15 years now, the Hamptons International Film Festival has awarded over 130 plus, undergraduate and graduate filmmakers a cash award and a viewing slot within the festival. It has been my privilege and honor to be in charge of this program over the years, offering these talented student filmmakers the opportunity to participate in this wonderful festival and to meet other industry professionals – not to mention to be in the Hamptons at such a beautiful time of year.”
- Jeremiah Newton Student Awards Director

• ABAJEE (Pakistan/US) Dir. Maureen Bharoocha.
• ALAN AND SAMIR (UK) Dir. Yann Demange.
• BLUE DRESS (US) Dir. Katie Stern.
• DEAR LEMON LIMA (US) Dir. Suzi Yoonessi.
• QUINCY & ALTHEA (US) Dir. Doug Lenox.

The Golden Starfish Award for Best Young Videomaker went to: Vladislav Radak for his short film BLUE LORRY.
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The 2007 Hamptons Film Festival’s Audience Award were presented at the Closing Night event at Bamboo on Sunday, October 21, 2007.

The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was presented to Chris Kraus’ FOUR MINUTES

The Audience Award for Best Documentary was presented to Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue’s BODY OF WAR

The Audience Award for Best Short Film was presented to Michael Dreher’s FAIR TRADE

Among the attendees at the 2007 Hamptons Festival were Lauren Bacall ~ Bob Balaban ~ Alec Baldwin ~ John Cusack ~ Phil Donahue ~ Alison Eastwood ~ Chris Eigeman ~ Alex Gibney ~ Marcia Gay Harden ~ Hannah Herzsprung ~ Famke Jansen ~ Harvey Keitel ~ Lisa Kudrow ~ Blake Lively ~ Sidney Lumet ~ Sirio Maccione ~ Gretchen Mol ~ Frankie Muniz ~ Jeff Nichols ~ Amanda Peet ~ Scott Prendergast ~ Vanessa Redgrave ~ Keri Russell ~ Egbert-Jan Weeber ~ Jess Weixler ~ Gahan Wilson.