East Hampton, NY (May 31, 2023) – The HamptonsFilm SummerDocs series returns for its fifteenth year to present engaging and socially relevant documentary films from the industry’s most brilliant storytellers. The series will kick off with a screening of MTV Documentary Films’ THE ETERNAL MEMORY, directed by Maite Alberdi, winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize for Documentary at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, on Friday, June 16th at 7:00pm; followed by Netflix’s THE DEEPEST BREATH, directed by Laura McGann, on Saturday, July 8th at 7:00pm; and concluding with a third film on Saturday, July 22nd at 7:00pm to be announced in the coming weeks. All screenings will be held at the Regal UA East Hampton Cinema.
HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent will also lead conversations with attending filmmakers and subjects, including film subject Paulina Urrutia for THE ETERNAL MEMORY; director Laura McGann for THE DEEPEST BREATH; and others to be announced.
The 15th anniversary season of the SummerDocs series includes a diverse selection of remarkable documentaries: THE ETERNAL MEMORY, which tells the uplifting yet heartbreaking love story of Augusto Góngora and Paulina Urrutia, balancing vibrant individual and collective remembrance with the longevity of an unbreakable human bond, in partnership with The Purist; and THE DEEPEST BREATH, which follows champion freediver Alessia Zecchini and expert safety diver Stephen Keenan, who seemed destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world.
“As we look ahead to summer, we are excited to share the robust and diverse slate of documentaries showcased at the landmark 15th annual edition of the SummerDocs Series,” said HamptonsFilm Artistic Director, David Nugent. “It is truly one of the highlights of HamptonsFilm’s year-round programming as we continue to bring topical issues to our audiences.”
New York has established itself as the premier home for documentary filmmakers, creating a community of artists from all backgrounds that share and honor compelling, challenging stories year after year. To commemorate the fifteenth annual HamptonsFilm SummerDocs Series and to celebrate the incredible critical success of the films featured each summer, HamptonsFilm will bring back their SummerDocs Audience Award. Voted on by the film-loving community out East, this award will recognize one of this year’s strongest documentaries highlighted within their programming.
“We have a rich history of showing award-winning projects as part of the SummerDocs series, and it is a privilege to recognize the work of documentary filmmakers as we have over 15 summers,” said HamptonsFilm Executive Director Anne Chaisson. “Further involving our documentary-loving community in awarding one of these filmmakers with an additional honor shines a light on the issues and challenges these films bring to all of our attention.”
Many past SummerDocs Series selections have gone on to be shortlisted, be nominated and even win an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature Film, including NAVALNY (2023), FIRE OF LOVE (2023), SUMMER OF SOUL (2021), ICARUS (2017), TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM (2013), SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012), and THE COVE (2009). The series has also featured films from filmmakers including Sara Dosa, Fisher Stevens, Rory Kennedy, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, Davis Guggenheim, Andrew Rossi, Chiemi Karasawa, Jesse Moss, Morgan Neville, Marina Zenovich, Louie Psihoyos, and Steve James.
Tickets for the 2023 SummerDocs Series individual screenings will be sold for $35 and are available for purchase at the HamptonsFilm website.
Other summer programming includes the return of the FREE Outdoor Screening Series. HamptonsFilm will present classic crowd pleasers on select Wednesday evenings at sunset at Herrick Park and Main Beach in East Hampton Village, presented with partners The East Hampton Star and Serhant. The films screening this year are GOONIES (June 28), BACK TO THE FUTURE (July 19), E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL (July 26), SPLASH (Aug 2) in partnership with J.Crew, and JAWS (Aug 16).
In addition, HamptonsFilm will also be offering in-person Film Camps for students ages 8-15 from July 10-14 in East Hampton, and August 7-11 in Southampton with partner the Southampton Arts Center.The 31st annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place from October 6 – 15, 2023, as an expanded 10-day event for the second consecutive year. Please visit the HamptonsFilm website for further information on the SummerDocs series, the Hamptons International Film Festival, and all year-round programming.
Full Lineup of 2023 Summer Docs
THE ETERNAL MEMORY sponsored by The Purist
Directed by Maite Alberdi
Friday, June 16, at 7:00PM at Regal UA in East Hampton
THE ETERNAL MEMORY tells a profound and moving love story that balances vibrant individual and collective remembrance with the longevity of an unbreakable human bond.
Augusto and Paulina have been together and in love for 25 years. Eight years ago, their lives were forever changed by Augusto’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis. As one of Chile’s most prominent cultural commentators and television presenters, Augusto is no stranger to building an archive of memory. Now he turns that work to his own life, trying to hold on to his identity with the help of his beloved Paulina, whose own pre-eminence as a famous actress and Chilean Minister of Culture predates her ceaselessly inventive manner of engaging with her husband. Day by day, the couple face this challenge head-on, relying on the tender affection and sense of humor shared between them that remains, remarkably, fully intact. An MTV Documentary Films release.
Film stills: HERE
THE DEEPEST BREATH
Directed by Laura McGann
Saturday, July 8, at 7:00PM at Regal UA in East Hampton
THE DEEPEST BREATH follows a champion freediver and expert safety diver who seemed destined for one another despite the different paths they took to meet at the pinnacle of the freediving world. A look at the thrilling rewards—and inescapable risks—of chasing dreams through the depths of the ocean.
Champion freediver Alessia Zecchini fell in love with the sport as a child growing up in Italy, astounding coaches with her raw talent and determination in pool swims and open water contests before she was even old enough to legally compete. Irish adventurer-turned-expert safety diver Stephen Keenan, meanwhile, was raised near the sea, but as a young man he set out on a quest to find himself, traveling across Africa before landing in Dahab, Egypt, and establishing a dive school. Despite their very different paths, the two would meet at the pinnacle of the competitive freediving world, discovering a shared passion for pushing their limits and forming a powerful relationship that felt like fate. From director Laura McGann, this thrilling documentary takes a look inside one of the most dangerous sports in the world, using everything from raw underwater dive footage to childhood home movies to chronicle Zecchini and Keenan’s lives and careers. The bond between them propels the film’s emotional journey into the stunning, silent depths of the ocean, a breathtaking place unseen by all but the fortunate few—where exhilarating accomplishments and unavoidable risks await. A Netflix release.
Film stills: HERE
Full Lineup of 2023 Outdoor Screening Series
THE GOONIES
Wednesday, June 28, at Sunset at the Main Beach in East Hampton Village
BACK TO THE FUTURE
Wednesday, July 19, at Sunset at the Main Beach in East Hampton Village
E.T. THE EXTRA TERRESTRIAL
Wednesday, July 26, at Sunset at Herrick Park in East Hampton Village
SPLASH, Presented in Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of J.Crew
Wednesday, August 2, at Sunset at Herrick Park in East Hampton Village
JAWS
Wednesday, August 16, at Sunset at the Main Beach in East Hampton Village
+++
ABOUT HAMPTONSFILM
HamptonsFilm, home of the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) was founded in 1992 to celebrate the art of film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. A non-profit organization with year-round screenings of global narrative and documentary films, an annual Screenwriters Lab, a summer documentary showcase, and extensive educational initiatives, HamptonsFilm offers programs that enlighten, educate, and provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers, while also providing the East End of Long Island with an educational and cultural experience that enriches the lives of its citizens and contributes to the local economy. HIFF, celebrating its 31st year, is an annual premiere film event in New York State, and an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world. Awarding prizes to filmmakers in cash and goods and services of over $130,000, each year, with over $5 million awarded in competition funds and services over the decades, our program continues to play an important role during awards season. For more information, please visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.
