by Evelyn J. Mocbeichel
Here we go the start of another fascinating film series presented by HamptonFilm organized by their creative team and board members. Mark your calendar for 2024 line up for the 16th year of a summer filled with entertaining, quality and enjoyable presentations! After each film there is an intriguing post screening conversation with filmmakers and guests and a Q & A session that features either the writer, director, or stars of the film. This summer’s presentations will feature a selection of the year’s most anticipated documentary features from leading industry storytellers. The series will kick off with a screening of Netflix’s SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY directed by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina, on Friday, July 5th, 
at 7:00PM at East Hampton’s Guild Hall. Then it will be followed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber’s WAR GAME on Saturday, July 20th, at 7:00PM at Regal UA East Hampton Cinema; and concluding with Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui’s SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY on Wednesday, August 14th, at 7:00PM at Guild Hall.
HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent and Chairman Emeritus Alec Baldwin will lead conversations with attending filmmakers and guests, 
including co-director Maria Bukhonina for SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY; directors Tony Gerber and Jesse Moss for WAR GAME; and Reeve’s son Will Reeve for SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY.
“Each year we strive to program our popular SummerDocs Series with some of the season’s most talked-about documentaries, and our 2024 edition is no exception,” said HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent. 
“The three titles we have curated this summer have each been met with incredible audience reception thus far, and it is a privilege to now preview them for our communities out East.” The SummerDocs series includes a diverse selection of engaging and socially relevant documentaries: SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY follows a daredevil couple as they take their relationship to terrifying new heights in a wild scheme to climb the world’s last great skyscraper and perform a death-defying stunt on its spire; WAR GAME imagines a nation-wide insurrection, set on January 6th, 2025, in which members of the US military defect to support the losing Presidential candidate, while the winning candidate and his advisors war game the crisis in the White House situation room; and SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY tells the story of Reeve’s astonishing rise from unknown actor to iconic movie star, including his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, but catalyzed his activism for disability rights. “The SummerDocs documentary showcase, a highlight of the Hamptons summer season, offers three uniquely powerful stories to stimulate conversation about the important challenges of our times: social media and internet stardom, America’s political divide, and the relentless spirit of humanity when faced with a seemingly insurmountable challenge,” said HamptonsFilm Executive Director Anne Chaisson.
Many past SummerDocs Series selections have continued down the awards path and have gone on to be shortlisted, receive a nomination, and even win an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature Film, including THE ETERNAL MEMORY (2024), 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 Maite Alberdi, Sara Dosa, Fisher Stevens, Rory Kennedy, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, Davis Guggenheim, Andrew Rossi, Daniel Roher, Chiemi Karasawa, Morgan Neville, Marina Zenovich, Louie Psihoyos, and Steve James. Tickets for the 2024 SummerDocs Series individual screenings are now available for purchase for HamptonsFilm members at https://hamptonsfilm.org/ with public sales already started.
Free Outdoor Screenings HamptonsFilm also announced the return of the FREE Outdoor Screening Series, featuring a lineup of classic crowd pleasers presented Wednesday evenings throughout the summer at East Hampton’s Herrick Park and Main Beach. Films screenings this season include JURASSIC PARK (July 17), SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (July 24), MOANA (July 31), THE NEVERENDING STORY (August 7), and JAWS (August 21). The series is supported in part by New York Council of the Arts, Serhant, The East Hampton Star, and The Purist.
Additional HamptonsFilm summer programming includes Film Camps for students ages 8-15, taking place July 8-12 in East Hampton at the HamptonsFilm offices; and July 15-19 in Southampton with partner Southampton Arts Center. Both Film Camp sessions are supported in part by the Luca Rizzo Fund. Visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org for locations and times for free outdoor screenings series and the camp programs.
As previously announced, the annual Hamptons International Film Festival will take place from October 4 – 14, 2024, as an expanded 11-day event. Please visit www.hamptonsfilmfest.org for further information on the SummerDocs series, the Hamptons International Film Festival, and all year-round programming.
