Film Festival Comes To Town

Some 100 films will be screened at the sixth installment of the Hamptons International Film Festival, which will take center stage in East Hampton Oct. 14 to Oct. 18.

New features within the festival, including "spotlight films," categories concentrating on films about performers and films about filmmakers, and an emphasis on comedy on the big screen are what the festival organizers hope will set this year's model apart from its predecessors.

Returning this year will be categories devoted to international documentaries, shorts, and student films; the 11 American independent films that will vie for the coveted Golden Starfish award; contemporary cinema from around the world, and archival screenings.

Honoring Blake Edwards

Numerous panel discussions will round out the festival, as will the special "Tribute" presentation, which this year will be devoted to the director and screenwriter Blake Edwards. Also returning will be the "A Conversation With . . ." feature, an interview with a famous actor or director whose identity is kept secret until the very last moment. Plus, a full menu of parties and special events has been planned at local restaurants, galleries, and retail shops.

At press time yesterday the festival's staff, particularly its new executive director, Denise Kasell, and its programming director, David Schwartz, were working furiously in their Newtown Mews office to complete the festival's lineup in time for tonight's press conference at the Stanhope Hotel in Manhattan.

As it has in the past, the festival will be concentrated in East Hampton, though Westhampton and Sag Harbor venues will also be included.

Opening Night

Kicking off the festival the night of Oct. 14 will be "Living Out Loud," an American film by a first-time director, Richard LaGravenese, whose screenwriting credits include "Be loved," "The Horse Whisperer," and "The Bridges of Madison County." Described as a "lush, romantic comedy," it stars the screen veterans Danny De Vito and Holly Hunter, the rapper-turned-actress Queen Latifah, and Martin Donovan.

A French film making its United States premiere, "L'Ecole de la Chair" (The School of Flesh), will bring the festival to a close the night of Oct. 18. Directed by Benoit Jacquot and built around what is said to be a stunning performance by Isabelle Huppert, it is adapted from a novel by the Japanese writer Yukio Mishima.

"Spotlight" Series

The three spotlight films, which festival planners expect will be picked up for distribution, will begin on Oct. 15 with the U.S. premiere of "Tango," an Argentinian film celebrating that dance and shot by the cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, legendary for his work on "Apocalypse Now," the "Godfather" series, and the films of Bernardo Bertolucci. Its director is Carlos Saura.

The following night, the American film "With Friends Like These," written and directed by Philip Messina and starring Adam Arkin, Laura San Giacomo, and Elle Macpherson, will be in the spotlight.

And on Oct. 17, a British farce will make its U.S. premiere, Mark Herman's "Little Voice," starring Michael Caine, Brenda Blethyn, and Jane Horrocks.

At Grey Gardens

Among the archival films will be "Grey Gardens," a 1976 documentary about Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter, known as "Little Edie," filmed at the 28-room West End Road, East Hampton, mansion where they once lived. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the filmmakers Albert Maysles (who produced and directed "Grey Gardens" with his brother David), Susan Fremke, Ellen Hovde, and Muffie Mayer, and moderated by Stephen Gaines, the local author of "Philistines at the Hedgerows," the recent best-seller about the Hamptons.

Today Grey Gardens is the home of Ben Bradlee and Sally Quinn. It is the subject of the "Around the Garden" feature in the second section of today's Star. "Grey Gardens" was last shown in East Hampton at Clinton Academy in 1985.

Other archival film screenings will be a new Dolby print of the Beatles classic "Help!", which will be introduced by its director, Richard Lester, and preceded by Stacy Cochran's half-hour film "Richard Lester!"

Restored prints of James Whale's "Bride of Frankenstein" and Charlie Chaplin's silent comedy classic "City Lights" will also be shown. "Bride of Frankenstein" will be screened with "Gods & Monsters," a new independent film by Bill Condon, and "City Lights" will be presented with live music by the BQE Project.

Warhol To Bernstein

"Films About Filmmakers" will include "All About Andy," three short films showing the former Montauk resident, pop artist, and filmmaker Andy Warhol at work and including his film "Beauty 2"; "Brakhage," directed by Jim Shedden, which will be shown with a selection of films by the American avant-garde director Stan Brakhage; "Voice of Bergman," Grunnar Bergdahl's 90-minute, in-depth interview with the Swedish director, and "Living With Your Eyes," a short film by the Dutch documentarian Johan Van Der Keuken about the making of his first film, "To Sang Foto Studio," which also will be screened.

"Films About Performers" will feature the world premiere of Susan Lacy's "Leonard Bernstein: Reaching for the Note"; Jonathan Demme's "Storefront Hitchcock," a concert film of the British musician Robyn Hitchcock; "Dancemaker," a portrait of Paul Taylor and his dance company, including footage of the rehearsal process, and "God Said 'Ha!'," described as a funny but heartbreaking film of Julie Sweeney's Broadway show about her struggle with cancer.

American Indies

Among the 10 American independent films competing for the Golden Starfish award, and the $165,000 in goods and services that come along with the honor, will be "Edge City," described as an energetic and authentic drama about teens in Philadelphia, directed by Eugene Martin; "Tomorrow Night," an absurdist comedy about a young loner who falls for an older and unhappily married woman, directed by Louis C.K., a former "Conan O'Brien" staff writer, and "There's No Fish Food in Heaven," another comedy starring Tea Leoni, Fairuza Balk, and James Le Gros.

Four Premieres

The Golden Starfish jury will include the Oscar-winning actress Marisa Tomei, the independent film producer Nancy Savoca, and Scott Meek, a producer from Britain.

Among the 20 films to be featured in the "Contemporary International Cinema" segment of the festival will be premieres by four directors, Joe Carnahan, Alex Cox, Joan Chen, and Myles Berkowitz. Mr. Carnahan's first film, "Blood, Guts, Bullets, and Octane," which he wrote, directed, edited, and starred in for a mere $7,300, is a caper that follows a get-rich-quick scheme to steal a 1963 Pontiac Le Mans convertible.

"Three Businessmen," by Mr. Cox ("Sid and Nancy," "Repo Man"), is described as an absurdist film in the early 1960s British style, with biblical touches. Ms. Chen, known for her role in "Twin Peaks," makes her directorial debut with "Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl," filmed on the spectacular plains of the Sichuan-Tibetan border about the millions of Chinese sent from cities to the countryside for re-education during the Cultural Revolution.

And "20 Dates," by Mr. Berkowitz, won the audience award at the 1998 Slamdance Festival and will be distributed by Fox-Searchlight Films.

Hot Dog Battle

International documentaries competing in their own category will include the world premiere of "Red, White, and Yellow," about the 1997 battle between two men at the annual hot dog eating contest sponsored by Nathan's on Coney Island; the world premiere of "The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg," a portrait of the legendary Jewish baseball player; the world premiere of "Vietnam: Long Time Coming," Peter Gilbert's film about a group of American and Vietnamese vets who go on a 1,200-mile bike tour through the country, and David Evans's "Dirt," described as a fascinating year-in-the-life look at Lower East Side gardens.

A program of 20 short films will include an animated piece called "Bridgehampton" by John Canemaker, who heads the animation department at New York University and has a house on Halsey Lane, Bridgehampton; "Burnt," a blend of modern dance and film from Germany, and "Why I Live at the P.O.," an adaptation of the eponymous Eudora Welty story.

Student Winners

The winners of the student filmmaking competition - five graduates and five undergraduates - were not ready for release yesterday. Selected from some 200 entries, each winner will receive an award of $2,500.

Blake Edwards and his wife, the Oscar-winning actress Julie Andrews, will be on hand for a special tribute presentation of a new print of his 1968 film "The Party" on Oct. 15. An improvisational showcase for the director and its star, Peter Sellers, "The Party" is about an accident-prone Indian actor set loose in Hollywood.

A dinner in the filmmaker's honor will follow two nights later. Mr. Edwards has directed more than 35 films, most of which he wrote or co-wrote, and some of which he also produced. Among his best-known works are "Breakfast at Tiffany's," "The Pink Panther" series, "Micki and Maude," and "Victor/Victoria." His wife starred in the motion picture as well as the Broadway production of "Victor/Victoria."

Mystery Guest

The name of the featured guest for "A Conversation With . . ." remains a secret, as it has in the past, and while rumors begin to fly as the event's date approaches it is not known for sure until the curtain of Guild Hall's John Drew Theater stage rises. Past guests have included Richard Dreyfuss, Isabella Rossellini, Martin Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg.

An expanded series of panel discussions at this year's Film Festival will include daily breakfast discussions called "Close Encounters," promised to be "intimate, informal discussions with prominent directors, actors, and writers." All discussions will be held under a tent at the East Hampton Presbyterian Church.

Talking Heads

Three lunchtime panels will focus on "Telling Stories." On Oct. 15, "Gatekeepers" will feature executives and producers as well as writers discussing how a film does - or does not - get made. Panelists expected to participate are Joan Liepman and Jeffrey Altschuler, producers, and Richard Price and Jim Taylor, screenwriters.

The next day, "Stories From the Edge" will feature insights from directors, producers, and distributors on making movies with controversial, difficult, or taboo subject matter.

And on Oct. 17, the focus will be on "The Rise of the Image, the Fall of the Word," with influential figures in film, music, video, news, advertising, and experimental cinema debating the topic. Anticipated panelists are Eugene Martin, a filmmaker competing for the Golden Starfish award; Mitch Stephens, an author; Jeff Cher, a filmmaker, and Jerry Della Femina, the East Hampton resident and entrepreneur and Manhattan ad man.

Where To Go

The more rigorous selection process employed by the Film Festival this year - namely, the use of not one but four programmers and the active seeking of films - has made for the best Film Festival yet, its organizers have said.

Founder's and film buff passes and tickets to spotlight presentations and panel discussions are on sale now through the festival's Newtown Mews, East Hampton, office, and tickets to individual screenings will be available for selection for pass holders beginning tomorrow at the festival's box office, in suite 7 of 66 Newtown Lane, East Hampton.

The box office will be closed Monday. Otherwise, individual tickets for film screenings will go on sale next Thursday, again at the box office.

MICHELLE NAPOLI