Coal mining in West Virginia, a filmmaker's quest to have a drink with Adam Sandler, and surfing Lake Superior are among the subjects of the official selections for this years' Montauk Film Festival, which will launch next Thursday at 5 p.m. with a party at the Surf Lodge there, featuring a live D.J. and an open bar.
Six features and 25 shorts have been slotted into four categories: environmental, social and cultural commentary, surf and turf, and community. Winners in each category will receive a $1,000 cash prize.
Screenings will be held outdoors at Sole East Resort, Second House Museum, and Hero Beach Club, starting on Friday, July 22, and continuing nightly through July 30.
The opening night screening will feature "Sweet Adventure," a surf film directed by Peter Hamblin that follows the surfers Albee Layer and Matt Meola, and the skateboarder Nora Vasconcellos, as they search for monster waves and good times in El Salvador.
The evening will begin at Sole East at 6 with a D.J. party, followed at 8 by a discussion with Mr. Hamblin and Mr. Layer, and at 8:30 by the screening. Panel discussions will precede all screenings, after-parties will follow, and all features will be accompanied by shorts.
During the production of Adam Sandler's film "Big Daddy" in 1999, Mr. Sandler invited David Seth Cohen to have a drink with him. Mr. Cohen turned him down, but some 20 years later, with a camera crew, he set out on a journey for a second chance. The result is "Finding Sandler," Mr. Cohen's documentary, which will be shown on July 23.
From the environmental category comes "Devil Put the Coal in the Ground," Lucas Sabean's documentary on the suffering and devastation caused by the coal industry in West Virginia, including a crumbling economy, environmental damage, and the opioid epidemic.
Other features are "Freshwater," about Lake Superior, the scientists who study it, and the surfers who ride its waves; "Queens of Pain," which follows three women balancing life in New York City as they try to keep their spots on the world's best roller derby team, and "For the Dream," a portrait of Ben Gravy, a former pro surfer who sets out to get sober and be the first person to surf in all 50 states.
A program dedicated to New York Women in Film & Television, set for July 24, will include a pre-screening happy hour, a panel moderated by an NYWIFT member, and four short films.
An awards ceremony and closing party will happen at the Montauk Lighthouse Cafe on July 31 starting at 6 p.m. Food and drink will be provided.
The festival's executive staff includes Jason Ferrante, its founder and executive director; Jason Spencer, artistic director; Josh Fox, environmental program director, and Tom Colarusso, program director.
Tickets to the kickoff party and the opening night film are $50; the other screenings are $35, and the awards ceremony is $49. A complete schedule and a ticket link can be found on the festival's website.
