The Off Hampton Film Festival will return to the Southampton Cultural Center with two programs, starting Saturday at 7 p.m. with live music from Southampton’s Chris Kline and short films by Jim Morrison of Greenport and Dan Bower of Hampton Bays.
The second program, set for Jan. 18 at 7, will feature the premiere of “Night,” a vampire film by Adam Baranello, the co-founder of the festival. Each screening will be followed by a conversation with the filmmakers.
Mr. Baranello started the festival last year with Ben McHugh, the owner of Hampton Photo Arts. “The objective is to honor independent filmmakers and have fun with it,” said Mr. Baranello. It was only a half-serious idea at first, he said, but then he realized that because of his involvement with the cultural center (he is the co-partner, with his wife, Gail Baranello, of A&G Dance), he could actually make it happen.
The theme of “Night,” Mr. Baranello’s seventh feature film, is love and relationships, as experienced by four vampires and two mortals. Because their lives are eternal, the vampires spend less time together than the mortals, who know their time is limited.
“It has the aesthetics and styling of a vampire film,” said Mr. Baranello, “the tropes, the teeth, some blood, jump scares, creepy things like that. It was fun playing into the tropes while still touching on themes I like.”
A donation of $10 has been suggested for admission to each program.
