Hamptons Festival presented its Golden Starfish Awards

The 14th Annual Hamptons International Film Festival presented its Golden Starfish Awards at a ceremony held at Guild Hall in East Hampton, NY on Saturday, October 21, 2006.

The 2006 HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL celebrated its 14th annual celebration of premieres & screenings; programs & events; talent & industry. The natural beauty of the Hamptons, combined with its legendary glamour, make for the perfect setting to display and debut some of the finest international films in the world. This year’s festival ran October 18th through 22nd, 2006, in East Hampton, New York with additional venues in Southampton, Sag Harbor and Montauk.

The Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to celebrate independent film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. The festival is committed to exhibiting films that express fresh voices and differing global perspectives, with the hope that these programs will enlighten audiences, provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers and present inspired entertainment for all.

The heart of the Hamptons International Film Festival has always been its Golden Starfish Award and the films in the competitions (representing 12 countries) for Best Narrative Feature (over $185,000 in goods and in-kind services), Best Documentary Award ($10,000 in cash and in-kind services) and Short Film Award ($5,000 in cash). The Hamptons International Film Festival also awards the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize in Science and Technology ($25,000 in cash); the Kodak Award for Cinematography ($6,000 of goods and in-kind services); the Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution ($5,000 in cash); the Zicherman Family Foundation Award for Screenwriting ($5,000 in cash); Best Undergraduate and Graduate Student Films (eight $1,000 cash awards). The Festival also presents Audience Awards in Best Narrative Feature Film, Best Documentary Feature Film and Best Short Film to be announced at the closing ceremonies on Sunday.

On hand to present the awards were the Fest’s Executive Director Denise Kasell, Board Chairman Stuart Match Suna, Programmer Rajendra Roy, and Emcee Bob Balaban.

The Golden Starfish Narrative Category introduced by the Golden Starfish Narrative Jury.

The Golden Starfish Best Feature, presented by Rising Star Carmen Chaplin from Day On Fire, and carrying an awards package of over $185,000 of in-kind production services, THE BOTHERSOME MAN (Norway, US Premiere), Directed by Jens Lien. The award was accepted by Producer Jørgen Storm Rosenberg.

Honorable Mention goes to VANAJA (India, US Premiere), Directed by Rajnesh Domalapalli.

The Kodak Award For Best Cinematography, presented by Anne Hubbell, Accounts Manager for Independent Films, and worth $6,000 in kind services and product, to John Christian Rosenlund for his Cinematography on THE BOTHERSOME MAN.

The Zicherman Family Foundation Award For Best Screenwriter, presented by Rising Star Matt Davis from Mentor, and carrying a $5000 cash prize was awarded to Claudia Schreiber and Ruth Thoma for EMMA’S BLISS (Germany, North American Premiere - Based on the novel by Claudia Schreiber).

Golden Starfish Narrative Competition jurors include: Troy Craig Poon, MTV Films; Andrij Parekh, Cinematographer, The Treatment, Half Nelson; John Kochman, Executive Director - Unifrance USA.

Golden Starfish Documentary Feature Film Award, presented by Rising Star Dagmara Dominczyk, seen in Mentor and Mido Hamada seen in The Situation, and carrying a cash prize of $5,000 and $5,000 in-kind goods and services was awarded to VOYAGE IN G MAJOR (France, US Premiere), Directed by Georgi Lazarevski.

Golden Starfish Documentary Competition jurors include: Karen Arikian, Co-Director, European Film Market; Nancy Buirski, Director, Full Frame Documentary Festival; Director Macky Alston.

The Golden Starfish Short Film Award with a prize of $5,000 cash was presented by Rising Star Noah Fleiss from Day on Fire to PATTERNS 3 (Canada, US Premiere), Directed by Jamie Travis. Honorable Mention was given to MAN UP (USA, World Premiere), Directed by Arturo Cabanas.

For the 7th consecutive year, the $25,000 Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize in Science and Technology for a feature-length film that explores science and technology themes in fresh, innovative ways and depicts scientists and engineers in a realistic and compelling fashion, was presented to Darren Aronofsky’s THE FOUNTAIN (USA, US Premiere). The Award was presented by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Doron Weber.

The Brizzolara Family Award for Films of Conflict and Resolution, presented by Kim Brizzolara, and programmer Sarah Hanssen, and carries a $5,000 cash prize, to INHERITANCE (USA), Directed by James Moll. Honorable Mention to 1:1 (Denmark), Directed by Annette K. Oleson.

Conflict & Resolution Competition jurors include: Oscar® and Tony Award Winning Actress Mercedes Reuhl (Lost in Yonkers, The Fisher King) internationally acclaimed director Raoul Peck; Film Festival Director, Nicole Guillemet.

The Golden Starfish Career Achievement in Acting Award to Ellen Burstyn. The award was presented to Ms. Burstyn by Hamptons Artistic Director Rajendra Roy at an event and conversation honoring her as one of this country’s great actors. She was in town with her latest collaboration with director Darren Aronofsky, THE FOUNTAIN, the recipient of the Alfred P. Sloan Award.

Ms. Burstyn, along with our ‘Conversation With…” guest Robert Altman, served as mentors for the Rising Stars Program. Conceived as a means of celebrating the key role actors play in the making of independent films, Rising Stars program has grown into a dynamic, enriched program. It feeds on the tremendous, expanding energy of the Hamptons festival both domestically and internationally to provide a platform for extraordinary acting talent. For 2006, we continued to expand the program to include more informal, intimate gatherings in which Rising Star participants met and shared creative ideas in a personal setting with the directors, producers, writers, veteran actors, and prominent industry executives who attended the at the Festival.


another acting Career Achievement honor was presented to Famke Janssen. Artistic Director, Rajendra Roy, presented the honor to Ms. Janssen at a screening of the Spotlight film, THE TREATMENT, directed by Oren Rudavsky, also starring Chris Eigeman and Harris Yulin who were in attendance to help cheer her on!

Undergraduate and Graduate Student Film/Video Awards, presented by program coordinator Jeremiah Newton is a juried competition where eight young filmmakers receive $1,000 cash. This year’s winner’s include: THE GRADUATE STUDENT WINNERS ARE: DAVY & STU – Soman Chainani, Director / Columbia University, New York; KIBERA KID – Nathan Collett, Director / University of Southern California, LA PRIMAVERA – Ruben Obregon, Director / University of California-Los Angeles, PRACTICE – Hue Rhodes, Director / New York University, New York. THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT WINNERS ARE: COVEN – Arden Wohl, Director / New York University, New York, SMILE – Chris Mais, Director / Chapman University, Orange California, THE EMPTY DAY – Alexandra Verville, Director / Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, THE HUNGRY HEART – Tom Shoval, Director / Sam Spiegel Film & Television School.


The Golden Starfish Award for Best Young Videomaker, presented by Youth Media Program Director Maria Marewski and Emily Bennison, and carries a cash prize of $500, was awarded to 16 year-old Kiri Davis for the film A GIRL LIKE ME.


The 2006 Hamptons Film Festival’s Audience Award were presented by Fest’s Executive Director Denise Kasell, Board Chairman Stuart Match Suna and Artistic Director Rajendra Roy at the Closing Night event at Bamboo on Sunday, October 22, 2006.

The Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature was a tie between Sven Taddicken’s EMMA’S BLISS (Germany, North American Premiere); Niels Arden Oplev’s WE SHALL OVERCOME (Denmark, US Premiere).



The Audience Award for Best Documentary was presented to filmmaker James Moll’s INHERITANCE (USA).



The Audience Award for Best Short Film was presented to Director Lee Greenberg’s LAST CHANCE (USA, World Premiere).



Presenting Sponsors: American Airlines and Altour International. Host Sponsors: Time Warner Cable Media Sales. Patron Sponsors: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, New Line Cinema, Post Factory, Regal Entertainment Group; Silvercup Studios, Newsday, Fox 5, Volkswagen, 91 East Productions.



The 14th Hamptons International Film Festival ran from Wednesday, October 18 through Sunday, October 23, 2006. Over 115 Narrative Features, Documentaries and Shorts were presented. Special Events included the “Industry Toast” to Producer Ted Hope, Acting Achievement Awards to Ellen Burstyn and Famke Janssen, the Rising Stars Program, ‘A Conversation With…’ Robert Altman, moderated by Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers, and the successful Southampton expansion.



A few of the guests who joined in the festivities included Robert Altman, Darren Aronofsky, Alec Baldwin, Ellen Burstyn, Tom Cavanaugh, Carmen Chaplin, Damon Dash, Chris Eigeman, Heather Graham, Philip Haas, Mido Hamada, Marcia Gay Harden, Don Hewitt, Ted Hope, Famke Janssen, Ron Livingston, Bridget Moynahan, Connie Nielsen, Joey Pantoliano, Rosie Perez, Raoul Peck, Rachel Roy, Mercedes Ruehl, James Schamus, Roy Scheider, Molly Shannon, Todd Solandz, John Waters, Bruce Weber