Director: Jennifer Lin Producers: Jon Funabiki, Jennifer Lin, Cory Stieg
Director Jennifer Lin in attendance for Q&A
Driven by his refugee mother to be “ten times better” in white America, George Lee is the quintessential invisible immigrant with an extraordinary past. The 89-year- old blackjack dealer grew up in Shanghai studying ballet and became a teenage sensation when he was handpicked by George Balanchine for the 1954 premiere of The Nutcracker.
DID YOU FORGET MR. FOGEL?
15min
Director: Max Karpman Producers: Francesca Hill, Kaylee Smith
Director Max Karpman in attendance for Q&A
When American teacher Marc Fogel is sentenced to 14 years in a Russian prison, his family strives to remain united as they launch a campaign to bring him back home.
THE ART OF METAPHOR
16min
Directors: Kate Taverna Producers: Alan Adelson, Kate Taverna
Director Kate Taverna and Producer Alan Adelson in attendance for Q&A
Artist Donna Dennis is obsessed for decades with creating metaphorical and haunting structures to honor lost friends. Ironically, she lives with the continual threat of her own eviction.
JUMPMAN
22min
Directors: Tom Dey Producers: Tom Dey, Coliena Rentmeester
This is the story of the photographer who created the 1984 LIFE portrait of Michael Jordan that was copied by Nike and turned into one of the world's most famous logos.
FILMING UNDER FIRE: JOHN FORD’S OSS FIELD PHOTO BRANCH
22min
Director: Dan Gagliasso Producer: Charles Pinck
Producer Charles Pinck in attendance for Q&A
World War II was fought on many fronts – one of them was film. This film tells the story of how six-time Academy Award-winning director John Ford, and many of the leading filmmakers of the time, contributed to America’s victory in the war through their work in the OSS Field Photographic Branch.
This short follows photographer and Syrian refugee Serbest Salih and his mobile darkroom to overlooked communities across Turkey, where children contend with access to 26 school, memory, and displacement from devastating earthquakes. The film unfolds almost completely from the child’s perspective.
FROM PEN TO PAPER
29min
Directors: Paul Sutton, Lori Sutton Producers: Paul Sutton, Lori Sutton
Twenty-four prisoners – mostly lifers – sat across from a dozen students at a maximum security prison yard in Southern California as part of an innovative 14-week, creative writing program. Through their intimate collaboration, both groups find hope and humanity in a place where they had expected neither.
BIRDFEEDER
12min
Director: Daniel Feighery Producers: Natalia Payne, Evan Mascgani, Daniel Feighery
Director Daniel Feighery in attendance for Q&A
Birdfeeder is not just a documentary about birds; it’s a visual and emotional exploration of the human connection to the urban wild, the challenges faced in the time of hardship, and the profound impact of the natural world on the human soul.
HOMETOWN HEROES
Winning student film premiere
Hamptons Doc Fest is proud to support the next generation of young filmmakers by inviting East End middle and high school students to create an original short documentary that showcases a hometown hero – anyone from nurses, doctors, teachers, artists, athletes or a family member – who has inspired them. HDF is thrilled to premiere the winning film and present the director with an award and monetary scholarship.
