2025 Hamptons Film Festival: Honoring Sydney Sweeney and Celebrating Contemporary Cinema
The 2025 Hamptons Film Festival will be honoring Sydney Sweeney with the Achievement in Acting Award for her role in the film "Christy," which will have its U.S. premiere as the centerpiece title at the event. The festival will also feature the world premiere of the filmed stage version of the Tony-winning musical "Merrily We Roll Along" as its closing night film, with director Maria Friedman and the cast in attendance. Other spotlight films at the festival include "After the Hunt," "Bugonia," "Hamnet," "Hedda," "If I Had Legs I’d Kick You," "Is This Thing On?," "Rental Family," "Sentimental Value," and "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery."
"Christy," which will have its world premiere at the 2025 Toronto Film Festival, tells the true story of West Virginia boxer Christy Martin as she fights to reclaim her life. Sydney Sweeney, who stars in the film alongside Ben Foster, Merritt Wever, Katy O’Brian, and Ethan Embry, will participate in a post-screening conversation at the festival. The Closing Night screening of "Merrily We Roll Along" is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 12.
Other spotlight films at the festival include the U.S. premiere of Nicholas Hytner’s "The Choral," the New York premiere of Michael Franco’s "Dreams," the New York premiere of Matthew Shear’s "Fantasy Life," the U.S. premiere of James Vanderbilt’s "Nuremberg," the world premiere of Ari Selinger’s "On The End," Ira Sachs’ "Peter Hujar’s Day," Rebecca Zlotowski’s "A Private Life," the East Coast premiere of Max Walker-Silverman’s "Rebuilding," the U.S. premiere of Hikari’s "Rental Family," Joachim Trier’s "Sentimental Value," the East Coast premiere of Clint Bentley’s "Train Dreams," and the U.S. premiere of Rian Johnson’s "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery."
David Nugent, the chief creative officer of HamptonsFilm, expressed excitement about the festival's program, highlighting the diverse range of contemporary cinema being celebrated. The festival will take place from Oct. 3-13, offering a platform for showcasing the vitality, ambition, and emotion that define today's filmmaking landscape.