Matthew Heineman’s Covid Doc ‘The First Wave’ To Open Hamptons Film Festival

Patrick Hipes
·2 min read
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HamptonsFilm, the presenting organization of the Hamptons International Film Festival, said the festival’s 29th edition will return to in-person events and screenings in October.

The festival will open October 7 with the world premiere of Academy Award-nominated director Matthew Heineman’s The First Wave. The feature documentary spotlights medical staffers at the country’s hardest-hit hospitals at the epicenter of the Covid-19 pandemic. Heineman’s previous films include the Oscar-nominated Cartel Land.

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Those attending the festival, which runs through October 13, will need to show proof of vaccination for in-person events and will be required to wear masks.

As part of the Signature Program Views from Long Island program, supported by Suffolk County Film Commission, HIFF will feature the world premiere of Kelcey Edwards’ The Art of Making It. The documentary follows a diverse cast of young artists at defining moments in their careers as they explore whether the art world ecosystem meant to nurture them is actually failing them.

Three other documentaries are part of the fest’s lineup: Paper & Glue, Becoming Cousteau and The Last Horns of Africa.

Directed by the visual artist JR, Paper & Glue features him turning the camera on his own work. Liz Garbus’ Becoming Cousteau profiles legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau and his life, career, and mission to protect the Earth. Garth De Bruno Austin’s The Last Horns of Africa features never-before-captured footage of the current rhino poaching war in Africa.

“Oscar-nominated filmmaker Matthew Heineman has made a stunning film highlighting not only the resilience of the human spirit, but the selflessness of healthcare workers who risk their own lives to keep us safe,” said HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent. The other announced selections, he added, include “films by local artists as well as those wrestling with the issue of the sanctity of our planet and the lives of the animals with whom we share it.”

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