HamptonsFilm Announces 2021 SummerDocs Series

East Hampton, NY (June 17, 2021) – The HamptonsFilm SummerDocs series returns for its thirteenth year to present entertaining and engaging documentary filmmaking from revolutionary storytellers to audiences out east. The series will kick off with a screening of Searchlight Pictures, Hulu, and Onyx’s SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED), directed by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, on June 26 at 7:00pm, followed by Sony Pictures Classics’ THE LOST LEONARDO, directed by Andreas Koefoed, on July 24 at 8:00pm, and concluding with discovery+’s LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD, directed by Jeremy Workman, on August 21 at 7:00pm. All screenings will be held with our partner, Guild Hall in the Village of East Hampton. Tickets for individual screenings will be sold for $40.  

Following each screening, HamptonsFilm Co-Chairman Alec Baldwin and HamptonsFilm Artistic Director David Nugent will lead conversations with the filmmakers and guests.  

This year’s SummerDocs series include a wide range of incredible documentaries: SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED), a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event, the Harlem Cultural Festival, which celebrated Black history, culture and fashion, which premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award and will stream on Hulu in conjunction with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective and Searchlight Pictures will release it theatrically; THE LOST LEONARDO, which tells the inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci; and LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD, which follows 20-year-old Lily Hevesh — the world’s greatest domino toppler and the only woman in her field — in a coming-of-age story of artistry, passion, and unlikely triumph, ahead of its premiere on discovery+. 

“Over the past thirteen years, SummerDocs has been a highlight for us and our audience. We were delighted to be able to offer this program during the pandemic as a Drive-In experience packed with loyal documentary enthusiasts; and we are elated to be back in the John Drew Theater with our partner Guild Hall to continue this program on the big screen,” said HamptonsFilm Executive Director Anne Chaisson. 

“With these three documentaries that showcase the importance of history, culture, and art — we are excited for our audiences to experience the magic of these films. This series has brought some of the finest documentarians, artists, writers and performers in the world  to the east end, and this summer’s films are no exception,” said Nugent. 

Past SummerDocs selections, including ICARUS (2017), TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM (2013), LAST DAYS OF VIETNAM (2014), THE COVE (2009), SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN (2012) and HOW TO SURVIVE A PLAGUE (2012), have gone on to receive Academy Award® nominations and wins. The series has also featured films from filmmakers including Fisher Stevens, Rory Kennedy, Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing, Davis Guggenheim, Andrew Rossi, Chiemi Karasawa, Jesse Moss, Morgan Neville, Marina Zenovich, Louie Psihoyos, and Steve James.

SummerDocs presenting sponsors include The Scott Seltzer Group at JP Morgan and Dano’s Tequila. Additional support from The Baker House and Purist Magazine for the series opener Summer of Soul; and Chuck and Mary Jane Brock, and Pat Sweeney and Lloyd Kaufmann for Lily Topples the World.

Tickets for the screenings are available for purchase at the HamptonsFilm website.

Other summer programming includes the inaugural outdoor screening series at Herrick Park in the Village of East Hampton all summer. HamptonsFilm will host a free screening of a classic crowd pleaser every Wednesday night at 8:30pm. Guests can also reserve a 8×10 foot square for up to six people in the first two rows and help support HamptonsFilm’s year-round education and community programs. 

In addition, back this summer, HamptonsFilm will also be offering an in-person Film Camp and the annual Hamptons International Film Festival dates will be October 7 – 13, 2021. Please visit the HamptonsFilm website for further information on the SummerDocs series, the Hamptons International Film Festival, and all year-round programming. 

Full Lineup of 2021 Summer Docs

Please find photos for this year’s SummerDocs films here.

SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)

Saturday, June 26,  at 7:00PM at Guild Hall in East Hampton

In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. SUMMER OF SOUL shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension and more.

THE LOST LEONARDO

Saturday, July 24,  at 8:00PM at Guild Hall in East Hampton

THE LOST LEONARDO tells the inside story behind the Salvator Mundi, the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million, claimed to be a long-lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci. From the moment it is purchased from a shady New Orleans auction house, and its buyers discover masterful brushstrokes beneath its cheap restoration, the fate of the Salvator Mundi is driven by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. But as its price soars, so do questions about its authenticity. Is this multi-million dollar painting actually by Leonardo – or do certain power players simply want it to be? Unravelling the hidden agendas of the world’s richest men and most powerful art institutions, THE LOST LEONARDO reveals how vested interests became all-important, and the truth secondary.

LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD

Saturday, August 21, at 7:00pm at Guild Hall in East Hampton

LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD follows 20-year-old sensation Lily Hevesh – the world’s most acclaimed domino toppler and the only girl in her field – as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman.  Filmed for over 3 years across countless cities and featuring appearances by Jimmy Fallon, Katy Perry, Will Smith, YouTuber Casey Neistat, and a steady stream of Gen-Z creators, LILY TOPPLES THE WORLD is a coming-of-age story cloaked within a unique portrait of an artist, a story of how passion and artistry can make dreams come true, and an unlikely American tale of a quiet Chinese adoptee who transforms into a global artistic force with over 1 billion YouTube views.  From director Jeremy Workman (The World Before Your Feet) and from executive producer Kelly Marie Tran (Star Wars: The Last Jedi), in her first film in a producing role. 

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ABOUT HAMPTONSFILM

HamptonsFilm, home of the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF), based in the Hamptons on the Eastern End of Long Island, was founded in 1992 to celebrate the art of film and to introduce a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to our audiences. A non-profit organization with year-round screenings of global narrative and documentary films, an annual Screenwriters Lab, a summer documentary showcase, and extensive educational initiatives, HamptonsFilm offers programs that enlighten, educate, and provide invaluable exposure for filmmakers, while also providing the East End of Long Island with an educational and cultural experience that enriches the lives of its citizens and contributes to the local economy. HIFF, celebrating its 29th anniversary this year, is the tent-pole event of HamptonsFilm. An annual premiere film event in New York State, HIFF is an intimate showcase of some of the year’s best offerings in contemporary cinema from around the world. Awarding prizes to filmmakers in cash and goods and services of over $130,000 each year, with over $4.5 million awarded in competition funds and services over the past 28 years, our program continues to play an important role during awards season. 2020 marked the 11th time in a row that a film in the Festival has become the eventual Best Picture winner at the Oscars, making HIFF the only Festival in the world with such a distinction. For more information, please visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.