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Hamptons Film Festival 2026 Weekend 2: Stars, Must-See Films and Closing Night
Big premieres, Hollywood heavyweights, filmmaker conversations and a star-studded closing night highlight the Hamptons International Film Festival’s final five days, Oct. 8-12.
The Hamptons International Film Festival is heading into its final stretch, and the star power isn’t letting up.
Jesse Eisenberg brings community theater to the big screen, Pedro Pascal trades action-hero territory for a cello, Sara Bareilles explores grief through music, and John Turturro plays an old-school New York pickpocket whose talents are becoming obsolete.
Ron Howard turns his camera on legendary photographer Richard Avedon, Bob Balaban receives a Lifetime Achievement Award, and Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård and Peter Dinklage headline the closing-night film, Wicker.
With screenings, filmmaker conversations and special events across East Hampton, Sag Harbor and Southampton through Monday, Oct. 12, here’s what’s making sparks during the festival’s final five days.
THE BIG FILMS
The Debut — Jesse Eisenberg, Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti
| Friday, Oct. 9, 8 p.m. | Guild Hall |
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Jesse Eisenberg, who earned an Oscar nomination for A Real Pain, returns to HIFF with The Debut, a comedy about the wonderfully chaotic world of community theater.
Written and directed by Eisenberg, the film stars Julianne Moore as a shy housewife who lands a small theater role and transforms into an obsessive method actor, clashing with the production’s domineering director (Paul Giamatti). Halle Bailey and Bernadette Peters also appear in the cast.
Behemoth! — Pedro Pascal
| Friday, Oct. 9, 4:45 p.m. | Guild Hall |
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Pedro Pascal trades action for classical music in Behemoth!, the new drama from writer-director Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton, Andor).
Pascal plays a gifted cellist whose return to Los Angeles forces him to confront his family history and the choices that shaped his life. Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor and Will Arnett also star.
The Only Living Pickpocket in New York — John Turturro
| Saturday, Oct. 10, 7 p.m. | Guild Hall |
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John Turturro plays Harry, a veteran New York hustler whose particular talents are becoming obsolete in a world of smartphones and credit cards.
One disastrous night sets off a dangerous game of survival in this crime comedy from Noah Segan, featuring Steve Buscemi, Giancarlo Esposito and Tatiana Maslany.
Not Dead Yet — World Premiere
| Friday, Oct. 9, 5:15 p.m. | East Hampton Regal UA |
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| Monday, Oct. 12, 2:45 p.m. | East Hampton Regal UA |
Ageism, advertising and a rebellious Hamptons breakfast crowd collide in the world premiere of Not Dead Yet.
Richard Kind plays a veteran advertising executive pushed out by a youth-obsessed industry. Rather than accept retirement, he heads to the Hamptons, where he joins forces with a group of seniors to launch a business of their own. Paul Raci, Polly Draper and Tovah Feldshuh also star in the comedy, directed by Eric Weber and Nick Weber.
DOCUMENTARIES: MUSIC, ART & LIFE
Sara Bareilles: Good Grief
Saturday, Oct. 10, 2 p.m. | Guild Hall
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and Broadway star Sara Bareilles turns to music to work through profound personal loss in Sara Bareilles: Good Grief.
Directed by Josh Alexander, the documentary follows Bareilles as she returns to the recording studio for the first time in seven years, revealing the creative process behind a deeply personal new album.
Avedon — Ron Howard
| Saturday, Oct. 10, 2 p.m. | East Hampton Regal UA |
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Few photographers shaped fashion, celebrity and American culture quite like Richard Avedon.
Director Ron Howard explores the life and work of the legendary photographer, whose portraits captured everyone from Hollywood stars to political figures and whose fashion images helped redefine the medium.
SPECIAL EVENTS & CONVERSATIONS
The festival’s signature conversations offer audiences a chance to hear directly from the actors and filmmakers behind some of Hollywood’s most memorable work.
A Conversation With Jesse Eisenberg
Saturday, Oct. 10, noon | Guild Hall
From his Oscar-nominated performance in The Social Network to writing, directing and starring in A Real Pain, Eisenberg has built a career that moves between acting, filmmaking and theater. He’ll discuss his work and creative process in an hourlong conversation.
A Conversation With Ron Howard
Saturday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m. | Guild Hall
The Oscar-winning director of A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13 and Frost/Nixon has spent decades moving between Hollywood blockbusters, intimate dramas and documentaries. Howard will discuss his career and the art of storytelling.
A Conversation With John Turturro
Sunday, Oct. 11, noon | Guild Hall
From Do the Right Thing and Barton Fink to The Big Lebowski and Severance, Turturro’s career spans independent film, Hollywood and television. Deadline Hollywood’s Mike Fleming moderates.
Bob Balaban’s Lifetime Achievement Award
Sunday, Oct. 11, 2:30 p.m. | Guild Hall
From Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Gosford Park to Christopher Guest’s ensemble comedies and Wes Anderson’s distinctive worlds, Bob Balaban has spent six decades making memorable appearances on screen.
HIFF honors the actor with its Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by Bryan Cranston, at a special screening of Christopher Guest’s hilarious 2000 dog-show comedy Best in Show.
Morning Talks at Lion’s Nook — Coffee and Cinema
Saturday, Oct. 10, 10 a.m. — Lion’s Nook, East Hampton
Sunday, Oct. 11, 10 a.m. — Lion’s Nook, East Hampton
HIFF’s free Morning Talks return for closing weekend at Lion’s Nook in East Hampton Village.
The intimate, hourlong gatherings bring filmmakers and industry insiders together for conversations about the art and business of filmmaking. Complimentary pastries, coffee and tea are included. Not a bad way to start a festival morning.
Admission: Free.
ALSO WORTH SEEING
Club Kid — Jordan Firstman
Thursday, Oct. 8, 8:15 p.m. — Guild Hall
Saturday, Oct. 10, 5 p.m. — East Hampton Regal UA
Sunday, Oct. 11, 8:30 p.m. — East Hampton Regal UA
Jordan Firstman writes, directs and stars as a New York nightlife promoter whose world changes when he discovers he has a 10-year-old son. Firstman receives HIFF’s FLYTE Breakthrough Director Award at the Thursday screening.
CLOSING NIGHT
Wicker — Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård and Peter Dinklage
Monday, Oct. 12, 6 p.m. — Guild Hall
Monday, Oct. 12, 6:30 p.m. — East Hampton Regal UA
The festival closes with Wicker, an unconventional romantic comedy starring Olivia Colman, Alexander Skarsgård and Peter Dinklage.
Set in a medieval English village, the film follows an ostracized fisherwoman (Colman) who commissions a husband from a local basketmaker (Dinklage). The resulting wicker creation (Skarsgård) turns out to be considerably more than she bargained for, stirring jealousy and fascination among the villagers.
Directed by Eleanor Wilson and Alex Huston Fischer, the film also stars Elizabeth Debicki.
IF YOU GO
What: 34th annual Hamptons International Film Festival
When: Thursday, Oct. 8-Monday, Oct. 12
Where: Screenings and events take place across East Hampton, Sag Harbor and Southampton.
Key venues: East Hampton Regal UA, 30-38 Main St., East Hampton; Guild Hall, 158 Main St., East Hampton; Southampton Playhouse, 43 Hill St., Southampton; Sag Harbor Cinema, 90 Main St., Sag Harbor.
Closing Night: Wicker, Monday, Oct. 12
Tickets: Individual tickets, passes and packages are available through HamptonsFilm. Some screenings are rush-line only, with admission subject to availability.
Getting around: HIFF offers a free East Hampton Jitney Shuttle Loop on Saturdays and Sundays during the festival.
Full schedule, tickets and updates: filmguide.hamptonsfilmfest.org/2026-film-guide/
Previously on Spark: Hamptons Film Festival 2026 Week 1: Your Guide to the Films, Stars and Events Making Sparks.
