HIFF Offers New Scholarships to East End Students

The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) announced today they will award scholarships to five graduating East End high school seniors. Supported by The Hilaria & Alec Baldwin Foundation, the inaugural scholarship fund will honor one student each from Southampton, East Hampton, Bridgehampton, The Ross School and Pierson High School in Sag Harbor. Each student will receive $1,000 and a Filmmaker Discovery Package to attend the 25^th anniversary HIFF over Columbus Day Weekend, October 5–9.

“Our youth are the next generation of storytellers, and it is important that HIFF continue to provide access to the filmmaking arts,” HIFF Executive Director Anne Chaisson said. “Our goal is to give students the opportunity to discover what inspires them, and to explore their dreams.”

New this year, HIFF will also award two full-admission scholarships for students to attend the annual Summer Student Filmmaking Workshops held in East Hampton and Southampton. The workshops aim to provide a creative outlet and thorough introduction to filmmaking, giving students the tools to launch their own projects in the future. Classes will take place at Guild Hall in East Hampton from July 24–28 and at the Southampton Arts Center August 7–11. Any student interested in applying for these scholarships can do so at the HIFF website, hamptonsfilmfest.org.

Go directly to the application here.

“The aim of our Student Summer Filmmaking workshops is to cultivate fresh filmmaking talent in the Hamptons community and to encourage aspiring filmmakers to embrace their passion,” HIFF Manager of Education and Community Outreach, Marissa Friedes Cangiolosi said, adding, “We are excited to provide students with the chance to take the first step into the industry and learn from leaders in the entertainment world.”

In addition, the festival continues HIFF Jr., its educational youth outreach. HIFF recently hosted a curated Compassion, Justice, & Animal Rights short film screening and student filmmaker panel for an audience of 200 4th and 5th graders at John M Marshall Elementary School in East Hampton. Similar screenings will be presented at Springs School in June and The Ross School in the fall.

These Compassion, Justice, & Animal Rights school screenings include films inspired by the United Nations Plural+ program, a joint venture of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the International Organization for Migration which has partnered with HIFF for the last three years. Plural+ will host middle and high school students from across the East End for a screening of short films addressing issues of human rights, empathy and migrant integration at HIFF in October. The students will view films made by children and young adults from all over the world, followed by a post-screening panel discussion with international youth filmmakers and representatives from the United Nations.

HIFF is also continuing their 25 Years: 25 Films program with a screening of Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove at Guild Hall in East Hampton this Sunday, June 25 at 7 p.m. Proceeds from this screening help support HIFF’s Compassion, Justice, and Animal Rights program and HIFF’s Education Initiative. Tickets can be purchased here.

Donors to HIFF’s education fund include The Macy’s Foundation, Zelda Penzel, The Hilaria & Alec Baldwin Foundation, The Moxie Foundation, Guild Hall, LTV and the Southampton Arts Center, along with many patrons who give all year. To learn more, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org/hiff-jr-educational-initiatives.