DISPATCH - DEC 4, 2013

SAG HARBOR, NY

Artists and the making of art are very much on the minds of documentary filmmakers these days, serving as the focus of five of the 22 films being screened at this year’s Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival (HT2FF) in Sag Harbor.

The sixth annual edition of the festival, helmed by founder and Executive Director Jacqui Lofaro, runs from Friday (Dec. 6) through Sunday (Dec. 8) at Bay Street Theatre. Co-hosts again this year will be Bonnie Grice and Andrew Botsford.

The film festival kicks off on Thursday (Dec. 5) at 5 p.m. with a panel discussion, cocktail reception, and a screening of the Oscar-nominated documentary on AIDS, “How to Survive a Plague.” Co-sponsored by the David E. Rogers M.D. Center and Southampton Hospital, the event is being offered in observance of World AIDS Day.

A festival gala is another highlight of the four-day documentary film festival. On Saturday (Dec. 7) at 7 p.m., the HT2FF gala will present a tribute to legendary Sag Harbor documentary filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus. The evening features a screening of the pair's film on the Clinton presidential campaign, “The War Room,” and a discussion with the pair hosted by Susan Lacy, who was honored at last year’s gala.

“In this year’s festival, we have a wide variety of illuminating documentaries—dealing with art, politics, biography, sports, humor, the environment and young voices," noted HT2FF Executive Director Jacqui Lofaro in a release.

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Filmmakers Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker

Filmmakers Chris Hegedus and DA Pennebaker

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Films with artists and art as their focus will be shown throughout the festival.

The first film with an art connection screens at 6 p.m. on Friday. Neil Leifer’s “Portrait of a Lady” (40 minutes) documents the historic painting session in October 2006 when Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor sat for 25 artists from The Painting Group for a show at the National Portrait Gallery.

On Saturday, "All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert" (74 minutes) will be screened at 3:15 p.m. Directed by Vivian Ducat, the film examines the journey of Rembert, an African American artist who served seven years on a chain gang earlier in his life and more recently had a retrospective of his work at a prestigious Madison Avenue gallery. An example of Rembert’s brightly colored leather tooled art is featured on the cover of this year’s HT2FF program.

At 5 p.m. on Saturday, the festival will screen "Treasures from the Rubble" (63 minutes), directed by Alexandra Branyon of Amagansett, who will be on hand for the Q&A afterwards. The film tells the story of the founding and development of the Fayette Art Museum in Alabama, which was the brainchild of an artist, Lois Wilson, and Jack Black, a newspaperman from Wilson’s home town.

On Sunday (Dec. 8), "Shut Up & Look" (58 minutes) by director Maryte Kavaliauskas will be screened at 10 a.m. The film offers an intimate look at enigmatic artist Richard Artschwager (1923-2013). Artschwager's work was the subject of his second retrospective held at the Whitney (Oct. 25, 2012 to Feb. 3, 2013). The first was held in 1988.

HT2FF's Closing Night documentary also focuses on a single artist. "Larry Rivers Public and Private" (90 minutes), directed by Lana Jokel of Bridgehampton, wraps up the 2013 festival. A Filmmakers’ Choice Award winner, the film combines candid interviews with images of artwork and footage of the late artist to explore his influences, his process and his ongoing interest in sexuality. Jokel will be on hand for the Q&A afterwards. The film screens on Sunday at 7 p.m.

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Larry Rivers

Larry Rivers

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Presenting sponsor for the Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival is Bridgehampton National Bank. Audience Award sponsor is Brown Harris Stevens.

BASIC FACTS: The sixth annual Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival will be presented at Bay Street Theatre from Friday through Sunday with a special kick off evening held on Thursday.

Tickets are $15 for each HT2FF film segment ($13 for senior citizens, sold only at the door). The Saturday night gala, including reception and film, is $30. A full festival pass including the gala is $100.

Tickets may be purchased from HT2FF online at www.HT2FF.com. At Bay Street Theatre, they can be purchased in person at the box office, by phone at 631-725-9500, online at www.baystreet.org, or at the door. Bay Street Theatre is located at 1 Bay Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963. www.baystreet.org.

Visit www.HT2FF.com for film descriptions, photos, and links for purchasing tickets. For further information, email [email protected].

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Copyright 2013 Hamptons Art Hub LLC. All rights reserved.

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