Island of Dreams
Arts Film Upcoming

OLA Latino Film Festival Brings Stories of Courage & Truth to the East End

OLA’s 23rd Annual Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons returns Sept. 17 through 20, exploring the theme of Courage and Truth, “while exploring belonging, migration, memory, resilience, and the enduring power of human connection.” “Every year, this festival reminds us that storytelling has the power to transform communities. These films invite us to see ourselves in one another, to recognize the dignity of every journey, and to celebrate the beauty
Arts Featured Film Upcoming

Sharing Human Stories Through the Camera Lens

This July, the North Fork Arts Center will hold its second annual documentary series on Thursday evenings, screening docs that make larger-than-life issues intimate for audiences. The screenings will be followed by discussions with the directors.  A still from “Out There: A National Parks Story.” The series kicks off on July 9 with “Out There: A National Parks Story,” a journey into the lives of the people at the center
Tony Spiridakis and Alison Omens at the ribbon-cutting.
Arts Film Greenport Photos Recent

North Fork Arts Center Celebrates New Elevator & Executive Director

The North Fork Arts Center in Greenport celebrated the grand reopening of its now handicapped-accessible main theater Friday just ahead of the summer season, also naming a new Executive Director. The historic movie theater on Front Street in Greenport became a non-profit community arts center in 2024, after a year of fundraising by the community. The project was helmed by Tony Spiridakis, a screenwriter who had organized filmmaking classes there
Arts Featured Film Photos

Strong Women Are The Backbone of this Year’s Doc Fest

At a time of great uncertainty throughout the world, you can be certain you will make better sense of the vastness of global challenges and see the personal stories of people caught in the midst of global events after spending some time at the Hamptons Doc Fest.  Pictured Above: A scene from "A Life Illuminated," which follows the work of trailblazing marine scientist Dr. Edie Widder. This year’s festival runs
OLALFF2025_La Ola_2
Arts Featured Film

Perseverance: A Hallmark of the OLA Film Festival

If you're feeling powerless about the state of the world today, the team at the Latino advocacy group OLA of Eastern Long Island is hoping that you'll join this coming week in a shared experience of great international cinema that tells stories of strength and perseverance. Pictured Above: A Still from "La Ola (The Wave)," a Chilean film that will have its New York premiere at the OLA Film Festival
GIANTS RISING Still 16 x 9 HI RES Photographer Sarah Bird in Wonderland - photo credit Fabian Aguirre
Arts Featured Film nature

Docs Equinox Honors Trees

Hamptons Doc Fest, in partnership with the Southampton Arts Center, kicks off Earth Day Week April 25 with its annual Docs Equinox celebration, which this year revolves around the theme of “Deep Roots: Our Connection to Trees, Woodlands, Forests.” From April 25 through 27, Southampton Arts Center (25 Jobs Lane in Southampton) plays host to films and community discussions.  Food and wine receptions on Friday and Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
San Juan Hill, 1939. Lee Sievan (1907-1990). Museum of the City of New York. 92.70.2
Arts Featured Film Southampton

Exploring African American “Communities of Resilience”

In celebration of Black History Month, Hamptons Doc Fest and the Southampton Arts Center are co-presenting a program on Saturday, February 22, at 4 p.m., titled "Communities of Resilience." It opens with a keynote presentation by Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, executive director of the Eastville Community Historical Society, and Renee Simons, the President of SANS Sag Harbor, who will recount the history of and preservation journey of the three historic black
On December 8, Cynthia Lopez, left, CEO of NYWIFT (NY Women in Film & Television) and Hamptons Doc Fest executive director Jacqui Lofaro, right, had presented the festival's first Breakthrough Director Award to Angela Patton and Natalie Rae, directors of the film "Daughters," which screened at the Sag Harbor Cinema and is now shortlisted for an Oscar.
Arts Film

Two Films Screened at Hamptons Doc Fest Make Oscars Shortlist

Two of the feature films screened at the 2024 Hamptons Doc Fest were named to the Oscars Shortlist of 15 films in the Documentary Feature Film category by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. They are "Daughters" and "Union," which were both winners of awards at the Hamptons Doc Fest, announced Hamptons Doc Fest executive director Jacqui Lofaro and artistic director Karen Arikian. Pictured Above: On December 8, Cynthia Lopez, left, CEO
Arts Featured Film Sag Harbor

Celebrating Hometown Heroes On Film

Just about every movie you’ve ever seen has a hero, but when we look around our daily lives, it’s sometimes difficult to see the heroes hiding in plain sight, in our families and our neighborhoods. But several young filmmakers from the Sag Harbor area didn’t have trouble finding their own local heroes this fall. The filmmakers were prompted by the first-ever Hometown Heroes Short Film Competition at the Hamptons Doc
Arts Featured Film Sag Harbor

Celebrating Films that Keep an Eye on the World Around Us

When Jacqui Lofaro started what’s now known as the Hamptons Doc Fest in Sag Harbor 17 years ago, there were very few opportunities for people to see great documentaries. But she had a hunch audiences were yearning to hear more true stories told by accomplished filmmakers. “So many people I know or meet say they haven’t been to the movies much, but they really like documentaries,” said Ms. Lofaro as
VIVO_let070.1119_lm_v2-scaled-991382045-1628028640325
Arts Film Top Stories

OLA Film Festival Expands in Partnership with NFAC

Heroism, strength, and resilience form the conceptual and thematic core of OLA of Eastern Long Island's annual Latino Film Festival of the Hamptons, which is expanding to the North Fork in late September in a new partnership with the North Fork Arts Center (NFAC) in Greenport. Pictured Above: A still from Vivo, to be screened at the North Fork Arts Center Sept. 26. Screenings of the films, which are in