Columbia Filmmakers Screen at 2022 Hamptons International Film Festival

Several films from Columbia students and alumni will head to the 30th annual Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF).

By
Angeline Dimambro
October 05, 2022

Several films from Columbia students and alumni will head to the 30th annual Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF). Founded in 1992, HIFF celebrates the art of film by introducing a unique and varied spectrum of international films and filmmakers to their audiences. The annual film festival is the premier film event on New York State’s East End, and was recently referred to by Variety as “one of America’s most glamorous displays of the best in cutting-edge cinema.” This year’s festival will run from October 7 - 16, 2022.

A list of the participating films from Columbia filmmakers can be found below:

The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future

Written and Directed by Francisca Alegría '16

Alegría’s striking feature debut is a lyrical eco-fable of family, renewal, and resurrection. Polluted with the industrial waste of a nearby factory, the toxic waters of the Cruces River in southern Chile have become inhospitable to the surrounding local wildlife. Yet amongst the floating bodies of lifeless fish, the long-dead Magdalena (played by Mía Maestro of Frida, The Motorcycle Diaries, and more) inexplicably rises to the surface and returns to her family’s dairy farm. Mysterious and meditative, The Cow Who Sang a Song Into the Future skilfully connects long ignored alarms of impending environmental devastation to one family’s need to address intergenerational traumas. The film, which premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, will be released by Kino Lorber.

The film will screen on October 7 and 8, 2022 as part of the festival’s Air, Land + Sea Program. Founded in 2016 with the goal to generate awareness around man-made environmental issues, this HIFF Signature Program fosters a deeper appreciation for our planet, and allows filmmakers and experts to share information and discuss solutions to the global problems which face us all today. 

Our Father, The Devil

Written and Directed by Ellie Foumbi ’17

In Foumbi’s narrative feature, Marie Cissé’s (Babetida Sadjo) quiet life working as a chef in a French countryside retirement home is shattered when she recognizes Father Patrick (Souléymane Sy Savané), a charming visiting priest, from her home village in Cameroon. As his arrival unearths a harrowing ordeal she had buried in her past, Marie must decide how to confront him. Featuring powerful standout performances by Sadjo and Savané, Our Father, The Devil skillfully grapples with questions of trauma, guilt, and revenge that embody the struggle to heal. The film, which marks Foumbi’s directorial debut, previously won the Audience Award at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival.

The film is screening as part of the festival’s Films of Conflict & Resolution Program. Since 2000, this program has been dedicated to showcasing films that deal with the complex issues and societal effects of war, violence and injustice, and the attendant human dramas, in creative ways.

Devotion

Directed by JD Dillard

Written by Jake Crane ‘12 and Jonathan Stewart ‘12

Set during the Korean War, this visceral film tells the story of the US Navy’s first Black aviator and his dedicated wingman, pilots who both confront geopolitical uncertainty and racist hostility with uncommon valor. Crane and Stewart adapted the script from Adam Makos’ bestselling 2014 biography of the same name. An inspiring tale of friendship, courage, and sacrifice, this visceral war film had its world premiere exclusively in IMAX at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. The film stars Jonathan Majors (Da 5 Bloods, Lovecraft Country) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick). 

Its screening at HIFF, scheduled for October 8 and 9, 2022, marks Devotion’s first US special screening. The film will have its wide release this upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.

Berry Pickers

Written and Directed by Agnes Skonare Karlsson '21

Produced by Mona Maahn ’22

In this striking short film, two Thai brothers, Nat and Tem, take out a large loan to go to Northern Sweden as migrant workers in the berry picking industry, hoping to secure a brighter future for themselves back home. Berry Pickers will screen on October 9, 2022 as part of the Narrative Competition section of the festival’s Shorts Program. The film previously screened at the 2022 Columbia University Film Festival (CUFF), where Skonare Karlsson took home the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Award for Best Female Director and the film itself was named an NBR Student Grant Nominee.

Louis I, King of Sheep

Directed by Markus Wulf ’20

Co-written by Markus Wulf and Maggie Briggs ’19

Produced by Markus Wulf, Maggie Briggs, Jorge Granados Ross '21

Edited by Esteban Garzía Vernaza '20

In this stop-motion short, a strong wind blows a paper crown over the pasture. Sheep Louis places it on his head and accordingly becomes Louis I, King of the Sheep. But his subjects just keep grazing and digesting. Until Louis I gives a speech over the loudspeaker. From now on, the others have to serve and pay homage to him. However, another storm approaches. With pinpoint accuracy and depth, this absurdist stop-motion animation tells the story of a fascination with power. Based on the book Louis Ier, roi des moutons by Olivier Tallec, Louis I, King of Sheep will screen in the Narrative Competition of the festival’s Shorts Program on October 8, 2022. 

The short originally premiered at the 72nd Berlin International Film Festival and was among the 2022 CUFF Jury Selects and Student Selects.

She Always Wins

Written and Directed by student Hazel McKibbin

Produced by Lauren Goetzman '22

In this narrative short, a young woman views her new relationship through her sister's eyes and, for the first time, understands that she is making herself small to accommodate her partner's ego. She Always Wins premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Honor Swinton Byrne stars in this short film, which was worked on by many Columbia filmmakers: Stephanie Fine '22 (Post Production Supervisor); Olivia Peralta '22 (PA); Dhruv Sud (Script Supervisor); Emma Hall-Martin (Production Design); Rider Laskin (Sound Recordist); and Ryan Levitt (PA). 

Motherland

Directed by Christina Yoon '21
Co-written by Yoon and student Minkyu Kang
Produced by Jungyoon Kim '20 and Grace Merriman '21


Motherland will have its New York premiere at HIFF, where it will screen as part of the festival’s short film program. The film follows Leah, a Korean adoptee raised in America, as she returns to Korea to search for her birth mother. Though she is met with secrecy from the adoption agency as well as her own family, she remains relentless on her solo journey. The film screened at CUFF 2022, where it was awarded Jury Honors.