The Hamptons’ film scene just got a really big boost.
Earlier this month, HamptonsFilm named prominent two-time Academy Award nominated producer Richard Gladstein as its new executive director.
Appointed by the organization’s board, Gladstein previously served as the dean of the American Film Institute and as executive director of Brooklyn College’s Feirstein Graduate School of Cinema. He currently serves as president of Film Colony, the production company he founded back in 1995. His Best Picture Oscar noms were for “The Cider House Rules” and “Finding Neverland,” and of the 30 films he’s produced, some of the most notable include “Pulp Fiction,” “The Hateful Eight,” “She’s All That,” and “The Bourne Identity.”
As HamptonsFilm’s new executive director he’ll lead the organization behind the acclaimed Hamptons International Film Festival, headquartered in East Hampton and annually held each October. Gladstein will uphold the mission to deepen and enrich community engagement, focusing on the organization’s reach, particularly with the film festival’s educational and industry community initiatives, according to a press statement from HamptonsFilm.
“I am honored to join HamptonsFilm at such an exciting moment in its evolution,” he says. “The organization and the festival have long been a bright cultural center for the East End community, the industry, and for filmmakers and audiences across the globe, as an organization that champions bold and diverse storytelling. I look forward to helping build on that legacy, working with the team, the board, our partners and sponsors, and the broader film community.”
Additionally, the organization’s longtime artistic director David Nugent, who’s been at HamptonsFilm since 2007 and served as AD since 2012, will step into a new role as chief creative officer, working closely with Gladstein to help shape the artistic vision of HamptonsFilm.
“I look forward to stepping into this new role at such a transformative time for the organization and working with Richard,” he says, “whose leadership and passion for film is inspiring.”
Next month, August 29, Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ “Middletown” will screen at Guild Hall as part of the 17th annual SummerDocs series. For more info, click here.
