ENTERTAINMENT,HAMPTONS

HamptonsFilm’s SummerDocs Soar

The crowd-pleasing series brings a fresh slate of compelling documentaries.

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War Game photo courtesy of HamptonsFilm

By Regina Weinreich

Picture panoramic views of Malaysia as a backdrop for a tutu-like, red skirt-clad balletic Russian in a flying leap, held aloft by a buff partner on the tiniest of precipices—a 118-story construction site, a needle in the air. No, this is not CGI, but a live daring performance captured in the documentary Skywalkers: A Love Story, to be screened at SummerDocs, in its 16th edition, on July 5. For attending filmmakers Jeff Zimbalist and Maria Bukhonina, “It’s a career high to be selected for such a curated lineup,” Zimbalist says. “We look forward to the audience response.”

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Skywalkers: A Love Story photo courtesy of HamptonsFilm

The elite doc series, a cornerstone of HamptonsFilm programming, founded by Artistic Director David Nugent and Chairman Emeritus Alec Baldwin, has since its inception showcased crowd-pleasing, feature-length nonfiction films that have gone on to Oscar nominations and wins (think Navalny). With its international focus, outstanding cinematography and core romance, expect Skywalkers to be an awards contender.

Also prize-worthy is War Game (directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber), grounded in the January 6, 2021, insurrection, screening on July 20. The genre-defying hypothetical exploration features players in the drama we all witnessed, now strategizing in a fantasy/nightmare of a civil war. Set in their “situation room,” key figures such as Lt. Col. (ret.) Alexander Vindman appear. Think of this U.S. Army officer and whistleblower in a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. 

At Sundance, where the film premiered, Moss said during a Q&A, “We were able to assemble this extraordinary crew of 80 people for one day in Washington, D.C., on January 6, 2023, and exhume the ghosts of January 6, 2021. We were in the same hotel where the insurrectionists themselves stayed, and we were reclaiming it, I think, for democracy.”

Among those in the room are former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, senior adviser to the president. “We have a Congress that is deeply divided,” said Heitkamp. “We need to hold them responsible. If there are no political consequences for gaslighting January 6, then it’s going to be repeated. It’s time that movies like this spark conversation.” Expect Alec Baldwin to reprise his SNL impersonation.

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