HIFF Retrospective: 30 Years of Screening Future Oscar Winners

For three decades, the Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) has been the East End’s film tastemaker — presenting methodically curated world-class films for their New York, U.S. or world premieres each fall.

In the 30 years that HIFF has dazzled Hamptons audiences with these early-access films, the organizers have managed to include one or several not-yet-announced Academy Awards nominees nearly every year, which makes the festival all the more of a can’t-miss event.

Join us as we look back through the annual festivals to see just how many Oscar-winning films Hamptons International Film Festival audiences got to see before the masses. No non-winning nominees or categories are listed here because, as to be expected with HIFF’s eye for quality, there are far too many to list.

As you recount festivals past, be thinking of what Oscar shoe-ins you’re planning to see at the 30th anniversary HIFF, running October 7–16. Peruse the full film and event schedule at filmguide.hamptonsfilmfest.org and choose your screenings wisely.

Screened at HIFF 1993 (won at Academy Awards 1994):

Belle Epoque

Foreign Language Film — Spain

The Piano

Actress in a Leading Role — Holly HunterActress in a Supporting Role — Anna Paquin
Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) — Jane Campion

HIFF 1995:

Anne Frank Remembered

Documentary (Feature) — Jon Blair

Antonia’s Line

Foreign Language Film — The Netherlands

HIFF 1996:

Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O’Brien

Documentary (Short Subject) — Jessica Yu

HIFF 2000:

Pollock

Actress in a Supporting Role — Marcia Gay Harden

HIFF 2001:

No Man’s Land

Foreign Language Film — Bosnia & Herzegovina

HIFF 2002:

Nowhere in Africa

Foreign Language Film — Germany

HIFF 2005:

Six Shooter

Short Film (Live Action) — Martin McDonagh

HIFF 2007:

Taxi to the Dark Side

Documentary (Feature) — Alex Gibney and Eva Orner

HIFF 2008:

Slumdog Millionaire

Music (Original Score) — A.R. Rahman
Cinematography — Anthony Dod Mantle
Film Editing — Chris Dickens
Best Picture — Christian Colson, Producer
Directing — Danny Boyle
Sound Mixing — Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
Music (Original Song) — “Jai Ho;” Music by A.R. Rahman; Lyrics by Gulzar
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) — Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

HIFF 2009:

The Young Victoria Costume Design — Sandy Powell

HIFF 2010:

Black Swan

Actress in a Leading Role — Natalie Portman

The King’s Speech

Actor in a Leading Role — Colin Firth
Best Picture — Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin
Writing (Original Screenplay) — Screenplay by David Seidler
Directing — Tom Hooper

HIFF 2011:

The Artist

Actor in a Leading Role — Jean Dujardin
Music (Original Score) — Ludovic Bource
Costume Design — Mark Bridges
Directing — Michel Hazanavicius
Best Picture — Thomas Langmann, Producer

Undefeated

Documentary (Feature) — TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Rich Middlemas

HIFF 2012:

Amour

Foreign Language Film — Austria

Paperman

Short Film (Animated) — John Kahrs

HIFF 2013:

12 Years a Slave

Best Picture — Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen and Anthony Katagas
Actress in a Supporting Role — Lupita Nyong’o
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) — Screenplay by John Ridley

Her

Writing (Original Screenplay) — Written by Spike Jonze

HIFF 2014:

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

Directing — Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Best Picture — Alejandro G. Iñárritu, John Lesher and James W. Skotchdopole
Cinematography — Emmanuel Lubezki
Writing (Original Screenplay) — Written by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander

Feast

Short Film (Animated) — Patrick Osborne and Kristina Reed

The Imitation Game

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) — Written by Graham Moore

The Phone Call

Short Film (Live Action) — Mat Kirkby and James Lucas

Still Alice

Actress in a Leading Role — Julianne Moore

Whiplash

Sound Mixing — Craig Mann, Ben Wilkins and Thomas Curley
Actor in a Supporting Role — J.K. Simmons
Film Editing — Tom Cross

HIFF 2015:

Bridge of Spies

Actor in a Supporting Role — Mark Rylance

Room

Actress in a Leading Role — Brie Larson

Spotlight

Best Picture — Michael Sugar, Steve Golin, Nicole Rocklin and Blye Pagon Faust
Writing (Original Screenplay) — Written by Josh Singer & Tom McCarthy

HIFF 2016:

La La Land

Actress in a Leading Role — Emma Stone
Cinematography — Linus Sandgren
Directing — Damien Chazelle
Music (Original Score) — Justin Hurwitz
Music (Original Song) — “City of Stars;” Music by Justin Hurwitz; Lyrics by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul
Production Design — Production Design: David Wasco; Set Decoration: Sandy Reynolds-Wasco

Manchester By the Sea

Actor in a Leading Role — Casey Affleck
Writing (Original Screenplay) — Written by Kenneth Lonergan

Moonlight

Actor in a Supporting Role — Mahershala Ali
Best Picture — Adele Romanski, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) — Screenplay by Barry Jenkins; Story by Tarell Alvin McCraney

The Salesman “Forushande”

Foreign Language Film — Iran

The White Helmets

Documentary (Short Subject) — Orlando von Einsiedel and Joanna Natasegara

HIFF 2017:

Call Me By Your Name

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) — Screenplay by James Ivory

Darkest Hour

Actor in a Leading Role — Gary Oldman
Makeup and Hairstyling — Kazuhiro Tsuji, David Malinowski and Lucy Sibbick

I, Tonya

Actress in a Supporting Role — Allison Janney

The Shape of Water Directing — Guillermo del Toro

Music (Original Score) — Alexandre Desplat

Best Picture — Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale

Production Design — Production Design: Paul Denham Austerberry; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau and Jeffrey A. Melvin

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Actor in a Supporting Role — Sam Rockwell

Actress in a Leading Role — Frances McDormand

HIFF 2018:

The Favourite

Actress in a Leading Role — Olivia Coleman

Green Book

Actor in a Supporting Role — Mahershala Ali
Best Picture — Jim Burke, Charles B. Wessler, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga
Writing (Original Screenplay) — Written by Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie, Peter Farrelly

Roma

Cinematography — Alfonso Cuarón
Directing — Alfonso Cuarón
Foreign Language Film — Mexico

HIFF 2019:

Jojo Rabbit

Writing (Adapted Screenplay) — Screenplay by Taika Waititi

Marriage Story

Actress in a Supporting Role — Laura Dern

Parasite

Directing — Bong Joon Ho
International Feature Film — South Korea
Best Picture — Kwak Sin Ae and Bong Joon Ho
Writing (Original Screenplay) — Screenplay by Bong Joon Ho, Han Jin Won; Story by Bong Joon Ho

HIFF 2020:

The Father

Actor in a Leading Role — Anthony Hopkins
Writing (Adapted Screenplay) — Screenplay by Christopher Hampton and Florian Zeller

Minari

Actress in a Supporting Role — Yuh-Jung Youn

Nomadland

Actress in a Leading Role — Frances McDormand
Directing — Chloé Zhao
Best Picture — Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao

Sound of Metal

Film Editing — Mikkel E. G. Nielsen
Sound — Nicolas Becker, Jaime Baksht, Michellee Couttolenc, Carlos Cortés and Phillip Bladh

 

HIFF 2021:

The Power of the Dog

Directing — Jane Campion

The Queen of Basketball

Documentary (Short Subject) — Ben Proudfoot