It's the Year of the Woman at Hamptons Doc Fest

Late November is always a hectic time of year for Jacqui Lofaro. Never mind Thanksgiving commitments — we’re talking about documentary films. As December approaches, Lofaro, founder of the Hamptons Doc Fest is in full swing, and from command central (aka her Bridgehampton office), she is making calls, handing out posters, directing staff and gearing up for a film festival that will keep her team in a state of constant motion in the coming days.

It’s been that way for 18 seasons now.

The 2025 Hamptons Doc Fest runs from December 4 to 11 at Sag Harbor Cinema and Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, and, new this year, at the recently renovated Southampton Playhouse, which will host the festival’s closing night film.

Over the course of its eight-day run, the festival will screen a total of 33 documentaries, both feature length and shorts. Lofaro prides herself on the fact that, unlike many film festivals, the Hamptons Doc Fest never programs against itself — so difficult choices don’t need to be made.

“Bay Street is Bay Street and Sag Harbor Cinema is Sag Harbor Cinema,” Lofaro said during a recent interview at her office. “You don’t have to make a decision about which of two films to see because no two films are playing at the same time. It’s nice that we have that option.”

Documentaries, by their nature, are often a reflection of what’s happening in the wider world. When asked if any pattern has emerged in terms of this year’s lineup, Lofaro pondered a bit before saying, “I realize there are a lot of women represented. Over half of the films in the festival are about women or directed by women.”

Given what’s been happening in Washington D.C. in recent weeks, it may, in fact, be high time for female voices to dominate the conversation for a while.

“Women take top billing,” Lofaro added, pointing to just a few of the upcoming films to illustrate the fact. “We have Amy Goodman in ‘Steal This Story, Please!,’ Allyson Felix in ‘She Runs the World,’ Dr. Edie Widder in ‘A Life Illuminated, ‘Monk In Pieces’ about artist Meredith Monk, ‘Ask’ which is about E. Jean Carroll who sued Donald Tump, and Sarah McBride about the first openly trans member of Congress.

“It’s time,” she said. “Where women struggled in Hollywood for parts and directorships, in the world of documentaries it’s a more even playing field and here’s an example. In 10 of the films, the subjects are women who are pioneers and pathfinders. They have been honored in their own right, whether through medals or major funding from places like the MacArthur Foundation.

“These are stars in the world and documentaries can shed a light on them.”

The Hamptons Doc Fest opens with one of those female-focused films on Thursday, December 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Bay Street Theater — Tia Lessen and Carl Deal’s “Steal This Story, Please!” about journalist Amy Goodman, who has a Long Island connection.

“Amy is a rock star. She grew up in Bayshore and will be here for the screening,” Lofaro said. “She’s with ‘Democracy Now!,’ an independent news program with 750 radio and TV stations, and she’s one of the few investigative reporters left working today. She will track down a story no matter where — whether on the battlefront or in the halls of Washington.

“In the film you’ll see her talking about various things and then they’ll cut to footage of her running after a politician who does not want to speak to her.”

When asked what she looks for in selecting an opening night film, Lofaro said, “I say a good story. Amy Goodman’s a good story and happens to be very relevant right now because of the suppression of news programs. When you find a truly independent voice you want to spotlight it.

“Also, I look for something our audience would really like,” she added. “After 18 years, I know what our audience likes. They are intelligent and analytical.”

In Perri Peltz and Matthew O’Neill’s film “She Runs the World,” which screens at Sag Harbor Cinema at noon on Friday, December 5, viewers will meet Allyson Felix who has earned more Olympic medals than any other female track and field athlete in history. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop her from being the victim of sex discrimination.

“What’s special about Allyson is that she had a contract with Nike. Then she got pregnant and they pushed her to the side,” Lofaro explained. “She also had a difficult pregnancy with pre-eclampsia and gave birth to a premature daughter. Nike wanted to offer her a 70-percent cut on her contract. She said, ‘No, that’s not right,’ and battled them. She left Nike and went with Gap. She brought the issue to light and in 2019, Nike altered their contracts to support pregnant women.

“She also started her own shoe company because Nike made women’s shoes on men’s lasts,” Lofaro continued. “She has two children now and continues to run, and Nike reversed its position on pregnancy. She also served on Obama’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. That’s someone with leadership qualities. Lisa Binns, the producer, will be here for that screening. I think it’s a great documentary.”

Another film that Lofaro likes, Billy Shebar’s “Monk in Pieces,” tells the story of composer, performer and interdisciplinary artist Meredith Monk. The film screens at Sag Harbor Cinema on Saturday, December 6, at 3:30 p.m.

“Meredith Monk is known for her vocal innovations and extraordinary range,” Lofaro said. “She put together a company of singers and actors and performers. In ’78 she founded the Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble with Philip Glass and explored vocal textures and forms. She was given the National Medal of Arts from Obama. Susan Margolin, the film’s producer who is on our advisory board, will be at the screening.”

Of course, “Ask E. Jean” is a female-focused documentary that is particularly timely right now. It tells the story of journalist E. Jean Carroll who, in 2019, accused Donald Trump of sexually assaulting her in a Bergdorf Goodman changing room in 1996. Trump denied Carroll’s account saying she wasn’t his type, but she sued him for abuse and defamation and was awarded a total of $88.3 million in damages. She has yet to see any of that money. The film’s director , Ivy Meeropol, the granddaughter of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg who were the subjects of her film “Heir to an Execution,” will be at the Sag Harbor Cinema screening on Sunday, December 7, at 7 p.m.

Another festival film that highlights the work of women is “A Life Illuminated,” directed by Tasha Van Zandt. The documentary follows trailblazing marine biologist Dr. Edie Widder — one of the first women in her field — as she descends in a submersible 3,300 feet into the ocean’s depths. In her work she has captured the first-ever footage of the elusive giant squid and explored the mysteries of deep-sea bioluminescence.

The film, which screens on Friday, December 5, at 5 p.m. at Sag Harbor Cinema, will receive the Hamptons Doc Fest Nancy Nagle Kelley Environmental Award. The award is named for Kelley, an environmental advocate who, from 1999 until shortly before her death in 2021, served as director of the Long Island chapter of The Nature Conservancy.

“I love this film. Dr. Edie Widder really pioneered these enormous deep dives on these submersibles with an operator looking for bioluminescence,” said Lofaro. “She founded ORCA [Ocean Research & Conservation Association], which is dedicated to the restoration of aquatic ecosystems.

“She saw ocean conservation was losing ground so came up with a new approach that improves the quality of water that wildlife requires for survival,” Lofaro said. “That’s her mission She’s made 250 dives in a Johnson Sea Link Submersible. Dr. Widder is pretty phenomenal …. and the film is beautiful.”

Each year, Hamptons Doc Fest honors an accomplished filmmaker with its Pennebaker Career Achievement Award, named for the late documentarian and Sag Harbor resident D.A. Pennebaker. This year’s honoree, Alan Berliner, will receive the award at a gala celebration on Saturday, December 6, at Bay Street Theater. The evening begins with a cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by the award presentation and a conversation with Berliner at 8 p.m. The evening concludes with a screening of his most recent film “Benita.”

The film is an intimate portrait of New York City filmmaker Benita Raphan, who died by suicide during the COVID-19 pandemic. Raphan’s work explored mental health, creativity and innovation through portraits of figures including Emily Dickinson, John Nash, Helen Keller and Buckminster Fuller. In making the film, Berliner pulled from Raphan’s personal archive — films, notebooks, drawings, photographs and 40 hard drives — to deepen his understanding of her life, work and death.

“Benita” is a very unique, magical film,” Lofaro said. “What she filmed as a filmmaker is a combination of fantasy and distorted imagery. It takes you into her mind. She was a very good friend of Alan’s and after she committed suicide, he had all this footage. Because Alan is really an editor at heart, he was able to put it together.”

As a filmmaker, Berliner has received Guggenheim, Rockefeller and Jerome Foundation fellowships, along with three Emmy Awards and seven nominations. All of his films are part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection. His feature-length films include “Letter to the Editor” (2019), “First Cousin Once Removed” (2013), “Wide Awake” (2006), “The Sweetest Sound” (2001), “Nobody’s Business” (1996), “Intimate Stranger” (1991) and “The Family Album” (1988).

“We have a lot of discussions with our advisory board of industry pros when we select a recipient of the award, and Alan was one of the top picks,” Lofaro said. “His films are not conventional documentary talking head kinds of films. He has said, ‘My films appear to be about me, but they are really about you, the viewer.’

“He has a house in Sag Harbor and is the sweetest, kindest and most modest person.”

Finally, for its closing night film on Thursday, December 11, at 7:30 p.m., the Hamptons Doc Fest will shift the programming to Southampton Playhouse where a screening of “Lost Wolves of Yellowstone” will be presented in IMAX. Director Thomas Winston will be in attendance for a Q&A.

“The film is all about a group of wolves called Mollie’s Pack and a woman named Mollie Beattie who was the first female director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,” Lofaro said. “My screeners were like, ‘Who knew?’”

Lofaro explains that Beattie was responsible for the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park 50 years after their extirpation. On January 12, 1995, Beattie carried Alpha Female Wolf No. 5, a Canadian-born wolf, into the park’s experimental acclimation enclosure. Their lives have been connected ever since.

Also, representing a fun diversion is “Rebel With a Clause” by director Brandt Johnson which screens at Bay Street Theater on Tuesday, December 9, at 5:30 p.m. It follows Ellen Jovin, a stickler and expert on grammar usage who, one fall day, set up a table on a Manhattan sidewalk with a sign reading “Grammar Table.” Soon, people began asking questions, telling stories and filing complaints. So Jovin teamed up with Johnson, her filmmaker husband, and hit the road visiting all 50 states with her table to prove that passionate “Oxford comma ” disagreements can bring people closer together in divided times.

Jovin will set up her Grammar Table 45 minutes prior to the screening at Bay Street to field grammar questions. Afterward, she and Brandt will take part in a Q&A.

Finally, Lofaro wants to make sure that film lovers don’t overlook the festival’s two weekend morning short film programs which are offered at Bay Street Theater on Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7, with breakfast bites starting at 9:30 a.m. followed by the short films starting at 10 a.m.

One of Lofaro’s favorite female-centric shorts on the docket is “Women Laughing.” The film by Kathleen Hughes and Liza Donnelly, a New Yorker cartoonist, explores Donnelly’s lifelong passion for humor and drawing with a diverse group of women who all create cartoons for the iconic magazine.

For the full Hamptons Doc Fest schedule, tickets and passes, visit hamptonsdocfest.com.