The “Conversation With ...” series at this year’s Hamptons International Film Festival put on display both the strengths and weaknesses of the event. One clear strength is how the series reflects the growth of the festival over 18 years: the live program began with a single interview, and in recent years there have been as many as four.
Another strength is the diversity of filmmakers offered to audiences. In this year’s edition of HIFF, interviews were conducted with the director Julian Schnabel on Friday, the 32-year-old actor James Franco on Saturday, and on Sunday with Isabella Rossellini and Stanley Tucci, who have more extensive acting resumes.
To those in the audience who have followed Mr. Franco’s career recently, it was no surprise that he was late for his interview on Saturday afternoon.... more
Another strength is the diversity of filmmakers offered to audiences. In this year’s edition of HIFF, interviews were conducted with the director Julian Schnabel on Friday, the 32-year-old actor James Franco on Saturday, and on Sunday with Isabella Rossellini and Stanley Tucci, who have more extensive acting resumes.
To those in the audience who have followed Mr. Franco’s career recently, it was no surprise that he was late for his interview on Saturday afternoon.... more
