Anne Chaisson, executive director of Hamptons Film Festival presenting organization HamptonsFilm, will step down from her post after this fall’s edition of the fest.
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After initially connecting with HamptonsFilm as a producer of films screened during the festival, Chaisson co-founded and co-chaired the organization’s advisory board in 2002. She became executive director in 2012.
Randy Mastro, Chairman of the Board for HamptonsFilm, plans to appoint a subcommittee of the board to conduct a national search for Chaisson’s replacement, who will be chosen after this year’s October festival.
The festival, held at multiple venues about 100 miles east of New York City on the east end of Long Island, has become a notable stop on the fall circuit since its launch in 1992. It has gained traction in large part due to the number of influential figures in the industry and adjacent sectors who spend their summers in the Hamptons. The fest has also benefited from the region’s overall boom of late, perhaps best symbolized by the transformation of Montauk from sleepy fishing village to high-profile destination.
During Chaisson’s tenure, the organization launched a number of initiatives. The list includes programs including Compassion, Justice and Animal Rights and Air Land and Sea Signature; a weekly year-round “now showing” series; free outdoor screenings in the summer; and yearly educational programs. New awards added to the festival’s annual honors have included the Dick Cavett Artistic Champion Award, honoring those in the creative space who also excel in other fields; The Melissa Mathison Award to highlight female screenwriters; and The Peter Macgregor Scott Memorial Award given to narrative short filmmakers.
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Chaisson also presided over an expansion of the fest from five days to this year’s 11-day event. Like her peers overseeing other festivals, she also had to steer HamptonsFilm through Covid, implementing virtual events and drive-ins as an interim solution.
“I’m so proud of the work we’ve done together, transforming HamptonsFilm from a single annual event into a vibrant, year-round non-profit organization,” said Chaisson. “My tenure at HamptonsFilm has been one of the most fulfilling of my career, and the challenge to grow a non-profit in such extraordinary times is something I will forever be thankful to have taken part. I feel I have accomplished what I set out to do and I am ready for the next chapter.”
Artistic Director David Nugent and other programmers, along with the entire fest production team, will remain in place as preparation ramps up for this year’s edition, which is set for October 4 to 14.
“We thank Anne for her dedicated service to the festival for the past 12 years, and we wish her well in her next chapter,” Mastro said. “Our festival is thriving, and we are confident it will continue to grow, thanks to our great staff, board, and network of supporters.”
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