HAMPTONS TAKE 2 DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL Set for Bay Street Theatre, Now thru 12/8

The sixth annual Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival will showcase the screenings of 22 documentary films, "all docs, all day," for three days on tonight, December 6-8-all at The Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor.

"In this year's festival, we have a wide variety of illuminating documentaries-dealing with art, politics, biography, sports, humor, the environment and young voices-featuring a Q&A after every film, emceed by spirited broadcast personality Bonnie Grice and arts writer/film critic Andrew Botsford, plus the opportunity for film-goers to vote for the ever-popular Audience Award," said HT2FF founder and executive director Jacqui Lofaro of Bridgehampton.

"We have an outstanding Friday opening night film on baseball in India, by East Hampton director Mirra Bank, a sure-to-be memorable Saturday evening gala honoring the legendary documentary filmmaking team of D A Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus of Sag Harbor, and a great Sunday closing night and Filmmaker's Choice Award documentary on artist Larry Rivers by Bridgehampton director Lana Jokel."

Presenting sponsor for the Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival is Bridgehampton National Bank. Audience Award sponsor is Brown Harris Stevens.

SPECIAL KICK-OFF EVENING, Thursday, December 5, 5-8 p.m.

In addition, kicking off the three-day Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival is a special event open to the public at no charge on Thursday, December 5, 5-8 p.m. Co-sponsored by the David E. Rogers M.D. Center and Southampton Hospital in observance of World AIDS Day, the evening begins with a 5 p.m. panel discussion on "AIDS: Then and Now"; a 6 p.m. break with light fare and cash bar; and a 7 p.m. screening of the 2013 Academy Award-nominated documentary "How to Survive a Plague" (120 min.), directed by David France.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 6, from 4-10 p.m.

The official festival opens on Friday, December 6, with four films screened from 4-10 p.m., each followed by a Q&A.

4:00 p.m. First off is "Hot Water" (80 min.) by director Kevin Flint, who tracks a story of how uranium mining, atomic testing and nuclear energy contaminate our air, soil and water.

6:00 p.m. This time slot features two documentaries directed by Neil Leifer, whose photos have graced over 200 covers of Time Inc. publications. "Portraits of a Lady" (40 min.) portrays an historic session when 25 artists from The Painting Group created portraits of Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor for an exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. Screening with that film is the sure-to-be humorous documentary, "The ConVENTion" (38 min.), shot at a Vent Haven ConVENTion in Kentucky which drew 536 ventriloquists from 14 countries.

8:15 p.m. "The Only Real Game" (82 min.), by director Mirra Bank of East Hampton, explores the power of baseball in the remote state of Manipur, India. Ms. Bank, whose films have premiered at festivals worldwide, serves on the boards of New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) and the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 7, from 10 a.m.-10 p.m.

Ten films will be screened on Saturday, December 7, between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., each with a Q&A.

10 a.m. The Day opens with "Beautiful Tree, Severed Roots" (70 min.), by filmmaker Kenny Mann of Sag Harbor, who was born and raised in Kenya. Using the unconventional format of six chapters of live and archival footage, she tells the story of her parents' extraordinary life in Kenya, set against the backdrop of that African nation's journey toward independence in 1963.

11:45 a.m. A "Young Voices Program" showcases six films-the first, titled "Living with Tourette Syndrome" (12 min.), about a 15-year old girl with Tourette's who interviews five other children with the condition; "Ross Goes West" (10 min.), about an East Hampton Ross School student trip listening to people tell the story of how they settled in the American West; and four Downtown Community Television shorts (35 min.), "Evolution," "Unknown Road," "Progress/Run," and "When Life Hands U Lemons." DCTV is a media arts center in New York City serving young people who could not otherwise afford a media arts education.

1:15 p.m. "Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater" (90 min.), produced and narrated by Barry Goldwater's granddaughter CC Goldwater, traces the roots of Goldwater's conservative philosophy and how the 1964 presidential candidate later diverged from the party in the 1980s and 1990s. The director Julie Anderson, currently executive producer for documentaries and development at WNET/THIRTEEN, has garnered four Emmy Awards and two Peabody Awards over her long career in television production.

3:15 p.m. "All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert" (74 min.) is a documentary by Vivian Ducat, which chronicles the life of African American artist Winfred Rembert, who spent seven years in prison in Georgia and later had a retrospective of his hand-painted, tooled leather canvases at a prestigious Madison Avenue gallery.

5:00 p.m. "Treasures from the Rubble" (63 min.), directed by Alexandra Branyon of Amagansett, who grew up in Fayette County, Alabama, tells the story of Lois Wilson, an unconventional artist whose work with found objects became the nucleus for the Fayette Art Museum, an icon of Southern pride.

7:00 p.m. The HT2FF Gala, in tribute to the filmmaking team of D A Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus of Sag Harbor, starts with a wine and light fare reception followed by opening remarks at 7:45 p.m. by Susan Lacy, the creator and longtime producer of the WNET/PBS American Masters series who is currently at HBO. It includes the 8 p.m. screening of the 1993 Pennebaker/Hegedus Academy Award-nominated documentary "The War Room" (96 min.), which provides a behind-the-scenes look at the 1992 New Hampshire Democratic primary and the Bill Clinton campaign headquarters in Little Rock, Arkansas. The evening ends with a conversation with Pennebaker and Hegedus, led by Ms. Lacy.

The professional team of Pennebaker and Hegedus has collaborated on cinema verité films, focusing largely on politics and the performing arts, for 40 years. Their filmography includes the documentaries "Primary," "Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back," "Monterey Pop," "Moon Over Broadway," "Kings of Pastry" and many others. In 2012 Pennebaker's work was recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with an Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievement.

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 8, from 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

The final day of the festival features seven films from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., all followed by a Q&A.

10 a.m. "Shut Up & Look" (58 min.), by director Maryte Kavaliauskas provides an intimate look at the quirky, reclusive artist Richard Artschwager, who defies all attempts to categorize his work.

12 noon. "Zipper: Coney Island's Last Wild Ride" (76 min.), directed by Amy Nicholson, tells the story of the power struggle between Zipper carnival ride operator Eddie Miranda, an opportunistic real estate mogul, and New York City land planners.

2 p.m. "Best Shorts Program" features three documentaries: "My Life in the Canyon of Heroes" (6 min.), an irreverent look at the Occupy Wall Street movement by director Mark Nickolas; "Words I Love" (16 min.) by director Thanachart Siripatrachai, who became fascinated by language when he moved to New York City from Thailand; and "God is the Bigger Elvis" (36 min.) by Rebecca Cammisa, the daughter of a former nun, who tells the story of actress Dolores Hart, Elvis's love interest in the 1957 film "Loving You," who subsequently became a Benedictine nun. The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Short.

4 p.m. "Two: The Story of Roman & Nyro" (75 min.) documents the journey of legendary songwriter Desmond Child and his lifelong partner Curtis Shaw and how their lives intermingled with the woman who would conceive their twin sons. Narrated by their nine-year-old sons, Roman and Nyro, the film is directed by Heather Winters, a two-time Sundance-winning executive producer and producer.

7 p.m. The closing film is "Larry Rivers Public and Private" (90 min.), directed by Lana Jokel of Bridgehampton, who is being presented with this year's HT2FF Filmmaker's Choice Award. Ms. Jokel, who is known for her documentaries on other famous artists such as Howard Kanovitz, Lee Krasner, Robert Motherwell, Isamu Noguchi and Claes Oldenburg, met Larry Rivers in the mid-1970's when she was editing a documentary on Andy Warhol. Her film combines candid interviews with stunning imagery that explores Rivers' art and his influences. Coincidentally, Ms. Jokel began her career working for documentarians Richard Leacock and D A Pennebaker. She subsequently edited Norman Mailer's films, "Behind the Law" and "Maidstone," as well as two feature-length films by Andy Warhol, "Heat" and "L'Amour."

Tickets for each HT2FF film segment are $15 ($13 for senior citizens, though no online sales). The Saturday night gala, including reception and film is $30. A full festival pass for all three days of films including the gala is $100.

Tickets may be purchased from HT2FF online at www.HT2FF.com. At The Bay Street Theatre, they can be purchased in person at the box office on Long Wharf, by phone at 631-725-9500, online at www.baystreet.org, or at the door.

The HT2FF.com website has a full description of films, photos, and links for purchasing tickets. Further information is available at info@HT2FF.com.

Pictured: The documentary filmmaking team of D A Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus of Sag Harbor will be honored at the Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival Gala on December 7, 7 p.m. at Bay Street Theatre in Sag Harbor.