'Cooler' to lead off Hamptons

Wayne Kramer's pic about the unluckiest man in Vegas, "The Cooler," has been selected as the fest's opener. Event, which runs Oct. 22-26, will close with the East Coast premiere of Robert Benton's "The Human Stain."

Competitive festival champions indie filmmaking with its Golden Starfish kudos. This year's jury includes cinematographer Larry Banks, hyphenate Illeana Douglas and Ashley Luke of Fortissimo Films.

"Easy Six," starring Julian Sands and Katherine Towne, and "Virgin," with Daphne Rubin-Vega and Robin Wright Penn, are among the titles unspooling.

A number of awards will be handed out over the course of the weekend, including a Spike TV-sponsored doc prize, Sloan Foundation science and technology honors and a short-film award.

Spotlight Films program will give attendees a sneak look at anticipated upcoming pics including "Elf," "Girl With a Pearl Earring" and "Japanese Story."

Festival's international emphasis will be underscored by the 22 pics making their world premieres. Furthermore, a new section has been created to spotlight world cinema debuts. Titles include Indian wedding pic "Flavors," Norwegian comedy "Kitchen Stories" and German doc "Berlin Metamorphosis." Other features and docs include Irish "Intermission," with Colin Farrell; Danish dark comedy "Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself"; and documentary "Born Rich," which takes a look at children of privilege.

Now in its fourth year, Films of Conflict & Resolution section features pics that increase awareness about the realities of war. A number of titles will screen in competition, including "Miss Entebbe," about a girl who takes action when an acquaintance is held hostage; Cambodian doc "Refugee"; and "War Takes," in which filmmakers explore how the conflict in Colombia personally affected them. Thesp Blythe Danner and UA prexy Bingham Ray will be among jurors in that category.

Other returning festival programs are View From Long Island, which focuses on locally produced films and will include a contemporary Native American viewpoint this year; a student film section; and titles for families.

Special events such as the Rising Stars program; A Conversation With ... (surprise celeb guest) and Industry Mentor Forum also will return. This year's panel topics range from Science & Technology on Screen to the Changing Role of the Film Critic. A partnership with New York Women in Film & Television has yielded series To the Point: Women Telling Stories Through Media. This year, women directed more than 50% of the films screening. AMC will host a reception and discussion for the femme filmmakers.

Complete list of films and other festival info is available at www.hamptonsfilmfest.org.