Hamptons Doc Fest
Hamptons Doc Fest is a private non-profit that runs an annual December documentary film festival across multiple Hamptons venues, plus a spring Docs Equinox series at Southampton Arts Center. It serves documentary filmmakers, local film enthusiasts, students, and environmental advocates with screenings, awards, and education programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersBridgehampton, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Hamptons Doc Fest does
Hamptons Doc Fest is a private non-profit documentary film festival organization founded in 2007 (some records cite 2008) in the Hamptons region of Long Island, New York. Originally launched as the Hamptons Take 2 Documentary Film Festival, it rebranded to its current name in 2018 and is now in its 18th year of operation. The organization is led by founder and executive director Jacqui Lofaro and artistic director Karen Arikian, with governance provided by a Board of Directors and an industry Advisory Board.
The organization's core product is an annual documentary film festival held in December in the Hamptons, screening roughly 33 films (e.g., the 2025 edition) across multiple venues. For 2025 the festival operated across three venues: Sag Harbor Cinema, Bay Street Theater, and newly added Southampton Playhouse. Year-round programming is anchored by Docs Equinox, an annual spring documentary series at Southampton Arts Center centered on environmental themes and tied to Earth Day, plus the Young Voices educational media program for middle and high school students. The Pennebaker Career Achievement Award, named after pioneering documentarian D.A. Pennebaker, anchors the festival's prestige positioning and has honored filmmakers including Frederick Wiseman, Sam Pollard, Matthew Heineman, Michael Moore, and Alan Berliner.
Revenue mechanics combine four streams: ticket sales for screenings ($15-$25 per film, plus premium Gala pricing around $50), tax-deductible donations (processed online via NeonCRM and by check, with stock donations accepted), filmmaker submission fees, and corporate sponsorships (most notably Brown Harris Stevens sponsoring the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature). The organization employs 11-50 people, is funded through donations rather than venture capital, and has no subsidiaries, parent company, or acquisition history.
Hamptons Doc Fest firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hamptons Doc Fest
- Legal name
- Hamptons Doc Fest
- Website
- https://hamptonsdocfest.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hamptons Doc Fest is a private non-profit that runs an annual December documentary film festival across multiple Hamptons venues, plus a spring Docs Equinox series at Southampton Arts Center. It serves documentary filmmakers, local film enthusiasts, students, and environmental advocates with screenings, awards, and education programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hamptons Doc Fest industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Documentary Film Festival Services
- NAICS
- Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Feature-Length Documentaries (MPADADAA), Screening Rooms & Cinematheques (Nonprofit/Institutional) (MPADAKAF)
Keywords
Where Hamptons Doc Fest is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bridgehampton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hamptons Doc Fest business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Film Festival Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from film screenings at the annual festival. Standard ticket prices range from $15-$25 per film or program. Special events like the Gala may have premium pricing.
- Donations and Contributions: The festival accepts tax-deductible donations in any amount, including stock donations. Donations support the documentary film community and festival operations.
- Filmmaker Submissions: Filmmakers submit documentary films for consideration. Submissions deadline is June 24, 2026 for the 2026 festival.
- Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors such as Brown Harris Stevens sponsor specific awards and events. Sponsors receive recognition at festival events and in promotional materials.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Regular Film Ticket |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Regular Film Ticket (2023 pricing) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gala/Special Event Tickets |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hamptons Doc Fest product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hamptons Doc Fest operates a non-profit documentary film festival that curates and screens feature and short documentaries during an annual December festival in the Hamptons, Long Island, and a spring Docs Equinox screening series held at the Southampton Arts Center. Programming includes filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and the Young Voices educational program for high school students. The festival also accepts filmmaker submissions and engages audiences through year-round community events.
Product overview
Hamptons Doc Fest operates as a documentary film festival organization offering multiple programs: the annual December film festival as the core product featuring documentary screenings, filmmaker Q&As, and awards; Docs Equinox as a spring environmental documentary series held at Southampton Arts Center; Young Voices as an educational media workshop and student film competition program; and Shorts & Breakfast Bites as a specialized weekend screening experience. The organization also maintains festival archives and presents various named awards including the Pennebaker Career Achievement Award. All programs center on documentary filmmaking with emphasis on environmental themes, human rights, and community engagement.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Docs Equinox: Annual spring documentary film series celebrating Earth Day with environmental themes
- Young Voices
- Shorts & Breakfast Bites
- Pennebaker Career Achievement Award
Products and services
- Annual Hamptons Doc Fest (December festival) A multi-venue, multi-day documentary film festival held annually in December in the Hamptons (Long Island, NY), featuring curated feature and short documentary screenings, filmmaker Q&A sessions, and panel discussions across venues such as Sag Harbor Cinema, Bay Street Theater, and Southampton Playhouse. Targeted at regional film enthusiasts, arts patrons, and visiting cultural audiences.
- Docs Equinox (Spring screening series) A spring screening series presented at the Southampton Arts Center, extending the festival's documentary programming beyond the December event and offering additional year-round access to documentary content for regional audiences.
- Young Voices (Education Program) An education and outreach program that engages high school students in documentary film through screenings, workshops, and discussion, supporting youth media literacy and arts education on Long Island.
- Filmmaker Submissions Program An open submission process for documentary filmmakers (domestic and international) to submit features and shorts for consideration in the annual festival, with submission fees and selected films receiving screening and audience engagement opportunities.
Quantifiable outcome
- Two films from the 2024 festival were named to the Oscars Shortlist of 15 films in the Documentary Feature Film category
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Hamptons Doc Fest
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hamptons Doc Fest technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Hamptons Doc Fest partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Southampton Arts CentercoreOngoing partnership for Docs Equinox annual spring film series celebrating Earth Day. Co-presents environmental documentaries and hosts keynote speakers like Carl Safina. Also co-presents special screenings throughout the year including Black History Month programming.
- Sag Harbor CinemacorePrimary venue for annual Hamptons Doc Fest screenings. Screens feature documentaries plus Q&A sessions with filmmakers. Opening night and closing screenings often held at this venue.
- Bay Street TheatercoreCo-venue for annual festival screenings. Hosts Shorts & Breakfast Bites programs and weekend morning screenings. Used for closing night screenings.
- Southampton PlayhouseminorNew venue added for 2025 festival, marking first time the festival expanded to three physical locations.
- Brown Harris StevensminorSponsor of the annual Brown Harris Stevens Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature. Provides financial support and brand visibility at festival events.
- Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue CenterminorEnvironmental organization participant in Earth Central Hub at Docs Equinox 2026, providing educational content on wildlife.
- SOFO South Fork Natural History Museum & Nature CenterminorEnvironmental organization participant in Earth Central Hub at Docs Equinox 2026.
- Turtle Rescue of the HamptonsminorEnvironmental organization participant in Earth Central Hub at Docs Equinox 2026.
- Take Two Film AcademyminorPartner for Young Voices media education workshop for middle and high school students held at LTV in Wainscott, NY.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hamptons Doc Fest competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Full Frame Documentary Film Festival: A long-running documentary-only festival in Durham, NC. Comparable as a regional documentary festival with a curated program, filmmaker Q&As, and an annual award structure focused solely on nonfiction cinema.
- True/False Film Fest: Columbia, MO-based documentary film festival known for curatorial rigor and filmmaker engagement. Highly comparable in mission, scale, and programming philosophy to a regional doc-only festival.
- DOC NYC: America's largest documentary film festival, held annually in New York City. Directly comparable as a documentary-only film festival serving a Northeast US audience and filmmakers with curated screenings, Q&As, and awards.
- Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival: One of the longest-running documentary-only festivals in the US, held annually in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Comparable as a mid-sized documentary film festival with awards, filmmaker Q&As, and year-round programming ambitions.
- Hamptons International Film Festival: The other major film festival operating in the Hamptons region. Both organizations serve the same East End Long Island audience and filmmaker community, and they are explicitly disambiguated on Hamptons Doc Fest's own website.
- Camden International Film Festival: A documentary-only festival in Camden, Maine with a Points North Institute programming arm. Comparable in being a curated, regional, documentary-focused festival with filmmaker development programs.
Others
- International Documentary Association (IDA): Non-profit membership organization supporting the documentary field. Comparable as a documentary community-builder, and a board member (Leslie Siben) of Hamptons Doc Fest also serves as an IDA juror.
- Southampton Arts Center: The Hamptons-based cultural venue that co-presents the Docs Equinox spring series. An adjacent cultural institution whose programming mission overlaps with HDF's environmental and cultural documentary work.
Broad incumbents
- Tribeca Festival: Major New York-based film festival with documentary programming and a connected Tribeca Film Institute (whose former ED is on HDF's advisory board). A broader incumbent competitor for high-profile doc premieres and audience attention.
- Sundance Film Festival: The largest US independent film festival, with a significant documentary programming strand. Functions as a broader incumbent that overlaps with Hamptons Doc Fest in serving the same documentary filmmaker and audience pool, but at a much larger scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hamptons Doc Fest social profiles
Digital presenceHamptons Doc Fest financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hamptons Doc Fest leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Hamptons Doc Fest funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hamptons Doc Fest M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hamptons Doc Fest
What does Hamptons Doc Fest do?
Hamptons Doc Fest operates a non-profit documentary film festival that curates and screens feature and short documentaries during an annual December festival in the Hamptons, Long Island, and a spring Docs Equinox screening series held at the Southampton Arts Center. Programming includes filmmaker Q&A sessions, panel discussions, and the Young Voices educational program for high school students. The festival also accepts filmmaker submissions and engages audiences through year-round community events.
Is Hamptons Doc Fest a public or private company?
Hamptons Doc Fest is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hamptons Doc Fest founded?
Hamptons Doc Fest was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hamptons Doc Fest based?
Hamptons Doc Fest is headquartered in Bridgehampton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hamptons Doc Fest make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Film Festival Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are donations and Contributions, filmmaker Submissions and sponsorships.
Who are Hamptons Doc Fest's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, True/False Film Fest, DOC NYC, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival and Camden International Film Festival. Others are International Documentary Association (IDA) and Southampton Arts Center. Broad incumbents are Tribeca Festival and Sundance Film Festival.
Does Hamptons Doc Fest have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hamptons Doc Fest.
What industry is Hamptons Doc Fest in?
Hamptons Doc Fest's product category is Documentary Film Festival Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPADAKAD, Film Festivals & Festival Organizers, with a secondary code of MPADADAA, Feature-Length Documentaries. Its NAICS code is 51213 and its SIC code is 7990.