Sydney Sweeney to receive acting award at Hamptons International Film Festival

Sydney Sweeney will attend the U.S. premiere of her new film, "Christy," at the upcoming Hamptons International Film Festival, adding considerable star power to the event.

The film’s upcoming release date of Nov. 7 was made public only on Thursday; it will screen as the festival’s Centerpiece film on Oct. 4.

"Christy" casts Sweeney as Christy Martin, a boxer from West Virginia who rose from a working-class childhood — her nickname was "the Coal Miner’s Daughter" — to become a WBC super welterweight champion. Though gay, Martin married her manager, James Martin (Ben Foster), who later attempted to kill her. Directed by David Michôd, "Christy" has the hallmarks of an awards-season contender along the lines of "I, Tonya," which closed out the Hamptons festival in 2017 and earned an Oscar nod for then-rising star Margot Robbie along with a win for supporting actress Allison Janney.

Sweeney, 27, has appeared in HBO’s "Euphoria" and "The White Lotus," though currently she’s best known as the star of a controversial American Eagle ad campaign with the slogan "Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans." Launched in July, the campaign raised an online furor over what some saw as racist undertones, though the company’s stock soared more than 20% earlier this week, according to CNBC.

Sweeney will accept the Hamptons festival’s Achievement in Acting Award and speak at a post-screening Q&A, but the subject of her jeans may be best left untouched. Speaking to Vanity Fair about attending this month's Toronto International Film Festival, she warned, "I am there to support my movie and the people involved in making it, and I’m not there to talk about jeans."

The Hamptons festival also announced more than a dozen films as Spotlight selections, including Luca Guadagnino’s "After The Hunt," starring Julia Roberts as a professor rattled by a student’s accusation; "Bugonia," the latest collaboration between Emma Stone and director Yorgos Lanthimos; "Hamnet," starring Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare; and Bradley Cooper’s latest directorial effort, "Is This Thing On?"

The closing-night screening will be "Merrily We Roll Along," a filmed version of the Tony-winning musical by Stephen Sondheim and George Furth. Heading the cast are Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez. Director Maria Friedman will be in an attendance at the screening on Oct. 12.

The Hamptons International Film Festival takes place Oct. 3-13 at venues around the East End. For tickets and more information, visit hamptonsfilmfest.org.

By Rafer Guzmán

rafer.guzman@newsday.com