HAMPTONS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: BEST IN SHOW

Join us for a special screening in celebration of HIFF 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Bob Balaban and his iconic career defined by bringing joy and humanity to the big screen. Christopher Guest’s seminal laugh-out-loud classic BEST IN SHOW follows a troupe of wonderfully kooky characters as they prepare their prized canine companions for the esteemed Mayflower Dog Show. The film features an ensemble cast equipped with the highest caliber of comedic improvisation, including Jennifer Coolidge, Parker Posey, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and more, as well as Bob Balaban in his unforgettable turn as dog show funder Theodore W. Millbank III. A Warner Bros. release. Please note: This Special Presentation is considered a General Films selection for ticket package redemption. Actor/producer/writer Bryan Cranston will present Bob Balaban with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the October 11 screening at Guild Hall. Bob Balaban is an actor, director, producer, and writer whose career spans six decades, encompassing more than160 film and television credits. He created the story for, co-starred in, and produced the film GOSFORD PARK, winning the BAFTA Award for Best British Film and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards®, including Best Picture.A character actor’s character actor, Balaban has worked with many of the world’s best directors throughout his career, including John Schlesinger (MIDNIGHT COWBOY) Mike Nichols (CATCH-22), Steven Spielberg (CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND), Sidney Lumet (PRINCE OF THE CITY), and Sydney Pollack (ABSENCE OF MALICE). He has also had long collaborations with some of film’s most innovative directors, including Wes Anderson (MOONRISE KINGDOM, THE FRENCH DISPATCH, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, ISLE OF DOGS, ASTEROID CITY) and Christopher Guest (WAITING FOR GUFFMAN, BEST IN SHOW, A MIGHTY WIND, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION, MASCOTS, FAMILY TREE).On television, he has acted in the films THE CHAIR, THE LATE SHIFT, and RECOUNT (Emmy nomination) and has had many celebrated roles, including on Seinfeld, The West Wing, Broad City, and Severance.As a director, Balaban’s work includes THE EXONERATED (Emmy and Golden Globe nominations); the HBO film BERNARD AND DORIS (multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, DGA, PGA, WGA,and SAG Awards nominations); GEORGIA O’KEEFE (multiple Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, PGA, DGA, WGA, and NAACP Award nominations), and the cult f ilm PARENTS. His second directorial feature, THE LAST GOOD TIME, won the second HIFF Audience Award in 1994.Balaban has also written two books about the making of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. His children’s book series McGrowl and Creature From The Seventh Grade have sold more than three million copies.A major figure in both independent and studio film, Bob’s career is distinguished not simply by its longevity and its range, but by the intelligence, wit, and singularity he brings to virtually everything he does. He remains one of the most recognizable and enduringly beloved actors of his generation.Still from BEST IN SHOW courtesy of Warner Bros. FILMMAKERS & CAST Director: Christopher Guest Producer: Karen Murphy Executive Producer: Gordon Mark Screenwriter: Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy Language: English Cast: Bob Balaban, Fred Willard, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Parker Posey, Jennifer Coolidge, Michael McKean, Michael Hitchcock, Jane Lynch, Ed Begley, Jr. Run Time: 90 minutes