The stars returned to the East End for the 17th annual Hamptons International Film Festival, which concluded with an awards ceremony at Guild Hall in East Hampton, the U.S. premiere of Heath Ledger’s final film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and an official after-party at the Lily Pond nightclub. Sharon Stone, who won the outstanding achievement in acting award, spoke about Presi­dent Obama’s recent Nobel Prize medal as a “gift to us as a nation,” but audience members were more interested in the spicy tidbits she provided about Basic Instinct, including when she wore a see-through top to the audition and almost told her lawyer to stop the film’s release when she realized how much “exposure” it would get her.

Comedian Rachel Dratch joked about the name of the award, “The Golden Starfish,” but the mood turned more somber when producer Amy Gilliam discussed receiving the call about Heath Ledger’s death. Her father, director Terry Gilliam, used Colin Firth, Johnny Depp and Jude Law to complete the movie.

Artist Mark Kostabi, the subject of the documentary Con Artist, told us, “People talk about me like I’m dead. I’m only 48.” Commenting on the way the director portrayed him in the film, particularly about going bankrupt, Kostabi said, “Michael exaggerated, but that’s about his art.”

Other celebrities in attendance included Pierce Brosnan, Alan Alda, Cheryl Hines, Steve Buscemi, and Emmy Rossum.

Golden Starfish were bestowed on such films as Long Distance Love and The Young Victoria, starring Emily Blunt. Capturing the most awards was the Belgian film The Misfortunates. But for those attending this must-see-and-be-seen festival, they were certainly among the fortunate.