Southampton - Filmmaker Chris Weitz, co-director (with his brother Paul) of "American Pie" and "About A Boy," and the director of "The Golden Compass" and "The Twilight Saga: New Moon," among other films, will talk about his work on stage at the Avram Theater at the Stony Brook Southampton campus on July 9 at 7:30 p.m. Clips from his films will be shown during the interview, which will be conducted by Screenwriting Conference Director Annette Handley Chandler.

Weitz, the honored guest for this year's Pakula Prize evening, is the son of the late fashion designer and novelist John Weitz and actress and Sag Harbor resident Susan Kohner. The Pakula Prize, named for the late director Alan Pakula, is a scholarship offered to two students enrolled in the Screenwriting Conference at Stony Brook Southampton, July 6 to July 10. Previous guests for the Pakula Prize evening have been the directors Robert Benton, Peter Hedges and Alexander Payne.

The director's most recent film, "A Better Life," released last week, was called "emotionally resonant" by Manohla Dargis in a very favorable review in the June 24 edition of The New York Times. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" set records as the biggest midnight opening in domestic box office history, grossing an estimated $26.3 million in 3,514 theatres, and the film grossed $72.7 million on its opening day domestically, becoming the biggest single-day opening in domestic history. With an estimated budget of just under $50 million, "New Moon" is the least expensive movie ever to open to more than $200 million worldwide.

The on stage Chris Weitz interview with film clips is open to the public. Tickets are $10 per person, payable by cash or check at the door. For reservations, call 631-632-5152 or online.