New York, NY (Dec 14, 2022) – The Screenwriters Tribute Award is the highest honor presented by the Festival. Established in 1998, this award honors an individual whose history in screenwriting has made a distinct impact on American cinema. The Screenwriters Tribute Award is not a “lifetime achievement” award, but rather an acknowledgment of the indelible mark these artists have made on the hearts and minds of people all over the world through their writing for the screen. These writers link us to our past and provide a glimpse into our future.
The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) announced today honorees for the 28th anniversary festival – including Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Nicole Holofcener (WALKING AND TALKING, CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?, ENOUGH SAID and the upcoming YOU HURT MY FEELINGS) to receive the Screenwriters Tribute Award; Oscar®-nominated documentarian Ken Burns and producing partner Emmy-award winner Lynn Novick (THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST, THE WAR, HEMINGWAY, PROHIBITION and BASEBALL among others) will be awarded the Special Achievement in Documentary Storytelling Award; and Jenny Han (THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY and TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE) will receive the New Voices in Television Writing Award.
The 28th Annual Nantucket Film Festival will take place on June 21 -26, 2023, with the Screenwriters Tribute taking place on Saturday, June
24th, at the ‘Sconset Casino.
The Festival, in partnership with Almanack Screenwriters, also announced its third installment of Screenwriters Sessions with special guests Patty Jenkins (MONSTER, WONDER WOMAN), Destin Daniel Cretton (SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, SHORT TERM 12) screenwriting duo Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa (AVATAR: THE WAY OF THE WATER, JURASSIC WORLD), Reinaldo Marcus Green (KING RICHARD, MONSTERS AND MEN) and Ken Burns (THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, BROOKLYN BRIDGE, JAZZ).
“In 2023, we are thrilled to be giving awards to Nicole Holofcener, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Jenny Han,” said Mystelle Brabbée, Executive Director of the Nantucket Film Festival. “Nicole has helped define the dramedy genre, and staked out women’s inner lives as the terrain of serious filmmaking. For decades, Americans have turned to Ken and Lynn’s documentaries to understand ourselves and our history. And Jenny has become the great chronicler of the journey from adolescence to adulthood for a generation of young women.”
Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Nicole Holofcener will be honored with the Screenwriters Tribute Award. She has written and directed films including FRIENDS WITH MONEY and ENOUGH SAID, starring Julia Louis Dreyfus and James Gandolfini. She was nominated for an Oscar® for her screenplay CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME, which she co-wrote with Jeff Whitty, and has directed numerous television series including MRS. FLETCHER, ENLIGHTENED, and the upcoming shows EXTRAPOLATIONS, starring Marion Cotillard, Tobey Maguire, and Forest Whitaker, and STRAIGHT MAN, starring Bob Odenkirk, Mireille Enos, and Olivia Scott Welch, both releasing in 2023. Nicole recently co-wrote the screenplay for THE LAST DUEL directed by Ridley Scott, and her film YOU HURT MY FEELINGS, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus will premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Previous Screenwriter Tribute Award recipients include: Barry Jenkins, Noah Baumbach, Nancy Meyers, Leslie Dixon, Tom McCarthy, Oliver Stone, David O. Russell, Judd Apatow, Paul Haggis, Aaron Sorkin, and Steve Martin, among others.
NFF will honor two-time Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Ken Burns and his producing and directing partner Emmy®-Award winning filmmaker Lynn Novick with the Special Achievement in Documentary Storytelling Award, to celebrate their remarkable careers and successes within the non-fiction space. As a team, Burns and Novick have created nearly 100 hours of acclaimed programming for PBS, including THE U.S. AND THE HOLOCAUST, HEMINGWAY, THE VIETNAM
WAR,PROHIBITION, THE WAR, JAZZ, FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT, and BASEBALL — these landmark series have garnered 6 Emmy Awards. Individually, Burns has a storied career, making documentary films for over 40 years. His films have won 16 Emmy Awards and two Grammy Awards. He has directed and produced some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including: THE ROOSEVELTS: AN INTIMATE HISTORY, THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA’S BEST IDEA, and THE CIVIL WAR. Lynn Novick has been making landmark documentary films about American life and culture for more than 30 years. Since the release of her solo directorial debut, COLLEGE BEHIND BARS, Novick has been directing and writing a multi-part PBS series on the history of crime and punishment in America, slated for release in 2026. As one of the most respected documentary filmmakers and story tellers in America, Novick herself has received Emmy, Peabody and Alfred I. duPont Columbia Awards.
Previous recipients of the Special Achievement in Documentary Storytelling Award include: Ramin Bahrani, Davis Guggenheim, Rory Kennedy, Barbara Kopple, Steve James, Liz Garbus, Morgan Neville, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, and more.
The New Voices in Television Writing Award will be presented to New York Times best-selling author Jenny Han, author of the TO ALL THE BOYS I LOVED BEFORE and THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY series. Her books have been published in more than 30 languages. For television, she has created two new series based on these books—Prime Video’s THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY, which she executive produces and co-showruns, and the upcoming XO, KITTY, a spinoff of the TO ALL THE BOYS universe, which she also executive produces and co-showruns. For film, she executive produced all three films in Netflix’s global hit TO ALL THE BOYS trilogy. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Previous recipients of the New Voices Award include: Cooper Raiff, Siân Heder, Mike Cahill, Leslye Headland, Michael Arndt, Ben Queen, Lake Bell, Geremy Jasper, among others.
The Festival in partnership with Almanack Screenwriters, a non-profit organization dedicated to discovering and supporting artists with retreat experiences, mentorship and community, also announced their third installment of their education initiative Screenwriters Sessions with special guests Patty Jenkins (MONSTER, WONDER WOMAN), Destin Daniel Cretton (SHANG-CHI AND THE LEGEND OF THE TEN RINGS, SHORT TERM 12), the screenwriting duo Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa (AVATAR: THE WAY OF THE WATER, RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES), Reinaldo Marcus Green (KING RICHARD, MONSTERS AND MEN) and Ken Burns (THE U.S AND THE HOLOCAUST, THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE). Screenwriters Sessions will take place in February and March 2023, and will provide one-of-a-kind intimate conversations and guidance from some of the best screenwriters working today, plus interactive writing workshops with a community of peers. Emerging screenwriters of all backgrounds have had the opportunity to interact with featured guests Charlie Kaufman, Nancy Meyers, Gregory Nava, Stella Meghie, Sian Heder and Lulu Wang. Each year, approximately 35 emerging screenwriters participate in the series and a third of the slots are given in scholarship to screenwriters from underrepresented communities. Nominating partner organizations include the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts, The Blackhouse, Ghetto Film School, and WGA East.
ABOUT THE NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL
The Nantucket Film Festival was founded by brother and sister team Jonathan and Jill Burkhart in 1996 to promote the cultural awareness and appreciation of the fine art of screenwriting in the world of cinema. Since then, NFF has become one of the world’s premier destination film festivals. Visitors come from all over the world to experience new films, unique Signature Programs, and stand out hospitality on a magical island rich with history, a friendly atmosphere, and beautiful sandy beaches. In addition to screening over 60 films across six days in June, NFF presents the Screenwriters Tribute, Late Night Storytelling, In Their Shoes…®, our daily Morning Coffee With…®, and other Signature Programs.
The Nantucket Film Festival is supported by Bank of America and White Elephant Nantucket as Major Sponsors.
The 28th Annual Nantucket Film Festival will take place on June 21-26, 2023, passes are currently on sale at the Festival’s website. The 3rd installment of Screenwriter Sessions will take place February 1 – March 1, 2023, registration for this program is now open. For further information on the 2023 Nantucket Film Festival and Screenwriters Sessions, please visit www.nantucketfilmfestival.org.
