The Nantucket Film Festival has solidified its place as one of my favorite yearly events. Now in its 29th year, it continues to excel in highlighting exceptional screenwriting and storytelling. From its thoughtfully curated film selection to its engaging programs and lively celebrations, the festival never fails to captivate its audience. The Screenwriters Tribute and Late Night Storytelling events are standout experiences not to be missed. I am grateful for the opportunity to return to the island for the fourth time to cover this remarkable festival in mid-June.
Stay tuned for comprehensive coverage of the event, and check out the full program below for more details.
Nantucket, MA (April 23, 2024) – The Nantucket Film Festival® (NFF), presented by Bank of America®
announced today its lineup, honorees, and Signature Programs for the 29th annual edition, which will run
from June 19 – 24, 2024. NFF’s mission is to celebrate the vast diversity of human experience through the
art of screenwriting and storytelling.
NFF will open on June 19th with Magnolia Pictures’ THELMA, written and directed by Josh Margolin, which
follows 93-year-old Thelma Post as she sets out on a quest for justice after being scammed out of $10,000,
starring Academy Award nominee June Squibb, Richard Roundtree, Clark Gregg, Fred Hechinger, and
Parker Posey. On June 24th, the Festival will present SUPER/MAN: THE CHRISTOPHER REEVE STORY as
its Closing Night film. Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, the film tells of Reeve’s astonishing rise
from unknown actor to iconic movie star, including his definitive portrayal of Clark Kent/Superman, before
being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down, but
catalyzed his activism for disability rights. Screening as NFF’s Centerpiece selection is Netflix’s
SKYWALKERS: A LOVE STORY. Director Jeff Zimbalist chronicles the visually stunning documentary which
tells the nail-biting story of a daredevil couple journeying across the globe to clandestinely film themselves
climbing the world’s last super skyscraper. For the thirteenth year, NFF will host a screening of a Disney
and Pixar film on the Festival’s Opening Day. INSIDE OUT 2, directed by Kelsey Mann with a screenplay by
Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein, follows Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust who have been running a
successful operation by all accounts for 13 years; however, when Anxiety shows up, they aren’t sure how to
feel—and Envy, Ennui and Embarrassment soon follow.
More than 60 features and short films will screen as part of NFF’s 2024 film lineup. Narrative features
include Sony Pictures Classics’ BETWEEN THE TEMPLES, directed by Nathan Silver and co-written with C.
Mason Wells; Focus Features’ DÌDI (弟弟), written and directed by Academy-Award-nominee Sean Wang;
IFC Films’ GHOSTLIGHT, written and directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and co-directed with Alex Thompson;
Juno Films’ GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS, written and directed by Shuchi Talati; Metrograph Pictures’ GOOD ONE,
written and directed by India Donaldson; IN THE SUMMERS, written and directed by Alessandra
Lacorazza; Sony Pictures Classics’ KNEECAP, written and directed by Rich Peppiatt; LOS FRIKIS, written
and directed by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson; Vertical Entertainment’s WIDOW CLICQUOT, written by
Erin Dignam and directed by Thomas Napper; and WINNER, written and directed by Susanna Fogel and
co-written by Kerry Howley.
Documentary features include Netflix’s DAUGHTERS, directed by Angela Patton and Natalie Rae; DEVO,
directed by Chris Smith, with special guest Gerald V. Casale from the band Devo in attendance; Hulu’s
DIANE VON FURSTENBERG: WOMAN IN CHARGE, directed by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Trish Dalton;
HBO Documentary Films’ ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST TAPES, directed by Nanette Burstein; ENO,
directed by Gary Hustwit; EVERY LITTLE THING, directed by Sally Aitken; LOVE MACHINA, directed by
Peter Sillen; LUTHER: NEVER TOO MUCH, directed by Dawn Porter; Greenwich Entertainment’s NEVER
LOOK AWAY, directed by Lucy Lawless; PORCELAIN WAR, directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava
Leontyev; Netflix’s THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF IBELIN, directed by Benjamin Ree; and National
Geographic Documentary Films’ SUGARCANE, directed by Julian Brave NoiseCat and Emily Kassie.
“This year’s slate of films continues to celebrate bold and independent voices close to home and across
the world,” said Basil Tsiokos, Senior Programmer, and Anita Raswant, Lead Programmer. “We invite our
audiences to explore a wide range of work that honors the power of storytelling — and in turn, our shared
humanity over the course of our six-day, highly curated festival.”
NFF will honor Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated writer and producer Kerry Ehrin with the
Excellence in Television Writing Award, recognizing her work on the critically acclaimed series THE
MORNING SHOW, BATES MOTEL, PARENTHOOD, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, and others. Past recipients of
the award have included Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik, and
Beau Willimon.
Oscar®, Emmy, and Peabody award-winning director, producer, and writer Roger Ross Williams will be
honored with the Career Achievement in Filmmaking Award. Williams was the first African American
director to win an Academy Award® with his short film MUSIC BY PRUDENCE. In his latest documentary
feature, Netflix’s STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING, based on the bestselling book of the same name by
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Williams uses innovative animation and expert insights to explore the history of racist
ideas in America. STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING will also screen at the Festival. Previous recipients
include: Ken Burns and Lynn Novak, Ramin Bahrani, Davis Guggenheim, Rory Kennedy, Morgan Neville, and
Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, among others.
The Festival will honor Emmy Award-winning writer and producer Meredith Scardino with the New Voices
in Television Writing Award. Scardino is the creator and showrunner of the Emmy-nominated Netflix original
comedy series GIRLS5EVA, starring Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps, and Paula Pell.
Scardino also wrote on all four seasons of UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, as well as its interactive finale,
KIMMY VS. THE REVEREND; and was a part of the Emmy Award-winning writing team on THE COLBERT
REPORT. The award will be presented by Emmy Award-winning writer and GIRLS5EVA cast member Paula
Pell. Previous recipients of the award include: Jenny Han, Cooper Raiff, Siân Heder, Mike Cahill, Leslye
Headland, and Lake Bell, among others.
New to the Festival this year is the NextGen program, a selection of compelling films with a special appeal
for Millennial and Gen Z audiences, brought together to cultivate the next generation of NFF film lovers.
Featured films include India Donaldson’s GOOD ONE, Alessandra Lacorazza’s IN THE SUMMERS, Rich
Peppiatt’s KNEECAP, Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson’s LOS FRIKIS, and Jeff Zimbalist’s SKYWALKERS:
A LOVE STORY.
NFF has a long history of using film to dig deeply into global concerns. This summer, its Green Carpet
Cinema program returns for a third year, demonstrating the Festival’s commitment to actively lead
conversations about climate change by highlighting environment-focused films. Selections this year include
Stephanie Johnes’ MAYA AND THE WAVE, which displays the delicate balance between nature and
humanity, following one woman’s struggles and triumphs in surfing the infamously huge waves in Nazaré,
Portugal; Daphne Matziaraki and Peter Murimi’s THE BATTLE FOR LAIKIPIA, which explores the
generations-old conflict between Indigenous pastoralists and white landowners in Laikipia, Kenya, a wildlife
conservation haven; EVERY LITTLE THING, following a woman’s transformative journey as she nurtures
wounded hummingbirds; and Shorts Program THE WATER CONNECTION, which includes Jeff
Orlowski-Yang and Sarah Keo’s CHASING TIME, following acclaimed photographer James Balog as he
brings compelling visual evidence of climate change to the global stage by depicting the rapid melting of
glaciers around the world; and Dean Leslie’s SHAPED BY WATER, an exploration of the bond between
athletes and their intimate relationships with water.
This year, NFF will also host a series of Deep Dive Screening + Talk Presentations. Featured events
include STAMPED FROM THE BEGINNING, followed by a conversation with director Roger Ross Williams
and author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi; WAR GAME, directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber, followed by a
conversation with select participants from the timely documentary; and THE WATER CONNECTION shorts
program, followed by a conversation with CHASING TIME subject James Balog.
The 2024 Nantucket Film Festival will return with pillar Signature Programs, including the previously
mentioned Green Carpet Cinema program; The Screenwriters Tribute, honoring Kerry Ehrin, Roger Ross
Williams, and Meredith Scardino, and hosted by comedian and writer Ophira Eisenberg; a live podcast
taping of How Did This Get Made?, featuring hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason
Mantzoukas; In Their Shoes® with Ken Burns, an in-depth and revealing conversation about the work of
Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated documentarian Ken Burns, who will attend the
Festival in-person to preview clips and discuss his latest project, PBS’ LEONARDO da VINCI; a Garden
Conversation, with Kerry Ehrin, Meredith Scardino, and Paula Pell, moderated by Ophira Eisenberg, giving
a behind the scenes look at THE MORNING SHOW and GIRLS5EVA from script to screen; and Morning
Coffee With…®, where Festival audiences begin their day alongside some of the most talented writers,
actors, directors, and producers in the film industry.
“Since its inception in 1996, NFF has aimed to foster a space that showcases and celebrates the work of
incredible storytellers in film and television, and this year is no exception. We are thrilled to introduce our
curated lineup of films, events, and artists to our audiences on the Island come summer,” said Mystelle
Brabbée, Executive Director of the Nantucket Film Festival. “As captivating as our on-screen experiences
are, we are equally excited to highlight the power of storytelling off-screen through our Signature Programs
featuring engaging live discussions and events with acclaimed screenwriters and filmmakers.”
Bank of America returns as a Presenting Sponsor of the Festival. NFF is also supported by long time
partner White Elephant Resorts as a Major Sponsor; and A&E IndieFilms and Delta Air Lines as Signature
Sponsors.
The 29th Annual Nantucket Film Festival runs from June 19 – 24, 2024. Festival passes are currently on
sale now, and ticket packages will go on sale today April 23 at noon on the NFF website
(www.nantucketfilmfestival.org
