About This Festival
Previous Location
Multiple Locations in Nantucket|, Nantucket, MA | Map
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The Nantucket Film Festival was founded in 1996 by siblings Jill and Jonathan Burkhart, with a mission to promote the cultural awareness and appreciation of the art of screenwriting and storytelling. The Burkhart's grew-up on the island and knew it was the perfect place to begin a festival that combined with their love of film and community. As NFF celebrates its 25th Anniversary the festival continues to thrive by remaining true to its mission. Over the years NFF has become one of the premier destination film festivals in the world. Visitors flock from all over to experience and enjoy the best films, unique events/programs, and stand out hospitality on a magical island rich with history, a friendly atmosphere, and beautiful sandy beaches. Our feature film program consists of approximately 50 features and includes both fiction and nonfiction. Recent NFF alums include THE FAREWELL, AMERICAN FACTORY, YESTERDAY, FOR SAMA, OFFICIAL SECRETS, BRITTANY RUNS A MARATHON, ONE CHILD NATION, THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON, THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS, THE WIFE, WON'T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR, and THE BIG SICK. Our short film program includes approximately 40 films. Nearly all of NFF's programmed short films are submitted through FilmFreeway. Attending short filmmakers have access to NFF's programming, including special Signature Programs, with short fiction filmmakers invited to participate in our annual private Mentors Brunch with a prominent screenwriter. Our world-class Signature Programs begin with the Screenwriters Tribute, honoring the achievements of a prominent screenwriter with past recipients including the women of SNL, Leslie Dixon, Noah Baumbach, Tom McCarthy, Oliver Stone, Robert Towne, Aaron Sorkin, David O. Russell, Nancy Meyers, Barry Levinson, Judd Apatow, Alexander Payne, and Charlie Kaufman. Other Signature Programs include the always-popular All-Star Comedy Roundtable; Late Night Storytelling, which has featured 5-minute stories from Jim Carrey, Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Mos Def, Sarah Silverman, Michael Ian Black, Mike Birbiglia, Lili Taylor, Rosie Perez, and Alan Cumming; In Their Shoes... conversations hosted by MSNBC's Chris Matthews; Staged Readings of unproduced screenplays; Afternoon Tea Talks with notable guests, and the daily Morning Coffee panel series with attending filmmakers. Our Showtime Tony Cox Screenplay Competitions award over $7,000 total in cash prizes to winners, and include passes to the Nantucket Film Festival. Categories are Feature Screenplay, Short Screenplay, Episodic Screenplay (30 Min) Competition, Episodic Screenplay (60 Min) Competition. Feature Screenplay Competition / Screenwriters Colony Residency: In addition to a $5,000 cash prize, the Feature Screenplay Competition winner is invited to participate in a month-long writer's retreat on Nantucket in October through our sister organization, Screenwriters Colony. Screenwriters Colony is an invite-only retreat for four writers each year, featuring complimentary housing and meals, affording time and space for writers to hone their screenplays under the mentorship of visiting industry professionals. The winner of NFF's Feature Screenplay Competition is the ONLY public means of entry to the Colony. Notable Feature Screenplay Competition winners to have been produced and distributed theatrically include Debra Granik's DOWN TO THE BONE, Sophie Barthes' COLD SOULS, Jenny Deller's FUTURE WEATHER, Patrick Tobin's CAKE, and Stella Meghie's JEAN OF THE JONESES. Episodic Screenplay (30 Min) Competition / Screenwriters Colony Residency: In 2016, NFF and the Screenwriters Colony inaugurated an Episodic Comedy retreat in June on Nantucket. One of the four invite-only spots goes to the winner of the Episodic Screenplay (30 Min) Competition, again the ONLY public means of entry to the Colony. For two weeks leading up to the festival, four comedy writers enjoy complimentary housing and meals while they workshop their episodic comedy pilots, gain writers' room experience, and learn from visiting industry mentors. Selections from the workshopped pilots are presented as part of NFF, with retreat participants provided access to Festival programming and events.
