The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) has added new films including Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain by past NFF honoree Morgan Neville to the upcoming 26th annual edition, taking place June 17-28.
Other new films include Sundance multi-award-winning Kosovo drama Hive by Blerta Basholli, from Zeitgeist Films; pandemic relationship comedy The End of Us by Henry Loevner and Steven Kanter, and the first two episodes of Fiasco, an Epix docuseries adaptation of Leon Neyfakh’s popular political podcast of the same name.
The festival will also revealed its NFF GARDEN SERIES, 11 intimate open-air conversations and screenings at private residences across Nantucket, the NFF AT THE DRIVE-IN offering audiences eight screenings on Nantucket at the Dreamland Drive-In, and the virtual NFF NOW: AT HOME, including a conversation with screenwriter Katie Silberman (Booksmart). The long-running high school filmmaking program, NFF Teen View, produced in conjunction with Nantucket Community Television (NCTV), will also screen online, with individual student films screening before drive-in presentations.
The Festival also named the jurors of this year’s Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, who will select the best unproduced screenplays and television pilots by emerging writers in four categories. The Film Screenplay Competition jury, which will determine the Feature and Short categories, is comprised of Academy Award®-nominated producer Rachel Winter (whose directorial debut, The Space Between, screens at this year’s Festival), Disney Streaming’s Sam Cox (son of Tony Cox), and writer/filmmaker Elizabeth Chatelain (winner of the 2019 Tony Cox Feature Screenplay Competition). The Episodic Pilot Competition jury, responsible for the 60 Minute and 30 Minute categories, includes screenwriter Andi Delott, script editor/screenwriter Kate Levitt, and screenwriter Huong Nguyen, all past winners of the competition.
2021 Nantucket Film Festival Schedule
Opening Night Film
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Friday, June 18
THE LONELIEST WHALE: THE SEARCH FOR 52
Saturday, June 19
Centerpiece Film
PLAYING WITH SHARKS
Thursday, June 24
SWAN SONG
Friday, June 25
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)
Saturday, June 26
THE SPACE BETWEEN
Sunday, June 27
Closing Night Film
CODA
New Program Additions
FEATURE FILM PROGRAM
THE END OF US
Narrative Feature
Writer/Director/Producer: Henry Loevner, Steven Kanter
Producer: Claudia Restrepo, Lovell Holder
After a savage breakup, two exes must continue living together when California issues its stay-at-home order for COVID-19, forcing them to try to move on without moving out. Cast: Ben Coleman, Ali Vingiano, Derrick DeBlasis, Gadiel Del Orbe, Kate Peterman, Colin Weatherby, Caroline Kwan, Will Neff, Jesse Benjamin, Claudia Restrepo.
FIASCO
Documentary Series
Showrunner: John Marks
Director, Episode 1: Lizzie Blenk, Alyse Shorland
Director, Episode 2: Jonathan Clasberry
Producer: Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, Leon Neyfakh, John Marks, Steven Fisher, Andrew Parsons, Michael Wright, Jill Burkhart, Kevin Vargas
In his inimitable style, popularized by his podcast FIASCO, Leon Neyfakh chronicles the story of Iran Contra. Beginning in an unexpected place, the story of how the Iranian hostage crisis brought down Jimmy Carter, the saga unfolds the consequences of that downfall for Ronald Reagan, who campaigns on the disaster of Carter’s hostage crisis and then falls prey to a hostage debacle of his own. Spanning multiple continents and time zones, FIASCO dives into one of the least understood of all political scandals and reveals the true scope of Iran Contra for the first time with groundbreaking interviews, rare archival, and a cinematic style that underscores the complexity of the mess.
HIVE
Narrative Feature
Writer/Director: Blerta Basholli
Producer: Valon Bajgora, Yll Uka, Agon Uka
Fahrije, whose husband has been missing since the war in Kosovo, sets up her own small business to provide for her kids, but as she fights against a patriarchal society that does not support her, she faces a crucial decision: to wait for his return, or to continue to persevere. Cast: Yllka Gashi, Çun Lajçi, Aurita Agushi, Kumrije Hoxha, Adriana Matoshi, Kaona Sylejmani.
ROADRUNNER: A FILM ABOUT ANTHONY BOURDAIN
Documentary Feature
Director: Morgan Neville
Producer: Caitrin Rogers
A documentary about the uncommon life of the late storyteller, explorer, and chef, Anthony Bourdain. Directed by Oscar winner and past NFF honoree Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?).
SHORT FILM PROGRAM
NFF TEEN VIEW SHORTS
A presentation of the short films produced by Nantucket High School students participating in our Teen View Labs, organized in collaboration with Nantucket Community Television (NCTV).
Coma
Director: Samuel Hofford
The History of the Nantucket Whaling Museum
Director: Shadia Sabrah
The Island Waves
Director: JohnCarl McGrady
Ms. Parker
Director: Anna Popnikolova
The Power of Animal Adoption
Director: Natalie Mack
Teaching During a Pandemic
Director: Andrew Daume
Individual NFF Teen View Shorts will screen in front of each Drive-In presentation, while the entire collection of films, NFF TEEN VIEW SHOWCASE, will screen as part of the Festival’s online component, NFF NOW: AT HOME.
Other Programming
NOW: AT HOME SPECIAL PROGRAMMING
IN THEIR SHOES…® CONVERSATIONS AND MORE
Exclusive to NFF’s online platform, these conversations and events bring inspiring figures into your own home.
IN THEIR SHOES®…
with Katie Silberman
A conversation with Katie Silberman, the screenwriter behind Booksmart, Set It Up, and Isn’t It Romantic, who is at the front of a new wave of women-led comedies. Her success with these films–a perfect mix of clever situations and engaging relationships–has made her one of the most sought-after writers in the business.
NFF GARDEN SERIES
Thursday, June 17
5:00-6:30pm
Opening Night Cocktails + Queen of Beach Reads
Conversation with Elin Hilderbrand
Hosted by Ginny Grenham and Paul Zevnik (Town)
Friday, June 18
8:00-10:15pm
Screening of Jay Craven’s JACK LONDON’S MARTIN EDEN
Hosted by Lois Romano and Sven Holmes (off of Polpis)
Saturday, June 19
12:30-2:00pm
Women Warriors Rewrite the Rules and Take on ISIS
Conversation with Gayle Tzemach Lemmon and Marc Skvirsky
Hosted by Cecelia Joyce Johnson (Brant Point)
Saturday, June 19
5:00-6:30pm
The Making of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and More
Conversation with Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino
Hosted by Cecelia Joyce Johnson (Brant Point)
Wednesday, June 23
5:00-6:30pm
What Is a Ghost
Conversation with Blue Balliett and Kate Brosnan
Hosted by Debbie Kirk Kahn and Peter Kahn (Town)
Thursday, June 24
5:00-6:30pm
A Better Man…
Conversation with Michael Ian Black
Hosted by Vaughan Bagley (Eel Point)
Thursday, June 24
8:00-10:15pm
Screening of Stephanie Soechtig’s THE DISRUPTORS
Hosted by Vaughan Bagley (Eel Point)
Friday, June 25
5:00-7:00pm
Sunset Stories with Ophira Eisenberg
Hosted by John Schmidt and Wendy Schmidt (Tom Nevers)
Saturday, June 26
5:00-6:30pm
Breaking Loose
Conversation with Kelsey Grammer and Ophira Eisenberg
Hosted by Cindy Jones and Evan Jones (Monomoy)
Sunday, June 27
12:00-1:30pm
This Is a Robbery: The Art of the Heist
Conversation with the Barnicle Brothers and Maureen Orth
Hosted by Franci Neely (Monomoy)
Sunday, June 27
5:00-6:30pm
Journalism, Biography, and the World of Television News
Conversation with Chris Matthews and Lesley Stahl
Hosted by Alice Rogoff (off of Polpis)
NFF AT THE DRIVE-IN
Doors open at 8:00pm, with screenings beginning at 8:30pm.
Thursday, June 17