Nantucket Film Festival

The Nantucket Film Festival, which wrapped its third edition on June 21, isn’t an acquisitions-heavy festival like Sundance or Toronto, nor is it merely a regional event, the kind of festival that showcases local work while providing launches to specialty films before their local releases. Rather, Nantucket is part of the growing number of "specialty events" – festivals guided by a particular theme or mission. In Nantucket’s case, it’s the promotion of the screenwriter within the filmmaking process.

David Birdsell's Phil Touches Flo

Through staged screenplay readings, seminars, and a tribute to an attending writer – this year the Fest feted Ring Lardner, Jr. (Woman of the Year, MASH) – Nantucket focuses its efforts on bringing the work of the screenwriter to light. In fact, the writer’s name is given first position in the film catalog, above that of the director. Much of Lardner’s remarks at the tribute centered around the possessory credit claimed by so many directors, and how that can obscure the contributions made by the writer. "The most brilliant director in the world cannot make a good movie from a bad script," he said, "except by rewriting it, and thus sharing in the screenplay."

Among the feature film selections, Jez Butterworth’s Mojo, Tony Gatlif’s Gadjo Dilo, Nicholas Barker’s Unmade Beds and Amos Poe’s Frogs For Snakes received particularly strong word of mouth, as did the closing night film, Amy, directed by Nadia Tass and written by David Parker. Among the outstanding short films programmed were several festival circuit veterans, including award winners Second Skin by Amy Talkington; Cuba 15 by Elizabeth Schub; Michael Almereyda’s The Rocking Horse Winner and Phil Touches Flo, by David Birdsell, along with Will Speck and Josh Gordon's hilarious Culture, and Nantucket’s audience winner, Dance, Lexie, Dance, by Tim Loane.

Of course, holding a film festival in a location such as Nantucket does present its share of technical problems; this year, several screenings suffered from poor projection (including two of the Ring Lardner, Jr. tribute films). In addition, the opening night screening of Next Stop Wonderland was canceled due to a town-wide blackout, an unfortunate side-effect of the festival’s rustic setting.

Chicago Underground Film Festival by Ray Pride
ResFest ’98 by Eugene Hernandez
Nantucket Film Festival by Mark Rabinowitz
Newport International Film Festival by Mary Glucksman
Sydney Film Festival by Henry Lewes
Hudson Valley Film Festival by Holly Willis