Film Festivals

Highlights of the Nantucket Film Festival

1 Jun , 1999  

Written by Sandy MacDonald | Posted by:

Screenwriters get some respect in this annual island film fest.

In the idyllic alternate reality that is Nantucket, screenwriters finally get some respect–in fact, quite a lot. Of all the independent film festivals sprouting up around New England (Provincetown is the latest contender) the Nantucket Film Festival is unique in its emphasis on the screenplay. In its fourth season, the festival (June 14-19) focuses on what co-founder and executive director Jonathan Burkhart calls "the heart and soul of a good film."

This year, co-founder/artistic director Jill Goode (she and Burkhart are island-raised siblings turned New Yorkers) sifted through 600-plus scripts to pick six candidates for the Tony Cox Screenwriting Award, which comes with a $2,000 prize and, perhaps more valuable, a first-look option from Showtime. The final vote resides with a distinguished jury, this year comprising filmmakers Allison Anders ("Gas, Food Lodging," "Grace of My Heart,"), Kelly Reichardt ("River of Grass"), and Nancy Savoca ("Household Saints," "24-Hour Woman"); independent producer Peter Newman ("Smoke," a previous festival favorite); and October Films co-founder Bingham Ray, who introduced such breakthrough films as "Secrets and Lies" and "Breaking the Waves."

The festival kicks off with the East Coast premiere of Anders’ latest film, "Sugar Town," a satiric take on LA’s rock-star-making machinery, which will be released by October Films next fall. Of particular interest to the New England film community is the first East Coast showing of the Boston-based feature "The Autumn Heart," written by Davidlee Willson, who also stars, alongside Ally Sheedy and Tyne Daly. The lineup spans 28 shorts and 21 feature films in all. Of the latter, about half are U.S.-produced, and others range from as far afield as Norway and Yugoslavia. One film making its worldwide debut has deep Nantucket roots, though it’s set in New York and Arizona. Written and directed by Will Conroy (son of noted author Frank Conroy, an islander and childhood friend of Burkhart and Goode), "Catalina Trust" stars John Shea, a longtime summer resident whose own "Southie" premiered here last year.

If all these family and social ties sound a bit insular, the festival is far from a closed circle. Projects tend to gel on site because participants and attendees alike are drawn together in a packed schedule of collegial gatherings—morning discussion groups with noted professionals at Cambridge Street Victuals, a GenX boite that kicks out terrific world-beat cuisine, and a staged reading which usually features some surprise stars (to date, Winona Ryder, Robert Sean Leonard, Anne Heche, Chris Noth, and summer regulars Jane Alexander and Ben Stiller). The readings usually morph into a party of some sort, the pinnacle being a gala held at the oceanside mansion of sculptor Seward Johnson.

For the six days that the festival is in session, Nantucket’s "downtown" itself–a cobblestone grid of mid-19th-century buildings–feels like an open-admission party, with aficionados schmoozing over lunch at the Boarding House patio or trolling the rarefied shops. Although the island has a staid, conservative reputation, events like the Film Festival reflect a growing shift toward experimentalism and a taste for the outre. As evidence, consider the closing night film: Colette Burson’s director’s cut of her controversial "Coming Soon" (not the de-NC17’d version that made waves at last month’s Los Angeles International Film Festival), about three privileged Manhattan teens seeking sexual emancipation. It’s enough to bring a blush of pride to the daring Miss Jean Brodie, whose "Prime," among other screenplays, has earned Jay Presson Allen the 1999 Writer’s Tribute, accompanied by two screenings of her work ("Marnie" and "Prince of the City") and appreciative festivities.

Though the Nantucket Film Festival doesn’t tout itself as a women’s film festival per se, the array of talent–writing, directing, acting, and more–is always well balanced, and no doubt a better mirror of modern life than the testosterone-throwback action that dominates the big screens today. If previous years are any indication, and they certainly should be, this year’s festival promises delights of unusual piquancy and depth.

If You Go:

You can fly, for about $65 and up, from Hyannis, Boston, or other points. Call Cape Air (800-352-0714) or the Nantucket Memorial Airport (325-5300) for other carriers. The classic way to come is by ferry from Hyannis: the Steamship Authority (508-447-8600, http://www.islandferry.com/) runs slow and fast boats, $12-$23 each way.

Rooms can be hard to come by in summer, but contact Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce (508-228-1700, www.nantucketchamber.org) for leads. My in-town favorites include, in order of expense: Martin’s Guest House (228-0678) and the Four Chimneys (228-1912), out of a field of some 50 B&Bs; and the Cliffside Beach Club (228-0618) or White Elephant Resort (508-325-1320 or 800-ISLANDS) for waterside splurging.

The core district is packed with terrific restaurants: not just the Boarding House and Cambridge Street (mentioned above), but playful Black-Eyed Susan’s, the tiny Centre Street Bistro, and convivial Kendrick’s; artistic Oran Mor; casual Cafe Espresso; adventurous American Seasons; tempting Tokyo Tapas. The list goes on and on. The Chamber can provide you with brochures, and you really can’t go far wrong.

If you find time for an out-of-town jaunt, be sure to visit the Wauwinet (228-8768), a luxurious hideaway for moneyed beach bums, and the Summer House in Sconset (257-4577), a compound of rose-covered cottages which manages to capture the essence of the island.