Nantucket Film Festival Announces Winners for 31st Edition

The Nantucket Film Festival announces the launch of NFF NOW: Summer Doc Series, presented in partnership with The Dreamland Theater, taking place August 25–27. The three-day series will feature a curated lineup of documentary films including ANNE PACKARD: AN ARTIST’S RESOLVE, ASK E. JEAN, JEAN-MICHEL, and MIGHTY MARY. Each screening will be followed by a conversation with filmmakers and special guests. In addition to the exciting new program, The 31st annual Nantucket Film Festival® (NFF), presented by Bank of America®, today announced the Audience Award winners for this year’s festival. COLORS OF TIME, written by Cédric Klapisch and Santiago Amigorena and directed by Cédric Klapisch, about distant cousins who inherit an abandoned house, and learn about their remarkable ancestor, was awarded the the Audience Award for Narrative Feature. The Audience Award for Documentary Feature was awarded to Anna Fitch and Banker White’s YO (LOVE IS A REBELLIOUS BIRD), in which Anna spends a decade crafting an intimate tribute to a lost friend that blurs memory, invention, and grief while celebrating a life lived defiantly on its own terms. Ben Meinhardt’s WE’RE KINDA DIFFERENT, about a peculiar fellow who sings his way through a mundane office building to profound results, received the Audience Award for Narrative Short Film and the Audience Award for Documentary Short Film was given to Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko’s ONE LAST ORDER, in which Sighle Williams’ final shift after 37 years at a drive-through sparks a spirited farewell from her Florida town.

Audience Award runner-ups included HOT WATER written and directed by Ramzi Bashour (Narrative Feature), ONE IN A MILLION directed by Itab Azzam and Jack MacInnes (Documentary Feature), CARDBOARD written and directed by J.P. Vine (Narrative Short), and A SHORT DOC ABOUT A GIANT PENCIL directed by Daniel Straub (Documentary Short).

This year’s Encore Screenings, selected due to popular demand, were Sarah Justine Kerruish and Matt Maude’s SWEET STÖRY, Maryam Ataei and Hossein Keshavarz’s THE FRIEND’S HOUSE IS HERE, and JANE ELLIOTT AGAINST THE WORLD, directed by Judd Ehrlich.

Mary Mazzio’s MIGHTY MARY, highlighting the story of the first all-women’s sailing team to contend for the famed America’s Cup, took home the Maria Mitchell Visionary Award, presented to a female filmmaker who demonstrates vision and innovation. All feature films written, produced, and/or directed by women are eligible for this prize. Sponsored by the Maria Mitchell Association, the award comes with a $5,000 grant in the name of Maria Mitchell, a Nantucket native and the first woman inducted into the Academy of Arts and Sciences.

The winner of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation Excellence in Filmmaking Award, a $5,000 grant recognizing the achievement of an outstanding female filmmaker, in honor of the late actor and director, went to Rachael J Morrison’s JOYBUBBLES. Morrison’s documentary tells the story of Joe Engressia, born blind and yearning for connection, who discovers he can control the global telephone system by whistling a magic tone, sparking a subculture that shapes the future of hacking and technology.

The Children’s Resilience in Screenwriting Award presented by Shine Global, awarded to a film with outstanding storytelling that effectively portrays the resilience and strength of children, went to EDIE ARNOLD IS A LOSER, directed by Megan Rico and Kade Atwood. The narrative feature tells the story of timid dork Edie who accidentally takes the spotlight when she starts a punk band, becoming an icon to the rest of the losers at her all-girls Catholic school while managing to challenge all the rules. The winner is awarded $2,500 and an invitation to participate in Shine Global’s Resilience Awards events, which honor exceptional films that center around the resilience of children and further the organization’s mission of improving children’s lives by harnessing the power of storytelling.

NFF also announced the winners of the prestigious Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, which recognizes the best unproduced screenplays and television pilots submitted to the festival by emerging writers. The winner of the Feature Screenplay Competition is invited to participate in a month-long writer’s retreat on Nantucket in October through NFF’s sister organization, Almanack Screenwriters. Meagan Noel Fulps was announced as the winner of the Feature Screenplay Competition for FIGHT LIKE A MOTHER and the Short Screenplay Competition winner was Matthew Kravchuk for THE SURFACE CALLS, which was decided on by this year’s esteemed Film jury, which included Erin Siminoff((Executive Producer at Sony Pictures)), Ethan Alter (Deputy Editor and New York Bureau Chief at Gold Derby), and filmmaker Annie J. Howell (CLAIRE IN MOTION, SMALL, BEAUTIFULLY MOVING PARTS). The Episodic jury was comprised of producer Gina Kwon (DAY OUT OF DAYS, CHRONIC), Benjamin VanHoose (Senior News Editor of TV at People Magazine), and documentary producer Annabelle Dunne (JOAN DIDION: THE CENTER WILL NOT HOLD, ASK E. JEAN), the latter which was featured in this year’s Festival program. The winner announced for the 60-Minute Episodic Screenplay was Eric Ortega for SCOOPED while the 30-Minute Episodic Screenplay went to Jessica Ennis Moss & Caitlin Cronenberg for GERMAPHOBE IN A SEX CLUB.

The Teen View Jury Award, selected by a group of Nantucket seventh and eighth-graders as the most inspiring out of all of NFF’s short films, went to ONE LAST ORDER directed by Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko. DeFilippo and Soko’s film was also awarded the Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Storytelling in Short Film. The Grand Jury Prize for Narrative Storytelling in Short Film was awarded to CALLBACK, written and directed by Matthew Puccini, which follows Max, who arrives home to find that his boyfriend has booked a callback, and all hell breaks loose. These two juries were newly established this year, recognizing skillful storytelling in the short film format.

The Narrative Shorts Jury, composed of Carter Stewart (Executive Director of Impact for Equity), Penny Dey (filmmaker), Thomas Matthews(filmmaker, American Hustle), and Lena Hudson (Sundance Institute Series Lab fellow), noted: “The jury awards the Grand Jury Prize to CALLBACK for its audacious, hilarious, and surprisingly moving take on a relationship in crisis. With seamless storytelling and masterful escalation of tension, the film is elegantly shot and precisely paced. The film placed the viewer squarely in the middle of the conflict, with our loyalties and perspectives shifting moment to moment in this battle of talents. With exceptional performances and explosive chemistry between the two leads, the film manages to make a heightened reality shimmer with universal truths about the fine line between partnership and competition.”

The Documentary Shorts Jury, made up of Ethan Alter (Gold Derby), Gill Holland (film producer), and Erin Siminoff (Executive Producer at Sony Pictures), said: “At a time when so much of our national discourse revolves around division, ONE LAST ORDER reveals how American communities can unite to celebrate a quietly remarkable individual. In their sensitive telling of Sighle Williams’ story, directors Lauren DeFilippo and Sam Soko shine a necessary spotlight on the people who impact our daily routines in small but meaningful ways. We expect that the film will encourage audiences to recognize and applaud the Sighles in their own lives.”

“This year’s festival was a powerful celebration of storytelling, bringing together visionary filmmakers, emerging voices, and passionate audiences for an unforgettable week of discovery and connection. From compelling narrative features and groundbreaking documentaries to inspiring conversations, the films and artists honored this year exemplify the creativity, originality, and courage that define filmmaking. We are proud to continue fostering a vibrant cultural community on Nantucket.” said Mystelle Brabbée, Executive Director of the Nantucket Film Festival, and Anita Raswant, Lead Programmer of the Nantucket Film Festival.

Comedian, actor, and writer Phoebe Robinson hosted the Screenwriters Tribute from the ‘Sconset Casino on Saturday, June 20. DGA Award-winning and Emmy-nominated filmmaker, writer, producer, and author Paul Feig was honored with the Visionary Storyteller Tribute, presented by Academy Award-nominated actress Rose Byrne. While at the festival Feig partook in an In Their Shoes conversation with Ophira Eisenberg to discuss his expansive career.

NFF also honored the prolific writing duo Rashida Jones and Will McCormack with the Special Achievement in Screenwriting Award for their years of collaboration, presented by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Tom McCarthy. Jones and McCormack participated in an In Their Shoes conversation while at this year’s festival moderated by NFF jury member Ethan Alter (Deputy Editor and New York Bureau Chief at Gold Derby).

Actor and filmmaker Chloë Sevigny received the Compass Rose Award for Career Achievement. Sevigny attended the festival on behalf of two projects, THE FIVE STAR WEEKEND and SUMMER TOUR, and participated in conversations supporting both titles.

Special guests who attended NFF 2026 included Phoebe Robinson, Paul Feig, Rose Byrne, Rashida Jones, Will McCormack, Tom McCarthy, Chloë Sevigny, Ken Burns, Kaitlan Collins, Ophira Eisenberg, Alex Gibney, Nathaniel Philbrick, Hoyt Richards, Chris Smith, Elin Hilderbrand, Kaitlan Collins, Liz Sargent, Katie Silberman, Mike Albo, Sam Green, and Amir Bar-Lev, among others.

Bank of America® returned as a Presenting Sponsor of the Festival. NFF is also supported by long time partner White Elephant Nantucket as a Major Sponsor; and Amazon MGM Studios and Delta Air Lines as Signature Sponsors.

ABOUT THE NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL

The Nantucket Film Festival® (NFF), presented by Bank of America, is one of the country’s most distinctive destination film festivals, recognized for its focus on screenwriting and storytelling. Founded in 1996 as a celebration of great writing and creative community, the Festival brings together filmmakers, writers, and audiences on Nantucket for a week of films, conversations, and creative exchange centered on the art of story. Now in its fourth decade, NFF has built a reputation for championing both emerging voices and established artists, with signature programs including the Screenwriters Tribute, In Their Shoes® conversations, Late Night Storytelling and the Comedy Roundtable all designed to offer audiences rare access to the creative process. Widely known for its intimate setting and engaged community, the Festival continues to be a vital gathering place for those who care deeply about storytelling and the ideas that shape our culture.

For more information about NFF, visit www.nantucketfilmfestival.org.