Ken Burns And Nat Philbrick Will Talk About The American Revolution At The Nantucket Film Festival

Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns joins historian and Nantucket resident Nathaniel Philbrick for a conversation at the Dreamland Theater at 10:30 a.m. this Saturday as part of the Nantucket Film Festival (NFF). Philbrick, well-known on the island for his bestselling books on Nantucket and American history, has a role in Burns’ latest series, a 12-hour documentary about the American Revolution.

Philbrick has written multiple books about George Washington and the American Revolution. He was interviewed for Burns’ film “The American Revolution,” and will join Burns for NFF’s “In Their Shoes…” program, moderated by journalist Lesley Stahl.

“He's just terrific in the film,” Burns said of Philbrick. “The most important thing is to understand, and he does this, that these battles matter…to make these people who are to us now marble statues, to make them real.”

The documentary, which Burns is still finishing, comes at an opportune time. The next few years mark the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War, with the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence falling on July 4th, 2026. But beyond that, Burns sees deep resonances with the current political moment, despite the temporal distance.

“What could be more important than our origin story, particularly now as we are in times that we feel are questioning the very message of our founding?” Burns said of the documentary. “Many, many issues will be rhyming with the present because human nature doesn't change.”

This is the second year in a row Burns has travelled to Nantucket for “In Their Shoes…”. Last year, he shared excerpts from his documentary Leonardo Da Vinci, after being celebrated at the festival’s Screenwriters Tribute event the year before. His connection to the island runs much deeper. From vacations to weddings, Burns has been to Nantucket many times.

“We love the island,” Burns said. “I like walking through town, I like biking, more than anything, I like eating…the Burnses feel a pretty tight connection to the island.”

Burns' favourite Nantucket restaurant was Dune, and after his conversation with Philbrick, he intends to explore the island with his family and find a new spot, as Dune closed for good last fall.

“We will get on the bike the second the [event] is over, or we'll have been on the bike the two hours before, and we'll find our new favourite restaurant, or what the best lobster roll is,” Burns said.

On being informed that the Current’s readers voted 167 Raw as having the island’s best lobster roll, Burns wrote down the restaurant's name and promised to visit.

Burns said he takes his bike everywhere on Nantucket, leaving his car on the mainland.

“First, we have a steadily warming planet. Second, you are relating to people and places much more intimately when you're on a bicycle,” he said. “It feels like we're honoring what Nantucket is about."