Nantucket Film Festival Announces 2025 Lineup
Nantucket Current •
The Nantucket Film Festival revealed its lineup for their 30th annual festival Wednesday morning. There will be over 50 films featured through the duration of the festival, which begins on June 25th and ends on June 30th.
There will be two opening night films; one fiction and one nonfiction feature. The first is Twinless, which is written, directed, and produced by James Sweeney, who also stars opposite Dylan O’Brien in a story about two young men who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely friendship.
The second is Prime Minister, directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz, which offers an inside look at the life of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, capturing her through five tumultuous years in power and beyond as she redefined leadership on the world stage.
The closing night film will be Speak, which is directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman. The documentary follows ambitious teen orators honing their craft through dedication and artistry as they prepare to showcase their talents on the ultimate stage.
NFF’s Centerpiece selection is National Geographic's Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau and in partnership with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Documentaries, Nedland Media, and Wendy Benchley, the documentary shares an authorized look inside the story of Jaws. From Peter Benchley’s epic novel to Spielberg’s film, Jaws continues to influence pop culture, cinema and shark conservation. This will also be part of a series hosted by NFF this year of Deep Dive Screening & Talk Presentations, where they will be delving into stories, films, and recording a live podcast that offers a humorous, honest take on politics and pop culture featuring Andy Ostroy and Alex Gibney of The Backroom podcast.
Acclaimed filmmaker and past NFF honoree Ken Burns will also be returning to the film festival with an exclusive first look at The American Revolution, his forthcoming six-part, 12-hour documentary series premiering November 16 on PBS. Directed by Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, the highly anticipated series delves into the nation’s founding struggle and the eight-year War for Independence. Following the preview, Burns will be joined in conversation by bestselling author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick to discuss the making of the series and the enduring impact of the American Revolution.
The festival will also present an event called Flipping the Script: Bestsellers to Screen with Elin Hilderbrand’s Nantucket Stories. This will be a special garden brunch event celebrating the beloved author’s deep ties to the island and the expanding world of screen adaptations drawn from her bestselling novels. The event will spotlight The Five-Star Weekend, currently in development as a series at Peacock starring and executive produced by Jennifer Garner, as well as The Perfect Couple - a Netflix limited series whose first season premiered in 2024 and whose second season is currently in development - and Winter Street, the author’s cherished holiday tale, also in development at Netflix. Joining Hilderbrand for the conversation will be other key creative voices behind these projects.
The NFF will honor Tony Gilroy with the Visionary Storyteller Award, Alex Gibney will receive the special achievement in documentary storytelling award, and Joanna Calo will be recognized with the special achievement in television writing award.
Other notable names that will be in attendance include Emmy award winner Ben Stiller, who will part of an all-star comedy roundtable event, Amber Ruffin, Zach Cherry, Iliza Shlesinger, Mae Martin, Lionel Boyce, and Michael Ian Black.
You can view the film program here.