The 29th Nantucket Film Festival Kicks Off Wednesday

The 29th edition of the Nantucket Film Festival runs from June 19th -24th, highlighted by a number of notable films and special guests, including documentary filmmaker Ken Burns. Among other films, the opening day of NFF is set to feature the festival’s 13th-straight Disney/Pixar film, “Inside Out 2,” and Josh Margolin’s critically acclaimed “Thelma,” starring Academy Award nominee June Squibb as the 93-year-old Thelma Post.

Burns is the festival’s most notable special guest. After being celebrated at last year’s Screenwriters Tribute, Burns will travel to the island for the festival’s “In Their Shoes…” program, where he will discuss his newest documentary, “Leonardo Da Vinci.” Guests will have the chance to see exclusive clips from the documentary, not set to air for the first time on PBS until this November.

NFF will also host a screening of Roger Ross Williams’s “Stamped from the Beginning,” based on the National Book Award-winning book by Boston University Professor Ibram X Kendi, who was named one of the 100 most influential people by Times magazine in 2020. The screening will be followed by a conversation with Williams and Kendi, who will be in attendance.

Other events include the festival’s acclaimed “Morning Coffee With…” series and the Screenwriter’s Tribute, honoring Williams, “The Morning Show” creator Kerry Ehrin, and “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” writer and “Girls5Eva” creator Meredith Scardino. There will also be a live taping of the comedy podcast “How Did This Get Made” with hosts Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas.

This year’s closing film is the documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” about the Superman actor. Other notable films include Jeff Zimbalist’s documentary “Skywalkers: A Love Story,” Academy Award Nominee Sean Wang’s Sundance debut “Didi” and the documentary “War Game,” which will be followed by a discussion with several of the film’s subjects. Emmy and BAFTA nominated “Booksmart” writer Susanna Fogel’s latest film, “Winner,” a black comedy about Reality Winner, the Air Force veteran jailed for releasing classified information about Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. elections, will also screen as part of the festival’s program.

In total, NFF will screen over 60 films. Three are focused on Nantucket. In addition to the annual Teen View offering from local students, this year consolidated into a single film, the festival features Mike McGuirk’s “The Dildo From Nantucket” and “Lost in Nevers Land,” from creative director Dee White and director Penny Dey. The three Nantucket-centered shorts will be screened together in a program titled “Views from Nantucket.”

Tickets are available now, and a full program can be viewed here.