PAUL HAGGIS TO BE HONORED AT 16TH ANNUAL NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL

Disney•Pixar’s Cars 2 and Sundance Selects’ Buck to open; Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut Higher Ground to close.

April 28, 2011 (New York, NY) – Today the Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) announces its film lineup for its expanded 16th edition, taking place June 22-26, 2011.  With a sum total of 55 films (and more to be announced soon), the most the festival has ever seen, the festival has added a full day to its lineup.  “After the success of NFF 15, it was inevitable that we would need to expand the festival’s length and scope to accommodate the growing interest,” said Executive Director Colin Stanfield.  “Along with the later dates allowing more families to attend after the school year wraps, the festival stands to help bring more people to the island and in turn positively affect local business economically.”  Passes are currently on sale on the festival website (www.nantucketfilmfestival.org), with individual tickets on sale May 27.

NFF is also proud to announce this year’s annual Screenwriting Tributee will be Academy Award winner Paul Haggis (Crash).  “Mr. Haggis’ films and television projects have given us a wide array of tales spanning over two decades,” said Artistic Director Mystelle Brabbée. “His work has run the gamut from intrigue to thrilling to heartbreaking, and we are thrilled to present him with our Screenwriting Tribute this year.”

The festival is also bringing back the New Voices in Screenwriting award, to be given to Ben Queen, scribe of the Disney•Pixar’s summer release Cars 2.

Opening the festival is Cars 2, from the beloved family franchise.  This new adventure, directed by John Lasseter, follows Lightning McQueen and his best friend Mater as they race around the globe and unwittingly find themselves caught up in international espionage.

NFF’s second opening night film is the Sundance Film Festival award winner Buck, a documentary on the life of famed horse trainer Buck Brannaman. Closing the festival this year will be Vera Farmiga’s directorial debut Higher Ground, in which she also stars, from Sony Pictures Classics.

For the sixteenth edition of the festival, the festival will place a strong emphasis on education.  The festival will be hosting a Mentor Brunch, at which Paul Haggis will be participating, advising many of the emerging screenwriters in attendance at NFF on their upcoming projects.  NFF will also reinstate the Teen View Filmmaker Program, led by filmmaker Jay Craven (Disappearances), which focuses on teaching high school students the fundamentals of great storytelling by employing digital technology and methods.  “Helping students cultivate an interest in storytelling through film is an important part of our mission,” said Artistic Director Mystelle Brabbée.  “NFF attracts some of the most talented storytellers from around the world, and the students get to work with them in creating their own short films. We’re delighted to be offering this rare opportunity to teens on the island once again.”

In keeping with NFF’s mission of spotlighting writers, the Festival will announce the winner of Showtime’s annual Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting. The winner will be feted at the Showtime Award Ceremony at the Festival.  Among other awards given at NFF this year will be The Audience Award for Best Feature & Best Short, Showtime’s Tony Cox Awards for Best Screenwriting in a Feature Film and Short Film, Teen View on NFF Award, Best Storytelling in a Documentary Film. Also making its return is the Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Filmmaking Award, which gives a cash prize annually to a promising female writer/director at the Festival.

Also returning this year will be the uproarious and unpredictable Late Night Storytelling, Participants include five surprise guests as well as audience members. Past storytellers include Ben Stiller, Jim Carrey, Tina Fey, Sarah Silverman, Mos Def, Rosie Perez, Cheryl Hines, Laird Hamilton, Olympia Dukakis, Paul Rudd, Alan Cumming, Fisher Stevens, Brian Williams, and Johnathan Ames.

NFF once again sees the All-Star Comedy Roundtable Presented by Ben Stiller.  The annual event sees a discussion on the art of comedy with some of today’s leading funnymen and funnywomen. Past participants include Ben Stiller, Zach Galifianakis, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman, Harold Ramis, Peter Farrelly, John Hamburg, and more.

Other special events include Morning Coffee With…®, which draws sell-out crowds annually. The daily panels take place every morning and invite attendees to join filmmaker experts for an intimate mix of coffee, conversation, bagels and shoptalk with some of their favorite filmmakers.

Special guests who attended NFF 2010 included Academy Award winners Barry Levinson, Michael Arndt, Davis Guggenheim; Emmy Award winners Ben Stiller, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman; Academy Award nominees Elisabeth Shue and Steven Haft; Emmy Award nominee Stephanie Davis; Grammy Award winner Fiona Apple; Zach Galifianakis, Jonathan Ames, Brian Williams, Chris Matthews, Casey Neistat, Joana Vicente, Richard Corliss, Jess Cagle, Cody Gifford, and many more.

NFF was founded in 1996 to spotlight screenwriters, screenwriting and storytelling in today’s cinema. The festival takes place every June on the idyllic island of Nantucket, MA. Now in its sixteenth year, NFF has become a prestigious annual event within the international film industry. The festival is a significant attraction that draws over ten thousand attendees, screenwriters, producers, agents and development executives each year. For more information please visit our website at www.nantucketfilmfestival.org.

The films of the 2011 Nantucket Film Festival:

BEING ELMO: A PUPPEETER’S JOURNEY

Director: Constance Marks (co-director: Philip Shane)

Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop. Winner of the Special Jury Prize, U.S. Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival.

BENAVIDES BORN

Writer/Director: Amy Wendel

Welcome to Benavides, Texas, where petite girls can deadlift 280 pounds, military recruiters roam high school halls, and a patriotic Mexican-American community that has been there since before it was Texas struggles with an economy literally collapsing around it. Luz Garcia wants out, and powerlifting is her ticket. It’s all or nothing for her… until nothing stares her in the face.

BEYOND THE ROAD

Writer/Director: Charly Braun

Santiago, a 30-year-old Argentinean, travels to Uruguay searching for a piece of land inherited from his parents who were tragically killed in an accident a few years earlier. On his arrival in Montevideo he meets Juliette, a young Belgian searching for an old love. He offers her a ride, and on the way they develop a relationship of growing affect. When they arrive in Punta del Este, however, the glamorous universe of the seaside town stands between them.

BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD

Director: Liz Garbus

Using the narrative tension of the 1972 match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer, this documentary explores the nature of genius, madness, and the game of chess itself. Bobby Fischer Against the World tells the stranger-than-fiction story of the rise and fall of an American icon.

BUCK (OPENING NIGHT FILM)

Director: Cindy Meehl

Buck, a richly textured and visually stunning film, follows Buck Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real life “horse-whisperer”, he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses – and people – with his understanding, compassion and respect. In this film, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing the daily challenges of life. A truly American story about an unsung hero, Buck is about an ordinary man who has made an extraordinary life despite tremendous odds.

CARS 2 (OPENING NIGHT FILM)

Director: John Lassetter

Star racecar Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) and the incomparable tow truck Mater (voice of Larry the Cable Guy) take their friendship to exciting new places in Cars 2 when they head overseas to compete in the first-ever World Grand Prix to determine the world’s fastest car.  But the road to the championship is filled with plenty of potholes, detours and hilarious surprises when Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage.  Mater finds himself torn between assisting Lightning McQueen in the high-profile race and towing the line in a top-secret mission orchestrated by master British super spy Finn McMissile (voice of Michael Caine) and the stunning rookie field spy Holley Shiftwell (voice of Emily Mortimer).  Materʼs action-packed journey leads him on an explosive chase through the streets of Japan and Europe, trailed by his friends and watched by the whole world.  The fast-paced fun includes a colorful new all-car cast, complete with menacing villains and international racing competitors.

CIRCUMSTANCE

Director: Maryam Keshavarz

A tale of love and family upended by obsession and suspicion, Circumstance is also a provocative coming-of-age story that cracks open the hidden world of Iranian youth culture. The film explores a modern Iran rarely seen by outsiders, an exhilarating, invisible realm of illicit parties where young hipsters risk arrest, and their futures. In this world, two vivacious teenage girls take risks every day to lead their own lives.

CONNECTED

Writer/Director: Tiffany Shlain

An exhilarating stream-of-consciousness ride through the interconnectedness of humankind, nature, progress, and morality at the dawn of the 21st century. With insight, curiosity, and humor, the film weaves both a personal and global story about interdependence. For centuries people have been declaring independence; this film asks if perhaps it’s time to declare interdependence instead.

DONOR UNKNOWN

Director: Jerry Rothwell

JoEllen has always known her family ‘wasn’t like other families’. She grew up in Pennsylvania with two mothers, and a burning curiosity to know more about her anonymous sperm donor father she only knows as Donor 150. When she discovers an online registry that connects donor-conceived children, she manages to track down over 12 half-siblings across the USA.

FIVE DAYS GONE

Writer/Director: Anna Kerrigan

After her father passes away, Camden discovers she has an illegitimate half sister: Alice. The two couldn’t be more different; but Camden is confident that the two of them are destined to be great friends. Alice on the other hand, is not quite convinced. In an effort to bond, the sisters and their significant others take a trip to Lionshead, the family estate in Massachusetts where tensions build and ultimately explode.

GRANITO

Writer/Director: Pamela Yates

The five main characters whose destinies collide in Granito are connected by the war-torn Guatemala of 1982, when a genocidal campaign by the military exterminated nearly 200,000 Maya people. The five sift for clues buried in archives and historical memory, and become integral to the overarching narrative of wrongs done and justice sought pieced together by each of them adding their granito, their tiny grain of sand, to the epic tale.

HAPPY, HAPPY

Director: Anne Sewitsky

Kaja is an eternal optimist in spite of living with a man who would rather go hunting and refuses to have sex with her because she “isn’t particularly attractive” anymore. But when “the perfect couple” moves in next door, Kaja struggles to keep her emotions in check. These new neighbors open a new world with consequences for everyone involved. Winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

HIGHER GROUND (CLOSING NIGHT FILM)

Director: Vera Farmiga

Starring and directed by Vera Farmiga, the film follows one woman’s spiritual journey as she joins a small fundamentalist community where she finds meaning and stability. But some of its more conservative tenets leave her unsettled, driving her into a profound crisis of faith that turns her world upside down.

HOT COFFEE

Director: Susan Saladoff

Stella Liebeck’s personal legal battle over a spilled McDonald’s cup of coffee serves as a springboard into understanding the American civil system. Since Stella’s fateful day, big business has brewed a dangerous concoction of manipulation, distortions and outright lies to protect corporate interest. Hot Coffee shows our audience that many of their long-held beliefs about our civil justice system have been paid for by corporate America.

THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY

Writer/Director: Joe Maggio

Featuring a powerful performance by Dennis Farina and the full impact of Chicago’s urban landscape, The Last Rites of Joe May chronicles the final days of an aging short-money hustler who has always believed that a glorious destiny awaits him around every corner. Now in his sixties, his health failing and resources dwindling, May is presented with one last shot at greatness when a single mother suggests they share the apartment.

LIFE IN A DAY

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Producers of Life in a Day enlisted the global community to capture a moment of their lives on camera on a single day and the world responded by submitting more than 80,000 videos, creating a unique experience that shows, in beautiful, humorous, and joyful honesty, what it’s like to be alive on earth today.

THE LIE

Writer/Director: Joshua Leonard

A candid portrait of a young idealist couple forced to settle down after the birth of their baby. Drowning in an unfulfilling job, Lonnie decides he needs some time off and calls in sick. When his abusive boss demands he shows up or get fired, Lonnie tells a shocking lie to justify his absence – and once the lie is out, there is no going back.

MIA AND THE MIGOO

Writer/Director: Jacques-Rémy Girard

Mia sets out on a journey to search for her father, who has been trapped in a landslide at a construction site on a remote tropical lake. In the middle of the lake stands the ancient Tree of Life, watched over the Migoo. It is the Migoo who have been disrupting the construction to protect this sacred site. Created from 500,000 gorgeous hand-painted frames of animation, Mia and the Migoo is a breathtaking work of art.

MOZART’S SISTER

Writer/Director: René Féret

A delightful period drama, Mozart’s Sister paints a detailed portrait of the traveling players and a speculative account of Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart teenage years from 1759 to 1762. A musical prodigy in her own right, Nannerl has given way to Wolfgang as the main attraction, as their strict but loving father Leopold tours his talented offspring in front of the royal courts of pre-French revolution Europe.

THE NAMES OF LOVE

Writer/Director: Michel Leclerc

An intelligent and charming romantic comedy about two very different people and the dysfunctional families they hail from. A beautiful young free spirit, Baya is so passionate about progressive causes that she uses the force of her sexual appeal to convert misguided right-wing men to her political positions. So far she has achieved exceptional results until she meets an uptight middle aged, middle-of-the road scientist.

NANTUCKET BY NATURE

Director: Kit Noble

Featuring never-before-seen images of grace and beauty, Nantucket by Nature provides an extraordinary four-season glimpse of the splendors of the Island. Supported by a stirring and poignant score recorded by local musicians, the film is a remarkable chronicle of the Island in all its grace and glory.

ON THE ICE

Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean

On the snow-covered Arctic tundra, at the top of the world in Barrow, Alaska, two teenagers try to get away with murder. The boys stumble through guilt-fueled days, avoiding the suspicions of their community as they weave a web of deceit. With their future in the balance, they are forced to explore the limits of friendship and honor. Winner of the Crystal Bear for Best Film in the Generations Section and Best First Feature Award at the Berlin Film Festival.

ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT

Writer/Director: Lisa Leeman

When Flora the elephant loses her zest for performing, Circus Flora’s producer, David Balding, goes on a journey of mammoth proportions to find her a new home, revealing the unintended consequences of raising a wild animal in captivity. Caught between the human and animal world, Flora epitomizes the harsh reality elephants face in our expanding man-made world.

THE OTHER F WORD

Director: Andrea Blaugrund Nevins

Featuring a large chorus of punk rock’s leading men — Mark Hoppus of Blink-182, Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tim McIlrath of Rise Against — this wise and insightful portrayal of fatherhood explores what happens when a generation’s ultimate anti-authority figures become society’s ultimate authorities.

PAGE ONE: A YEAR INSIDE THE NEW YORK TIMES

Writer/Director: Andrew Rossi

With the Internet surpassing print as our main news source, newspapers going bankrupt, and outlets focusing on content they claim audiences (or is it advertisers?) want, Page One chronicles the media industry’s transformation and assesses the high stakes for democracy if in-depth investigative reporting becomes extinct.

POINT BLANK

Writer/Director: Fred Cavayé

A riveting thriller, Point Blank follows Samuel as he races against time to save his delicate pregnant wife. A nurse-in-training at a hospital, Samuel spots someone threatening a patient. He goes by the book and confronts the intruder, saves the wounded man, and reports the incident to the authorities. But Samuel’s world is turned upside down when the dangerous criminal behind the attempted murder kidnaps Samuel’s wife. Paris provides a magnificent backdrop to the action as Samuel dodges rival gangsters and trigger-happy police to save the lives of his wife and unborn child.

SENNA

Director: Asif Kapadia

With a cinematic approach that makes full use of astounding footage, Senna follows the racing legend’s remarkable story, charting his physical and spiritual achievements on the track and off, his quest for perfection, and the mythical status he has since attained. The documentary spans his years as an F1 driver, from his opening season in 1984 to his untimely death a decade later.

SUBMARINE

Writer/Director: Richard Ayoade

Based on Joe Dunthorne’s acclaimed novel, Submarine is a captivating coming-of-age story with an offbeat edge. One boy must fight to save his mother from the advances of a mystic and simultaneously lure his eczema- strafed girlfriend in to the bedroom armed with only a wide vocabulary and near-total self-belief. His name is Oliver Tate.

TERRI

Director: Azazel Jacobs

A moving and often funny film about the relationship between Terri, an oversized teen misfit and the garrulous but well-meaning vice principal, who reaches out to him, Terri is a film about the courage it takes to build relationships and the rewards of taking that sometimes terrifying leap.

TO BE HEARD

Directors: Edwin Martinez, Amy Sultan, Deborah Shaffer, Roland Legiardi-Laura

Intimately shot over four years, To Be Heard is the story of three teens from the South Bronx whose struggle to change their lives begins when they start to write poetry. As writing and reciting become vehicles for their expressions of love, friendship, frustration, and hope, they emerge as accomplished self-aware artists, who use their creativity to alter their circumstances.

TYRANNOSAUR

Writer/Director: Paddy Considine

The film follows the story of Hannah and Joseph, two lonely, damaged people brought together by circumstance. When the pair is brought together, Hannah appears as Joseph’s potential savior, but as the story develops and events spiral out of control, Joseph becomes her source of support and comfort.

UNRAVELED

Director: Marc H. Simon

Days before Bernie Madoff made headlines with his billion-dollar Ponzi scheme, respected Manhattan attorney Marc Dreier was arrested for orchestrating his own massive hedge fund fraud. Confined to his Upper East Side penthouse, Dreier allows Simon inside as he counts down the final days before his sentencing. An irresistible glimpse into the mind of a consummate trickster, Unraveled is a fascinating study of deception and downfall.

WE STILL LIVE HERE: ÂS NUTAYUNEÂN

Director: Anne Makepeace

Celebrated every Thanksgiving as “the Indians” who saved the Pilgrims, then largely forgotten, the Wampanoag of Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard, spurred on by their intrepid Wampanoag linguist and MacArthur honoree Jessie Little Doe Baird, are saying loud and clear, in their Native tongue, “Âs Nutayuneân,” – “We still live here.”

WHEN THE DRUM IS BEATING

Director: Whitney Dow

A rhythmic meeting of music and history, When the Drum Is Beating brilliantly interweaves the stories of Haiti and its most celebrated band, Septentrional. With its distinctive fusion of Cuban big band rhythms and Haitian vodou beats, the 20-piece band has been around for more than six decades.

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