Other top NFF awards go to “Pretty in the Face,” “The Devil Came on Horseback,” and “Canvas”
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Nantucket, MA – The 12th Annual Nantucket Film Festival (NFF) came to a close last Sunday following five days, thirty features, twenty short films, and more than a dozen events, including an NBC Universal Screenwriting Award tribute to Robert Benton and CN8’s presentation of a special staged reading of Steven Weber’s screenplay “Filthy Dirty Twisted Lust.” “This year’s festival brought another fantastic turnout from loyal supporters, artists and new visitors, and we’re really excited to see the festival continue growing year after year,” said Jill Burkhart, Co-Founder and Executive Director.
Special guests who participated in NFF 2007 included Joe Pantoliano, Steven Weber, Anne Meara, Peter Farrelly, Richard Corliss, Janet Maslin, Brian Williams, Robert Benton, Stanley Jaffe, Doug Liman, Anthony Swofford, Lee Daniels, Michael Cunningham, Jeff Sharp, Jake Paltrow, Mitchell Lichtenstein, Academy Award Winner Donna Gigliotti, Luke Parker-Bowles, Sharon Swart, and Jace Alexander.
Artistic Director Mystelle Brabbée added, “Our festival focuses on screenwriting and the process of filmmaking, and we had an amazing response to our screenings as well as the events, which we plan especially for people who want to hear stories about filmmaking from the people who write, produce and direct features and documentaries.”
On Sunday afternoon, a ceremony was held to award the winner of Showtime’s Tony Cox Screenplay Competition, which recognizes an emerging screenwriter. A jury comprised of Academy Award Winner Donna Gigliotti, Sharon Swart, and Anthony Swofford chose Marc Arneson for his script “Peck” out of hundreds of submissions.
Among other awards, Showtime’s Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting was presented to Nate Meyers of the movie “Pretty in the Face,” who also received the Best Writer/Director Award. The winner was chosen by jurors Lee Daniels, Rachel Grady, and Academy Award Winner William Monahan.
On Friday evening, the festival introduced the first annual Adrienne Shelley Excellence in Filmmaking Award, a cash prize awarded to a female filmmaker in honor of the late director. Joe Pantoliano presented the award to Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern, co-directors and co-producers of “The Devil Came on Horseback.”
Before Sunday’s closing night screening of “Rocket Science,” Ms. Burkhart and Ms. Brabbée announced the winners of this year’s awards. The Audience Award for Best Feature was awarded to “Canvas,” written and directed by Joe Greco.
Below is a complete list of this year’s NFF award winners:
Showtime’s Tony Cox Screenplay Competition: Marc Arneson (“Peck”)
Showtime’s Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting (Best Feature): Nate Meyer (“Pretty in the Face”)
Showtime’s Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting (Best Short): Dan Brown (“The Pipe”)
Adrienne Shelley Excellence in Filmmaking Award: Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern (“The Devil Came on Horseback”)
Best Writer/Director Award: Nate Meyers (“Pretty in the Face”)
Best Storytelling in a Documentary Film: “Row Hard No Excuses” (dir. Luke Wolbach)
Audience Award for Best Feature: “Canvas” (dir. Joe Greco)
Audience Award for Best Short: “Second Life” (dir. Katie Van Fleet)
Teen View on NFF Award: “Caroline By Committee” (dir. Mary Haas)
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