2004 NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL

Sun…Sand…and Screenwriters…. GARDEN STATE and RIDING GIANTS Bookend The Week, John Irving's DOOR IN THE FLOOR Has East Coast Premiere, Danny Schechter's WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION World Premieres

In celebration of the art of screenwriting, the 9th Annual Nantucket Film Festival hosts the largest influx of celebrities and industry luminaries in the Festival's history. Scheduled in attendance are Jim Carrey, Cynthia Nixon, Zach Braff, Tom Cavanagh, Rosie Perez, Anne Meara, Lili Taylor, Gretchen Mol, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze, John Irving, Tod Williams, Michel Gondry, Brian Williams, Stone Phillips, Bob Wright, Ron Meyer, Tina Fey, cast members from Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Among Luminaries Expected.

"On Nantucket, we have created an environment where screenwriting is celebrated, and as we enter our ninth year, it is gratifying to see such strong support from the film industry, " said Festival Executive Director Jill Burkhart.

"Often, screenwriters are overlooked in the film community, but at Nantucket, we recognize that they are essential to the creative process and we strive to attain recognition for the work of writers," said Artistic Director Mystelle Brabbée.

Festival Programmer, Tom Hall, said, "It is our goal to present stories to our audiences that not only generate the excitement of great drama, but that inspire a greater appreciation of the storytelling process in both fiction and non-fiction film. This year, I believe we have assembled an outstanding program that showcases the best in filmmaking and screenwriting."

Among the films in this year's lineup of 29-features and 21-shorts are Zach Braff's comedy GARDEN STATE, which opens the festival on June 16th and Stacy Peralta's celebration of big wave surfing, RIDING GIANTS, which closes the Festival on June 20th.

Highlights of the festival include the world premiere of Danny Schechter's WEAPONS OF MASS DECEPTION and the east coast premiere of John Irving's THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR as well as two short programs and a vast array of titles currently on the festival circuit.

Film star Jim Carrey joins an "In Their Shoes®"panel moderated by New York Times film critic A.O. Scott honoring NBC Universal Screenwriters Tributee Charlie Kaufman. Cynthia Nixon headlines a stellar cast in a Staged Reading of the new screenplay of Sideman, an adaptation of the 1999 Tony Award-Winning play. NFF® veterans Anne Meara and Rosie Perez return to the Island to host the Late Night Storytelling event, always a favorite of Festival goers.

NFF9 will present two "In Their Shoes" panel events this year. Directors Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry join ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND star Jim Carrey and host A.O. Scott on a panel discussing the work of Charlie Kaufman. Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers will host author John Irving and writer/director Tod Williams for the east coast premiere of THE DOOR IN THE FLOOR. The film is based on the celebrated author's best-selling book A Widow For One Year. Focus Features will release the film in July.

Among the awards given at NFF this year will be The Audience Awards; Best Feature & Best Short, MOBY DICK Award for Best Screenwriting in a Feature Film, MOBY DICK Award for Best Screenwriting in a Short Film, Teen View on NFF Award and, new this year, Best Storytelling in a Documentary Film. The Best Writer/Director Award will also be announced and will be determined by jury members IFC Entertainment Vice President Caroline Kaplan, THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE writer/producer/director Brett Morgen and award winning actress Lili Taylor.

This year's festival will feature a staged reading of Sideman, the new screenplay adaptation by Warren Light of his Tony Award-winning play. Cynthia Nixon will portray the lead role of Terry. Additional cast members will be announced.

Beach Screenings include the 1975 classic film JAWS, Charlie Kaufman's ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF A SPOTLESS MIND and Jared Hess's NAPOLEON DYNAMITE.

The Festival will host two industry panels this year, Making Your Screenwriting Debut and Film and The Art of Political Storytelling. The first panel focuses on screenwriter/directorial debuts at Nantucket this year and will be hosted by producer Anthony Bregman. Featured writer directors on the panel include Debra Granik/DOWN TO THE BONE (winner of the 2002 Showtime's Tony Cox Award For Screenwriting), Shane Carruth/PRIMER, Jane Weinstock/EASY and Jessica Sharzer/SPEAK. John Vanco will host the Political panel, which will feature CHISOLM 72 - UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED director Shola Lynch, THE YES MEN stars Mike Bonnano and Andy Bichelbaum, WEAPONS OF MASS DECPTION director Danny Schechter and FARMINGVILLE directors Carlos Sandoval and Catherine Tambini.

In keeping with NFF mission of spotlighting writers, the festival will announce the winner of Showtime's annual Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting in early June. The winner will be fetted at the Showtime luncheon on the first day of the Festival. The screenwriters' jury consists of Class Action scribe Clara Bingham, award-winning journalist David Black and Sea of Glory author Nathaniel Philbrick. The award is named after Tony Cox, the former chairman and CEO of Showtime.

Additionally NFF expects Gretchen Mol, Queer Eye for the Straight Guy cast members Carson Kressley, Kyan Douglas, and Thom Filicia, NBC News' Stone Phillips, Brian Williams, and David Gregory, directors Spike Jonze, Michel Gondry, Stacey Peralta, author John Irving, and celebrated screenwriter Charlie Kaufman will be in attendance.

Also expected on the Island are Bob Wright/NBC Universal, Ron Meyer/Universal Studios, Stacey Snider/Universal Pictures, Jeff Gaspin/Bravo, David Linde/Focus Features, James Schamus/ Focus Features and Mark Greenberg/Showtime.

The ninth annual NFF will take place from June 16-20, 2004 on the picturesque Island of Nantucket, MA. For more information visit the official website at www.nantucketfilmfestival.org where you find a complete listing of all the films scheduled to screen at NFF9.

TABLE OF CONTENTS