FILM FESTIVALS

Carla Stockton

IT'S THE STEVE MARTIN SHOW!

NFF10 Announces Steve Martin as 2005 Honoree

As a proud sponsor and friend of the Nantucket Film Festival, IMAGINE Magazine takes great pleasure in previewing the tenth annual event of Sand, Stories and Screenwriters on Nantucket Island, June 15-19, 2005, which will feature Screenwriter STEVE MARTIN as its special guest and honoree of the NBC Universal Screenwriter Tribute.

Steve Martin will receive the Screenwriters Tribute award at NFF10 scheduled June 15 - 19. Photo courtesy of the Nantucket Film Festival

Executive Director Jill Burkhart and Artistic Director Mystelle Brabbee, who are thrilled with the choice of Martin for their tenth annual gala, point out that they know Martin is primarily known as an actor and comedian, but his screenwriting credits are stellar and include his soon-to-be released THE PINK PANTHER II, a prequel to the 1964 film, in which Martin also gets to play Inspector Clousseau, the character that was originally created for Peter Sellers. Martin, who is also a successful playwright (“Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” “Underpants,” et al) and frequent contributor to The New Yorker and The New York Times, is no newcomer to writing. He penned many of his earlier hits, including THE JERK, DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID, THE MAN WITH TWO BRAINS, L.A. STORY, and BOWFINGER, an underappreciated masterpiece co-starring Eddie Murphy. Having begun his career as a comedy writer – he won an Emmy for his writing for THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS HOUR – Martin is currently in production on another feature he has adapted from his own novella entitled “The Shopgirl.”

The Nantucket Film Festival is unique in that it sets aside five days every June specifically to celebrate the art of screenwriting. Last year’s grand honoree was Charlie Kaufman, and directors Spike Jonze and Michel Gondry joined stars Jim Carey and others in paying tribute to the Academy Award nominee. Screenings of ADAPTATION and ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, with directors and actors and Kaufman on hand for Q and A were highlights of the festival, especially the spectacular outdoor screening of SPOTLESS MIND on the beach.

This year’s festival visitors can count on there being screenings of Martin’s films, on there being a variety of directors, writers and stars who will come to contribute to the festivities in honor of their friend and colleague and on a host of well-crafted films whose writing is impeccable. Audiences especially love seeing films at the NFF because they know that screenwriters, directors, producers, and stars attend the screening and host Q and A sessions following each screening.  Last year’s highlights included Q and A sessions with Writer/Director Josh Marsten and his academy award nominated star Catalina Sandino Moreno, of MARIA FULL OF GRACE, and Actor/Writer/Director Zach Braff of GARDEN STATE.  

Peter Farrelly will co-host the Late Nite Storytelling at the Nantucket Film Festival. Photo courtesy of the Nantucket Film Festival.

Rosie Perez is back this year, after a years absence as co-host of Late Nite Storytelling. Photo courtesy of the Nantucket Film Festival.

Short films and panel discussions also abound at the Nantucket Film Festival. The popular “Breakfast with. . .” morning gatherings are always sold out as they feature Jace Alexander wryly interviewing celebrities who spontaneously appear at the panel discussions. Celebrities and filmmakers and audiences alike find the interchanges instructive and entertaining, and there is always a high degree of interaction between the audience and the guests at each of the discussions. 

Screenplay readings featuring celebrity casts reading new works by established authors are always popular. Last year’s featured reading was Warren Leight’s own screen adaptation of his Tony Award-winning play “Sideman,” and the year before was Scott Kramer’s “A Confederacy of Dunces.” Readers at the events have included “Sex in the City” star Cynthia Nixon, Will Ferrell, Rosie Perez, Olympia Dukakis, Anne Meara, Ben Stiller, Allan Cummings, and hosts of others.

Other highlights of the festival include the annual emerging screenwriter competition, a teen screenwriting challenge and a host of other panels and discussions held throughout the five-day run of the festival.

Artistic Director Brabbee and Executive Director Burkhart, whose energy and excitement set the standard for the upbeat tenor of celebration always present at NFF, are delighted with this year’s program which is still under construction.  They are especially pleased to be able to honor Steve Martin.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to share with the public a creative genius whose work on screen and on the page has produced some of the funniest films of the last 30 years," they exclaimed. Their enthusiasm will be contagious. You can count on it.

Carla Stockton is IMAGINE’s Associate Publisher for Southwestern Connecticut. She is a frequent contributor covering film festivals and independent filmmakers. She is a partner in Bagel Fish Productions and the Producer of the film  G-SPOT.