The Inquirer and Mirror

The show must go on: Film Fest forges ahead

By Joshua B. Gray

I&M Staff Writer

(May 14 , 2009) For the past 13 years the Nantucket Film Festival has converged on the island in mid-June to celebrate the art of screenwriting.

What began as the brainchild of the brother and sister team of Jonathan and Jill Burkhart has grown into a highly-regarded regional festival that has brought together fledgling writers with top Hollywood talent, in several cases culminating years later in a feature film. It has honored some of the most prolific and recognizable names in Hollywood history with its annual screenwriting tribute, and bestowed the same honor on some of the industry’s fastest-rising stars.

Organizers were able were able to work through the devastating aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. They have weathered fundraising shortfalls and sponsorship problems throughout their history, and still struggle to remain a viable nonprofit in the midst of a slowly recovering worldwide recession.

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