Nantucket Film Festival to honor Oscar winner Barry Jenkins, John Turturro, Ramin Bahrani

NANTUCKET — Oscar winner Barry Jenkins will be honored for his screenwriting at next month’s Nantucket Film Festival, which will also have Ben Stiller present actor/writer/director John Turturro a career achievement award for Turturro’s many movies.

The 27th annual festival, taking place June 22-27, will also pay tribute to Oscar nominee Ramin Bahrani (“The White Tiger,” “Chop Shop,” “2nd Chance” screening at the festival) with a documentary storytelling award, according to an announcement released Thursday. Cooper Raiff will receive the annual award for New Voices in Screenwriting. He is actor, writer and director of the breakout film “Cha Cha Real Smooth,” which will screen at the festival.

Also revealed Thursday were details of the festival’s signature discussion programs beyond the slate of more than 60 feature and short films that will be shown for in-person screenings over the six days. Conversations will involve director Peter Farrelly (“Green Book,” “There’s Something About Mary”), George Pelecanos (“The Wire,” “The Deuce”), Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), and Chris Matthews (“Hardball’).

Programs will include a Screenwriters Roundtable, an “In Your Shoes…” interview, Late Night Storytelling, a “Women Behind the Words” program and “Morning Coffee With…” chats to start the film-watching days.

'A truly gifted voice'

In choosing Jenkins for the annual Screenwriters Tribute, to be presented June 25 at ‘Sconset Casino, executive director Mystelle Brabbée called him “a truly gifted voice in Hollywood.” Jenkins’ credits include a 2017 Academy Award for writing “Moonlight,” and Oscar nominations for directing that movie and for writing 2018’s “If Beale Street Could Talk.”

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Jenkins received awards for Best Director and Best Limited Series in the 2021 AACFA TV Honors from the African American Film Critics Association for co-writing and directing all 10 episodes of the adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winner Colson Whitehead’s “The Underground Railroad.” That Amazon Prime Video show last weekend also won the BAFTA Television Award (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) for Best International Series.

The Nantucket festival will next month present its Compass Rose Award for Career Achievement to Emmy Award-winning actor, screenwriter, director and producer Turturro for his body of work over 35 years. Turturro has acted in Spike Lee's “Do the Right Thing” and “Jungle Fever,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Color of Money,” Robert Redford’s “Quiz Show,” and Robert De Niro’s “The Good Shepherd,” as well as “The Big Lebowski,” “Barton Fink” and the current “The Batman.” His directing/writing work includes “Mac,” “Illuminata” and “Romance & Cigarettes.”

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Turturro’s TV work includes an Emmy for “Monk,” the current “Severance” — directed and executive-produced by Stiller, who will present the Nantucket award — “Monday Night Mayhem” and “The Bronx is Burning.” On June 24, he will present a staged reading from his new script “Howard Beach” and be featured for an “In Their Shoes Conversation….” on Nantucket. Turturro and Stiller will screen an episode of Apple TV +’s “Severance” on June 25, followed by a Q&A.

Nantucket 'Signature' film programs

For the festival’s Signature programs, comedian/writer Ophira Eisenberg, host of NPR’s “Ask Me Another,” will return to lead Late Night Storytelling with the theme of “Keep Calm and Carry On.” On June 26, there will be an extended version of “Morning Coffee With…” featuring filmmakers Farrelly and Pelecanos interviewed by Matthews.

The festival’s new Green Carpet Cinema, showcasing environmentally focused films, will include a conversation about sustainability and climate change with Maria Mitchell Association visiting scientist Rich Blundell, Sara Dosa, the director of the opening-night film “Fire of Love,” and Cecil Barron Jensen of ReMain Nantucket, hosted by Marc Skivrsky.

Other events will include a “Women Behind The Words” conversation June 23 on the gender and equality shift in films, television, and the arts, hosted by Bethany Van Delft; and a free Skate Jam event June 25 that will feature U.S. Olympic Skateboarder and Massachusetts native Nora Vasconcillos, star of the documentary “Skate Dreams.”

The festival previously announced its 2022 lineup of more than 60 feature and short films, including closing film “Linoleum,” centerpiece film “892,” and Family Day choices of “Lightyear” and “Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.” For tickets and information: https://nantucketfilmfestival.org/.

Contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @KathiSDCCT.