DESTINATION: NANTUCKET
There’s a storm of stars abrewin’ and it’s bound for The Grey Lady.
With the Nantucket Film Festival coming around the corner, a bunch of big names are now expected on the island to take part in the movie action.
The annual cinema celebration has just announced a number of new talents who are slated to act as co-hosts and presenters from June 20 to 25. And that begins with actor, writer, director and producer Ben Stiller.
Stiller, a festival regular who was already scheduled to host this year’s All-Star Comedy Roundtable with “Silicon Valley” lead Thomas Middleditch and “Parks and Recreation” vet Ben Schwartz, will be making another appearance. The comedian best known for his flicks like “Zoolander” and “Meet The Parents” will be teaming up with Mike Birbiglia to co-host the 2018 Screenwriters Tribute on May 23. If you can’t quite place the Shrewsbury-born Birbiglia from his stand-up comedy, you may remember him for his work in “Don’t Think Twice” and “Trainwreck.”
Then, there’ll be Adam Driver who, after getting his big break on HBO’s “Girls,” has landed major roles in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” Jim Jarmusch’s “Paterson” and Spike Lee’s upcoming crime flick based on a true story, “BlacKkKlansman.” The actor has the honor of presenting this year’s Screenwriters Tribute Award to Oscar-nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach. Driver is all too familiar with Baumbach’s work, having personally appeared in his dramedies “The Meyerowitz Stories,” “While We’re Young” and “Frances Ha,” as well as recently wrapping on the director’s latest feature with Scarlett Johansson.
Garrett Hedlund of “Friday Night Lights” fame will be taking to the stage and presenting the New Voices in Screenwriting award to actor-turned-director Andrew Heckler. The actor shares the screen with Forest Whitaker and Andrea Riseborough in Heckler’s recent Sundance Audience Award-winner “Burden,” which will also be shown during the Nantucket Film Festival.
Stiller, Baumbach and Driver will also be sitting down with MSNBC host Chris Matthews for a conversation called “In Their Shoes.” And “Morning Coffee With …” will be making a comeback, with its new host, former “Ed” star Tom Cavanagh, who’ll be kicking off every day of the festival with lively — and caffeinated — discussions with directors and writers.
Also returning: the event “Women Behind the Words,” which will focus on what’s in store for women in show biz following the #MeToo and the Time’s Up movements. NPR’s Ophira Eisenberg will be moderating the conversation amongst actresses Jeanne Tripplehorn of “Big Love” and Alysia Reiner of “Orange Is the New Black,” television writer/producer Sera Gamble of Lifetime’s “You” and actress, director and producer Miranda Bailey.