30th Nantucket Film Festival Sets June Dates with ‘Twinless,’ ‘Long Day’s Journey Into Night,’ ‘Jaws @ 50’ Doc and More

Screenings include Glenn Close in The Summer Book, Jessica Lange in Long Day’s Journey Into Night, Golshifteh Farahani in Reading Lolita in Tehran

The Nantucket Film Festival (NFF), presented by Bank of America, today announced its lineup, honorees, and Signature Programs for its 30th anniversary edition, which will run from June 25 – 30, 2025. NFF’s mission is to celebrate the vast diversity of human experience through the art of screenwriting and storytelling.  Additional guests and programming to be announced in the coming weeks.

NFF will open on June 25th with both fiction and nonfiction features, both Audience Award winners at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival: Roadside Attractions’ Twinless, written, directed, and produced by James Sweeney, who also stars opposite Dylan O’Brien in a story about two young men who meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely friendship; and Prime Minister, directed by Michelle Walshe and Lindsay Utz, which offers an inside look at the life of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, capturing her through five tumultuous years in power and beyond as she redefined leadership on the world stage. On June 30th, the Festival will present Speak. as its Closing Night film. Directed by Jennifer Tiexiera and Guy Mossman, the documentary follows ambitious teen orators honing their craft through dedication and artistry as they prepare to showcase their talents on the ultimate stage. 

Screening as NFF’s Centerpiece selection is National Geographic’s Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story. Directed by Laurent Bouzereau and in partnership with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Documentaries, Nedland Media, and Wendy Benchley, the documentary shares an authorized look inside the story of JAWS. From Peter Benchley’s epic novel to Spielberg’s film, Jaws continues to influence pop culture, cinema and shark conservation.

More than 50 features and short films will screen as part of NFF’s 2025 film lineup. Narrative features include The Baltimorons, written by Jay Duplass and Michael Strassner, and directed by Jay Duplass; DJ Ahmet written and directed by Georgi M. Unkovski; Sony Pictures Classics’ East of Wall, written and directed by Kate Beecroft; Fantasy Life, written and directed by Matthew Shear; Forge, written and directed by Jing Ai Ng; Long Day’s Journey Into Night, written by David Lindsay-Abaire and Eugene O’Neill, directed by Jonathan Kent; Lost and Found in Cleveland written and directed by Marisa Guterman and Keith Gerchak; Magic Hour, written by Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton, directed by Katie Aselton; Meet the Barbarians, written by Julie Delpy and Matthieu Rumani, directed by Julie Delpy; Sony Pictures Classics’ Oh, Hi!, written and directed by Sophie Brooks; Omaha, written by Robert Machoian, directed by Cole Webley; Reading Lolita in Tehran, written by Marjorie David, directed by Eran Riklis; The Summer Book, written by Robert Jones, directed by Charlie McDowell; and Sunfish (& Other Stories from Green Lake), written and directed by Sierra Falconer.

Documentary features include A24’s André is an Idiot, directed by Tony Benna; Coexistence, My Ass!, directed by Amber Fares; Apple TV+’s Come See Me in the Good Light, directed by Ryan White; The Dating Game, directed by Violet Du Feng; Folktales, directed by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, It’s Never Over, Jeff Buckley, directed by Amy Berg; The Librarians, directed by Kim A. Snyder; Kino Lorber’s Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore, directed by Shoshannah Stern; Middletown, directed by Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine; Mr. Nobody Against Putin, directed by David Borenstein and Pavel Talankin, Nobu, directed by Matt Tyrnauer; and MTV Documentary Films’ Predators, directed by David Osit.

“This year’s slate of films continues to celebrate bold and independent voices close to home and across the world,” said Basil Tsiokos, Senior Programmer, and Anita Raswant, Lead Programmer. “We invite our audiences to explore a wide range of work that honors the power of storytelling — and, in turn, our shared humanity over the course of our six-day, highly curated festival.” 

Academy Award-nominated writer, director, and producer Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) will be honored with the Visionary Storyteller Award, recognizing his over three-decade long career. Academy and Emmy Award-winning director Alex Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side, Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief) will be honored with the Special Achievement in Documentary Storytelling. Emmy Award-winning writer, director, and producer Joanna Calo (The Bear, Hacks) will receive the Special Achievement in Television Writing Award to celebrate her dynamic storytelling and innovative contributions to television.

Acclaimed filmmaker and past NFF honoree Ken Burns returns to the Festival with an exclusive first look at The American Revolution, his forthcoming six-part, 12-hour documentary series premiering November 16 on PBS. Directed by Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, the highly anticipated series delves into the nation’s founding struggle and the eight-year War for Independence. Following the preview, Burns will be joined in conversation by bestselling author and historian Nathaniel Philbrick to discuss the making of the series and the enduring impact of the American Revolution.

OPENING NIGHT FILMS

TWINLESS

Narrative Feature

Writer/Director/Producer: James Sweeney

Producer: David Permut 

Two young men meet in a twin bereavement support group and form an unlikely friendship. Cast: James Sweeney, Dylan O’Brien, Lauren Graham, Aisling Franciosi, Chris Perfetti

PRIME MINISTER

Documentary Feature

Directors: Michelle Walshe, Lindsay Utz

Producers: Cass Avery, Leon Kirkbeck, Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane, Katie Peck

A view inside the life of former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, capturing her through five tumultuous years in power and beyond as she redefined leadership on the world stage.

CENTERPIECE FILM

JAWS @ 50: THE DEFINITIVE INSIDE STORY

Special Presentation

Director: Laurent Bouzereau

Producers: Laurent Bouzereau, Markus Keith, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey, Wendy Benchley, Laura Bowling, Tracy Rudolph Jackson, Ted Duvall

Steven Spielberg shares his exclusive story behind the making of Jaws, which, from the novel to the screen, continues to be influential 50 years later.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM

SPEAK.

Documentary Feature

Directors: Jennifer Tiexiera, Guy Mossman

Producers: Pamela Griner, Guy Mossman, Jennifer Tiexiera

Ambitious teen orators hone their craft, vying for glory in a prestigious global speech contest. Through dedication and artistry, they prepare to showcase their talents on the ultimate stage.

FEATURE FILM PROGRAM

ANDRÉ IS AN IDIOT

Documentary Feature

Director: Tony Benna

Producers: André Ricciardi, Tory Tunnell, Joshua Altman, Stelio Kitrilakis, Ben Cotner

André, a brilliant idiot, faces a sobering—and preventable—diagnosis with complete irreverence and insatiable curiosity, learning how to die happily and ridiculously without losing his sense of humor.

THE BALTIMORONS

Narrative Fiction 

Writers: Jay Duplass, Michael Strassner

Director: Jay Duplass

Producers: David Bonnet Jr., Michael Strassner, Drew Langer

After cracking a tooth on Christmas Eve, newly sober Cliff embarks on an adventure through Baltimore with Didi, his emergency dentist. Cast: Michael Strassner, Liz Larsen, Olivia Luccardi

COEXISTENCE, MY ASS!

Documentary Feature

Director: Amber Fares

Producers: Rachel Leah Jones, Amber Fares, Valerie Montmartin

Comedian Noam Shuster Eliassi creates a personal and political one-woman show about the struggle for equality and the increasingly elusive hope for coexistence in Israel/Palestine.

COME SEE ME IN THE GOOD LIGHT

Documentary Feature

Director: Ryan White

Producers: Jessica Hargrave, Ryan White, Tig Notaro, Stef Willen

An unexpectedly funny and joyful love story following poets Andrea Gibson and Megan Falley as they navigate life and mortality in the face of an incurable diagnosis.

THE DATING GAME

Documentary Feature

Director: Violet Du Feng

Producers: Joanna Natasegara, James Costa, Mette Cheng Munthe-Kaas, Violet Du Feng

In a country where eligible men greatly outnumber women, three perpetual bachelors join an intensive program led by one of China’s most sought-after dating coaches in what may be their last-ditch effort to find love.

DJ AHMET

Narrative Feature

Writer/Director: Georgi M. Unkovski

Producers: Ivan Unkovski, Ivana Shekutkoska

Ahmet, a 15-year-old boy from a remote North Macedonian village, finds refuge in music while navigating his father’s expectations, a conservative community, and his first experience with love. Cast: Arif Jakup, Agush Agushev, Dora Akan Zlatanova, Aksel Mehmet, Selpin Kerim

EAST OF WALL

Narrative Feature

Writer/Director: Kate Beecroft

Producers: Lila Yacoub, Kate Beecroft, Melanie Ramsayer, Shannon Moss

After the death of her husband, a rebellious horse trainer wrestles with financial insecurity and unresolved grief while providing refuge for a group of wayward teenagers on her broken-down ranch in the Badlands. Cast: Tabatha Zimiga, Porshia Zimiga, Scoot McNairy, Jennifer Ehle

FANTASY LIFE

Narrative Feature

Writer/Director: Matthew Shear

Producers: Charlie Alderman, Chris Dodds, Philip Keefe, Amanda Peet, Emily McCann Lesser, David Bernon, Sam Slater

After getting laid off, a thirty-something paralegal in New York starts babysitting his psychiatrist’s three granddaughters and falls for their mother, an actress in a rocky marriage. Cast: Amanda Peet, Matthew Shear, Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Zosia Mamet

FOLKTALES

Documentary Feature

Directors/Producers: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady

Teenagers gather in an Arctic high school to face adulthood at the world’s edge, learning to grow in unexpected ways with the help of their teachers, themselves, and a pack of loyal sled dogs.

FORGE

Narrative Feature

Writer/Director: Jing Ai Ng

Producers: Liz Daering-Glass, Gabrielle Cordero, Jing Ai Ng, Damian Bao

Siblings Raymond and Coco Zhang run a small, underground art forgery operation in Miami until a disgraced millionaire convinces them to risk greater fortune by upping their game. Cast: Kelly Marie Tran, Andie Ju, Brandon Soo Hoo, Edmund Donovan, Eva Di Dominici, T.R. Knight

IT’S NEVER OVER, JEFF BUCKLEY

Documentary Feature

Director: Amy Berg

Producers: Amy Berg, Ryan Heller, Christine Connor, Mandy Chang, Jennie Bedusa, Matthew Roozen

Rising star Jeff Buckley, who died tragically in 1997 after releasing just one album, is remembered through never-before-seen footage, exclusive voice messages, and intimate accounts from those who knew him best.

THE LIBRARIANS

Documentary Feature

Director: Kim A. Snyder

Producers: Kim A. Snyder, Janique L. Robillard, Maria Cuomo Cole, Jana Edelbaum 

As an unprecedented wave of book banning is sparked in Texas, Florida, and beyond, librarians under siege join forces as unlikely defenders fighting for intellectual freedom on the front lines of democracy.

LONG DAY’S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT

Narrative Feature

Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire, Eugene O’Neill

Director: Jonathan Kent

Producers: Bill Kenwright, Gabrielle Tana, Gleb Fetisov, Redmond Morris 

Over the course of a day, a married couple and their two sons, locked in a cycle of conflict and resentment, confront each other over the past in a series of emotionally tense and volatile exchanges. Cast: Jessica Lange, Ed Harris, Ben Foster, Colin Morgan

LOST AND FOUND IN CLEVELAND

Narrative Feature

Writers/Directors/Producers: Marisa Guterman, Keith Gerchak

Five Clevelanders find their lives changed when the TV roadshow Lost & Found swings through town in this Rust Belt fable. Cast: Dennis Haysbert, June Squibb, Stacy Keach, Liza Weil

MAGIC HOUR

Narrative Feature

Writers: Mark Duplass, Katie Aselton

Director: Katie Aselton

Producer: Emily A. Neumann 

Erin and Charlie escape to the desert to navigate an unexpected and challenging new phase of their relationship. Cast: Daveed Diggs, Katie Aselton, Brad Garrett, Susan Sullivan

MARLEE MATLIN: NOT ALONE ANYMORE

Documentary Feature

Director: Shoshannah Stern

Producers: Robyn Kopp, Justine Nagan, Bonni Cohen, Shoshannah Stern 

Oscar-winning actress Marlee Matlin reflects on her journey from isolation to Hollywood trailblazer and advocate for the Deaf community, reclaiming her story in her own language.

MEET THE BARBARIANS

Narrative Feature

Writers: Julie Delpy, Matthieu Rumani

Director: Julie Delpy

Producer: Michael Gentile 

In a quaint French village, a Syrian refugee family’s unexpected arrival sparks chaos and hilarity, challenging the townspeople’s generosity and prejudices in this witty comedy about integration and acceptance. Cast: Julie Delpy, Sandrine Kiberlain, Laurent Lafitte, India Hair, Jean-Charles Clichet, Rita Hayek

MIDDLETOWN

Documentary Feature

Directors: Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine

Producers: Teddy Leifer, Florrie Priest, Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine, Danny Breen

Inspired by an unorthodox teacher, a group of 1990s high school students used documentary filmmaking to expose a toxic waste scandal in their community, an experience that would shape their lives for decades to come.

MR. NOBODY AGAINST PUTIN

Documentary Feature

Directors: David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin

Producer: Helle Faber

As Ukraine is plunged into war, a Russian teacher secretly films his school’s transformation into a recruitment stage, exposing the ethical dilemma of working within a propaganda-driven system.

NOBU

Documentary Feature

Director: Matt Tyrnauer

Producers: Matt Tyrnauer, Corey Reeser, Gianni Nunnari, Simon Horsman, Jeffrey Soros, Charlie Cohen, Stuart Ford, Andrea Lewis, Graham High

An examination of culinary legend Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s empire, offering an intimate portrait of a man who has redefined global gastronomy.

OH, HI!

Narrative Feature

Writer/Director: Sophie Brooks

Producers: David Brooks, Dan Clifton, Julie Waters, Sophie Brooks, Molly Gordon 

Iris and Isaac’s first romantic weekend getaway goes awry. Cast: Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds

OMAHA

Narrative Feature

Writer: Robert Machoian

Director: Cole Webley

Producer: Preston Lee

After a family tragedy, siblings Ella and Charlie are unexpectedly woken up by their dad and taken on a journey across the country, experiencing a world they’ve never seen before. Cast: John Magaro, Molly Belle Wright, Wyatt Solis, Talia Balsam

PREDATORS

Documentary Feature

Director: David Osit

Producers: Jamie Gonçalves, Kellen Quinn, David Osit 

A provocative examination of the complex legacy of To Catch a Predator, a popular television program that blurred the lines between justice and entertainment, raising uncomfortable questions about its ethics and societal impact.

READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN

Narrative Feature

Writer: Marjorie David

Director: Eran Riklis

Producers: Marica Stocchi, Gianluca Curti, Moshe Edery, Santo Versace, Eran Riklis, Michael Sharfstein

A fearless teacher secretly gathers seven of her female students to read forbidden Western classics in Tehran. Cast: Golshifteh Farahani, Zar Amir, Mina Kavani 

THE SUMMER BOOK

Narrative Feature

Writer: Robert Jones

Director: Charlie McDowell

Producers: Kath Mattock, Kevin Loader, Alex Orlovsky, Duncan Montgomery, Aleksi Bardy, Helen Vinogradov, Glenn Close, Charlie McDowell

A young girl and her grandmother spend a summer on a small, uninhabited island in the Gulf of Finland. Cast: Glenn Close, Anders Danielsen Lie, Emily Matthews

SUNFISH (& OTHER STORIES FROM GREEN LAKE)

Narrative Feature

Writer/Director: Sierra Falconer

Producers: Grant Ellison, Sierra Falconer 

Lives intertwine around Green Lake as a girl learns to sail, a boy fights for first chair, two sisters operate a bed-and-breakfast, and a fisherman is after the catch of his life. Cast: Maren Heary, Jim Kaplan, Karsen Liotta, Dominic Bogart, Tenley Kellogg, Emily Hall 

NARRATIVE FAMILY SHORTS

FUTURE FEELING

Writers: Ben Kauffman, Manual Cinema

Director: Ben Kauffman

A family wakes up on a Nantucket beach with no recollection of the past and must retrace their steps to save their future. 

THE TRUCK

Writer/Director: Elizabeth Rao

A Chinese American teenager and her boyfriend set out to buy the morning after pill in post-Roe America.

SHANGRI-LA

Writers: Rhys Raiskin, Hannah Rice

Director: Rhys Raiskin

When Joe discovers his high school crush has moved into his assisted living apartment, he asks his best friend Alma to be his wingwoman, but little does he know that she has a little crush of her own.

TORNADO

Writer/Director: Jack Kendrick

A struggling contractor risks his young sons’ wellbeing to cut a sweet deal.

SUSANA

Writers/Directors: Amandine Thomas, Gerardo Coello Escalante

When a middle-aged American woman, alone in Mexico City, encounters a group of young American tourists, she jumps at the opportunity for a little adventure.

SUNBURST

Writer: Alec Zender

Director: Reid Cole
Two brothers trapped in a cycle of petty crime and poor decisions see their already fragile bond unravel after a failed theft.

NARRATIVE ADVENTURE SHORTS:

BDAY PRIVATE DICK

Writer: Nick Thune

Director: Dante Ariola

In his pursuit of the best birthday ever, comedian Nick Thune realizes he’s always wanted to lose somebody.

DEAD SERIOUS

Writers/Directors: Myriam Schroeter, Lizi Latimer

A mother surprises her kids with a trip to the place she wants to be buried. The kids disagree with her decision.

THE YELLOW

Writers: Samantha Hunt, Simone Faoro

Directors: Maika Monroe, Simone Faoro

When Roy’s and Susanne’s lives bottom out in a malaise of mundanity, despair, and alienation, can a glimmer of bright color re-awaken them to wonder?

FIRE AT WILL

Writer/Director: Morgan Gruer

When parents gather their four adult children over dinner to solidify the family will, the children’s self-absorbed agendas send the conversation careening into chaos, leading to a desperate battle of wills.

THE MUSIC STORE

Writer/Director: Joe Gillette

A day in the life of a small town music shop in Northern California.

DOCUMENTARY SHORTS PROGRAM: 

FREEMAN VINES

Directors: Tim Kirkman, André Robert Lee

82-year-old artist Freeman Vines hand-carves guitars, some from the wood trees linked to the lynching of a young Black man in a small eastern North Carolina town.

SEAWEED STORIES

Director: Jake Sumner

A global look at seaweed, a marine organism that may hold answers to humanity’s biggest challenges.

CAMP WIDOW

Directors: Laura Green, Anna Moot-Levin

An immersion into a weekend gathering of “widows” – people of all ages, genders, and orientations – this glimpse of a grieving community is devastating and unexpectedly funny.

LAST DAYS ON LAKE TRINITY

Director: Charlotte Cooley

Three Florida women search for new homes after their trailer park is slated for closure by its corporate owner, Trinity Broadcasting Network.

KIDS SHORTS PROGRAM: 

HENRIETTA FINDS A NEST

Writers: Matthew Scheer, Dianna McCorry

Director: Hannah McNally

Henrietta, a young chicken, escapes a factory farm and finds a loving home, highlighting the power of love and connection.

KID PRESIDENT

Writer/Director: Yadid Hirschtritt Licht

Kid President introduces his most kid-friendly policy yet: a ban on all vegetables!

POW!

Writer/Director: Joey Clift

A Native American kid scrambles to charge his dying video game console at a bustling intertribal powwow.

THE CONSTRUCTOR

Writer/Director: Scott Morris  

Elizabeth, an impossibly precocious seven year old Lego constructor, struggles with “imagination blur” as her three year old sister attempts to free her from her rigid thinking. 

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

Writer/Director: Katie Cobos

A talkative parrot attempts to befriend a boy with Tourette’s syndrome.

TINY TOOT – MUSHROOM MAGIC

Writer/Director: Maria Mac Dalland 

A couple of little mushroom fairies put on a magic show for Tiny Toot and her friends. 

SNOW BEAR

Writers: Aaron Blaise, Nicholas Burch
Director: Aaron Blaise

When a lonely polar bear can’t find a friend… he makes one! 

LULINA AND THE MOON

Writer: Marcus Vinicius Vasconcelos

Directors: Alois Di Leo, Marcus Vinicius Vasconcelos

Lulina draws her greatest fears over the infinite white ground of the Moon. Magically, her illustrations come to life and teach her that her problems aren’t as monstrous as her imagination depicted them.

THE SOUND COLLECTOR – ONE STARRY NIGHT

Writer: Dave Ingham

Directors: Chris Tichborne, Barry Purves, Lisa Arioli, Andy Burns

Explore the sights and sounds of the world you love, through the eyes and ears of a little Sound Collector!