FRANK LANGELLA TO BE HONORED BY
17th ANNUAL NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL
WITH THE COMPASS ROSE ACTING AWARD
Festival to Present Stage Reading of Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne scriptThe Lost Cause
All-Star Comedy Roundtable Presented by Ben Stiller, Late Night Storytelling, In Their Shoes, and Live Radio Hour Round-out
May 23, 2012 (New York, NY) – The Nantucket Film Festival officially announces their 2012 program of unique live events and this year’s Compass Rose honoree.
Frank Langella will receive the Nantucket Film Festival’s 2012 Compass Rose Acting Award. This award is a unique honor that recognizes an outstanding performer whose contribution to the world of acting has been profound. Langella, who comes to the Festival with the Spotlight Film Robot and Frank will also be participating in the annual In Their Shoes…® program moderated by Chris Mathews. Matthews, host of Hardball with Chris Matthews on MSNBC and The Chris Matthews Show on NBC, moderates in-depth conversations with industry luminaries.
"Langella is one of the most respected stage and screen actors working today," said NFF Artistic Director Mystelle Brabbée, "we are proud to honor him with this year's Compass Rose Acting Award. In his role in Robot and Frank, he delivers some of his most robust work, playing the role with wry wit, making an authentic connection between human and machine."
The Festival continues to demonstrate its commitment to the written word by celebrating Oscar® winning writers Jim Taylor and Alexander Payne (Election, About Schmidt, Sideways) as they reignite a long-standing Signature Program, the NFF Staged Reading, with the duo’s newest script The Lost Cause. "Long-time Festival goers will remember past readings of high profile screenplays," said Brabbée. "We are inspired to bring back the readings by giving our audience a sneak preview of a script by two of Hollywood's strongest writers and will be announcing an exciting cast in the coming weeks."
This year NFF continues to engage live audiences with their Fog and Flounder Radio Hour hosted by Tom Bodett from NPR’s Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! The show will include radio comedy written and performed by an ensemble of actors including Penelope Anne Miller and the incomparable Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller who have dusted off old sketches from the old Ed Sullivan Show days. Bluegrass mandolin sensation Sierra Hull & Highway 111 will also be featured.
Late Night Storytelling returns with Emmy® Award nominee Mike O’Malley (Glee) as host of the Festival’s beloved event.
“This year represents the actualization of a multi-year strategy to differentiate our Festival in a crowded landscape of summer events”, says Executive Director Colin Stanfield. “We’ve created a hybrid model which combines a truly outstanding film program and a rich roster of world-class live events. The experience is unique and the entertainment value is through the roof.”
This year the Nantucket Film Festival boasts a strong Screenplay Competition Jury, which is composed of individuals from the film community with original and diverse points of view. The Festival is pleased to announce that Ty Burr, Gill Holland and Savina Neirotti will comprise the jury this year.
Ty Burr has been a film critic for the Boston Globe since July 2002. Burr’s latest book, Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame, will be published in September by Pantheon. Burr’s The Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together was published by Anchor Books in 2007.
NFF also welcomes Gill Holland, a Spirit Award nominee for Producer of the Year who has worked on more than 70 films, including Sundance Grand Jury Prize nominees Flow: For Love of Water, Loggerheads, and Hurricane Streets. Holland taught in the graduate film school at New York University, and sat on the jury for shorts at the Sundance Film Festival and the selection committee for the Academy Awards®, Student Division as well.
Jury member Savina Neirotti has been director of TorinoFilmLab, affiliated with the Turin Film Festival, since 2008. TorinoFilmLab is a workshop that supports emerging talent through training, development, and funding. Neirotti has also directed Script&Pitch Workshops since 2005. Neirotti founded the Scuola Holden, a writing and storytelling school in Turin, with writer Alessandro Baricco.
The 2012 Nantucket Film Festival will take place June 20-24. Passes are currently available with individual tickets on sale May 24. For more information please visit our website at www.nantucketfilmfestival.org.
ABOUT THE NANTUCKET FILM FESTIVAL
The Nantucket Film Festival was founded by brother and sister team Jill and Jonathan Burkhart in 1996 to promote the cultural awareness and appreciation of the fine art of screenwriting in the world of cinema. These days, NFF has become one of the premiere destination film festivals in the world. Visitors come from all over to experience the preview screenings, unique signature programs, and stand out hospitality on a magical island rich with history, a friendly atmosphere, and beautiful sandy beaches. The 17th Annual Nantucket Film Festival will take place this year, June 20-24.
