The Nantucket Film Festival will launch its inaugural NFF Summer Doc Series, this week from August 25 to 27, bringing five acclaimed documentaries to the Dreamland Theater across three days, with filmmakers and film subjects joining NFF for conversations following each screening.
On Tuesday, August 25 at 7 pm, Mighty Mary, the inspiring story of the first all women’s sailing team to challenge for the America’s Cup will be shown, followed by a conversation with director Mary Mazzio and crew member Amy Baltzell moderated by NFF Executive Director Mystelle Brabbée. This film won the 2026 Nantucket Film Festival Maria Mitchell Visionary Award and will open theatrically nationwide in mid-September.
Anne Packard: An Artist’s Resolve will be shown at 4 pm on August 26. This is an intimate portrait of a 96-year-old Provincetown painter’s remarkable journey from struggling single mother to acclaimed artist. After this documentary, a conversation with filmmaker Arthur Egeli and executive producer Judith Richland will be moderated by Kathleen Matthews, a veteran news anchor and NFF board member.
At 7 pm that evening, The Keeper, a film that chronicles Hudson Riverkeeper John Lipscomb’s decades-long fight to protect the Hudson River will be shown. The conversation after this showing will feature Lipscome, cantankerous and deeply committed, with filmmaker Jon Bowermaster and Dreamland Board Member and film curator Charley Walters.
Jean-Michel, the first documentary made with the full participation of Jean-Michel Basquiat’s family and estate, and a film that reveals the artist through rare footage, archival material and the voices of his family and friends will be on-screen. After this showing, director Quinn Whitney Wilson and producer Viridiana Lieberman will discuss the documentary, moderated by NFF Founder Jill Burkhart.
The NFF Summer Doc Series ends with a showing of Ask E. Jean. This is a funny, fearless portrait of legendary advice columnist E. Jean Carroll, whose extraordinary life and landmark legal victories became a testament to courage and speaking truth to power. A conversation with filmmakers Annabelle Dunne and Laura Brown moderated by Chris Matthews, veteran political commentator and NFF board member, follows the screening.
“We chose five documentaries that are wildly different on the surface, but all center on people with a real sense of purpose, whether they’re challenging who gets to sail for the America’s Cup, devoting a lifetime to painting, fighting to protect the Hudson River, exploring the legacy of Basquiat, or refusing to be silenced. They’re also films that really benefit from being seen together, with the filmmakers and subjects in the room,” Brabbée explained.
Individual tickets are available for each screening for $30. A full access pass to all five films with reserved seating and access to two private cocktail hours is $300. For tickets, passes, and more details, visit nantucketfilmfestival.org.
Founded in 1996, the Nantucket Film Festival’s mission is to promote the cultural awareness and appreciation of the art of screenwriting and storytelling. Through its annual festival and year-round programming, NFF celebrates the writers and storytellers at the heart of cinema and brings filmmakers and audiences together on Nantucket.
Each summer for three decades, NFF creates a dream week for film buffs. In addition to dozens of film screenings, this annual festival’s signature events include a Screenwriters Tribute, In Their Shoes® series of conversations, Morning Coffee with® panels, and Late Night Storytelling.
Festival founders Jill and Jonathan Burkhart lived on-island year-round, and NFF continues to dedicate time and expertise to the Nantucket community with programs and partnerships. Their Teen View, an educational initiative designed for middle and high school students to cultivate storytelling skills, encourages creative expression, and offer meaningful opportunities for engagement with the arts. Their online Screenwriter Sessions is a winter series of guest speakers who teach live courses on the essential elements of storytelling.
The next NFF is scheduled for June 16-21, 2027. In April, the 2027 program will be announced and ticket packages will go on sale. In May, the schedule will be posted and individual tickets will be offered. Island residents may apply for discounted tickets and passes.
