The Nantucket Film Festival has announced the winners of its 29th annual festival, and they include Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz’s Cuba-set ’90s coming of age movie Los Frikis and Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev’s Porcelain War about Ukrainians using art to resist the war.

The Nantucket Film Festival took place from June 19 to 24 on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts. Los Frikis won the Narrative Feature Audience Award, while Porcelain War won the Documentary Feature Audience Award.

Other winners include the the short “Puppy Love” directed by Daniel Rashid and written by Rashid and Elizabeth Valenti. Telling the story of a woman who has to decide if her connection with a new man is a deep one or if she just likes his dog, it received the Narrative Short Film Audience Award. Tom Dey’s “Jumpan” profiling the photographer behind the iconic Michael Jordan mid-air shot took home the Documentary Short Film Audience Award. 

Best of Fest winners include Widow Clicquot, written by Erin Dignam and directed by Thomas Napper; Maya and the Wave, directed by Stephanie Johnes, and the well as short film “Lost In Nevers Land” directed by Penny Dey. These films were granted special repeat screenings due to popular demand. 

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“It is a privilege to honor this cohort of both established and emerging screenwriters and storytellers, who represent the heart of our industry, at the 2024 edition of the festival,” said executive director Mystelle Brabbée and lead programmer Anita Raswant. “Thank you to all of our attending filmmakers and writers for sharing their powerful stories with us and our passionate audiences who continue to turn out to the theaters and support our mission. We would like to take a moment to recognize our jurors, sponsors, staff, and volunteers, all of whom worked to make another incredibly successful festival possible.” 

This year’s Adrienne Shelly Foundation Excellence in Filmmaking Award went to Every Little Thing directed by Sally Aitken. The $5,000 grant recognizes the achievement of a female filmmaker and is named in honor of the late Waitress actor and director.

Special guests who attended the festival this year included Ken Burns, Kerry Ehrin, Ophira Eisenberg, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sunny Hostin, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, Jason Mantzoukas, Paula Pell, June Diane Raphael, Luke Russert, Meredith Scardino, Paul Sheer, and Roger Ross Williams.

See the Full Nantucket Film Festival 2024 Winners List Below

Audience Awards

Narrative Feature: Los Frikis written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz

Documentary Feature: Porcelain War directed by Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev 

Narrative Short: “Puppy Love” written by Rashid and Elizabeth Valenti and directed by Daniel Rashid

Documentary Short: “Jumpman,” directed by Tom Dey

Best of Fest

Features:

Widow Cliquot written by Erin Dignam and directed by Thomas Napper

Maya and the Wave directed by Stephanie Johnes

Short:

“Lost In the Nevers Land” directed by Penny Dey

Tony Cox Screenplay Competition

Feature Screenplay: I Don’t Dream In Spanish Anymore by Missy Hernandez

Episodic 60-Minute Screenplay: The Soloist by Daniel Hernandez-Zapata

Episodic 30-Minute Screenplay: “Illicit Bids for Dying Kids” by Phillip Roquemore

Short Screenplay: “Who Raised You?” by Daniel Gonzalez

Adrienne Shelly Foundation Excellence in Filmmaking Award

Every Little Thing directed by Sally Aitken

Maria Mitchell Visionary Award

Sally Aitken 

Children’s Resilience in Screenwriting Award presented by Shine Global

Los Frikis written and directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz

Teen View Jury Award

Terminally Ill written and directed by Chris Cole

Special Mention: The Ugandan Quidditch Movement directed by Ben Garfield

Career Achievement in Filmmaking Award

Roger Ross Williams

Excellence in Television Writing Award

Kerry Ehrin

New Voices in Television Writing Award

Meredith Scardino 

Main Image: A still from Porcelain War courtesy of Nantucket Film Festival