The Nantucket Film Festival is accepting film and screenplay submissions for its 16th edition, to be held June 22-26, 2011. Unique in its dedication to supporting and promoting the art of screenwriting, the Nantucket Film Festival has been a standout on the festival circuit, screening imaginative films with an eye for great storytelling. The films shown at NFF are comprised of independent, studio-produced, foreign, documentary, animation, and short works in every genre.

All film submissions are eligible for an array of awards, including Showtime’s Tony Cox Award for Screenwriting, Best Storytelling in a Documentary, Best Writer/Director, Audience Award and the Adrienne Shelly Excellence in Filmmaking Award that honors the outstanding achievement by a female filmmaker with a $5,000 cash prize.

Showtime’s Tony Cox Screenplay Competition provides—in addition to a $5,000 cash prize and an all-expense paid trip to the Festival in June—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to participate as one of four writers in the Screenwriters Colony annual, month-long retreat to Nantucket in the fall. The Colony offers screenwriters a place to work where they are encouraged to find their voice and push the boundaries of their craft under the guidance of established film professionals.  Recent Screenwriter’s Colony mentors have included: Campbell Scott, Oren Moverman, Bingham Ray, L.M. Kit Carson, Coleman Hough, and Lawrence Inglee. Competition finalists are invited to a Mentor Brunch where they can discuss their projects with the Screenwriters Tributee. Barry Levinson inaugurated the program in 2009. The Competition has also served as a launching platform for promising screenwriters. Writer/director Debra Granik won the Competition in 2002 for her script Down to the Bone. Her new film, Winter’s Bone, leads the 2010 award season with an impressive number of nominations.

The Festival offers the perfect environment for filmmakers and screenwriters to meet with actors, producers, and development executives, resulting in successful collaborations. Rosie Perez met director/producer Liz Garbus of Moxie Firecracker Films and produced the Puerto Rican documentary, Yo Soy Boricua, Pa’que tu lo Sepas! Sophie Barthes met actor Paul Giamatti while attending the Festival as the 2006 Competition winner for her script Cold Souls; Giamatti went on to star in the film. As one of the 2009 Competition Jurors, Lili Taylor was so impressed by Jenny Deller’s script Future Weather that she signed on to star in the upcoming film.

For more information, visit www.nantucketfilmfestival.org or email info@nantucketfilmfestival.org.