Past Honorees
The Nantucket Film Festival’s most esteemed awards recognize writers and filmmakers from film and television for their significant contributions to the art of storytelling. These honors are presented annually during the film festival at a gala celebration.
The Screenwriters Tribute Award is the highest honor presented by the Festival. Established in 1998, this award honors an individual whose history in screenwriting has made a distinct impact on American cinema. The Screenwriters Tribute Award is not a “lifetime achievement” award, but rather an acknowledgment of the indelible mark these artists have made on the hearts and minds of people all over the world through their writing for the screen. These writers link us to our past and provide a glimpse into our future.

1998
Ring Lardner Jr.
M*A*S*H, Woman of the Year

1999
Jay Presson Allen
Cabaret, Marnie

2000
Paul Schrader
Raging Bull, Taxi Driver

2001
Walter Bernstein
The Front, Fail Safe

2002
James Schamus
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, The Ice Storm

2003
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Howards End, The Remains of the Day

2004
Charlie Kaufman
Being John Malkovich, Adaptation.

2005
Steve Martin
The Jerk, Roxanne

2006
Alexander Payne & Jim Taylor
Sideways, About Schmidt

2007
Robert Benton
Bonnie and Clyde, Kramer vs. Kramer

2008
Judd Apatow
The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up

2009
Harold Ramis
Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters

2010
Barry Levinson
Diner, Avalon

2011
Paul Haggis
Million Dollar Baby, Crash

2012
Nancy Meyers
Private Benjamin, Something's Gotta Give

2013
David O. Russell
American Hustle, The Wrestler

2014
Aaron Sorkin
The Social Network, The West Wing

2015
Robert Towne
Chinatown, Shampoo

2016
Oliver Stone
Platoon, Scarface

2017
Tom McCarthy
Spotlight, Win Win

2018
Noah Baumbach
Greenberg, The Squid and the Whale

2019
Leslie Dixon
Mrs. Doubtfire, Limitless

2020
Eric Roth
The Good Shepard, Forrest Gump

2022
Barry Jenkins
Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk

2023
Nicole Holofcener
Walking and Talking, Enough Said
Some of today’s most gifted cinematic storytellers work outside of scripted characters and plots. We honor these non-fiction filmmakers with our Special Achievement in Documentary Storytelling. When it comes to imagination, scope, and heart, these directors more than equal their “fiction” colleagues. The greatest filmmakers in the non-fiction realm strive for a discerning fidelity to reality while simultaneously staying true to their instincts as a storyteller. What emerges are works that audiences will continue to cherish for decades to come.

2010
Davis Guggenheim

2012
Rory Kennedy

2013
Barbara Kopple

2014
Steve James

2015
Liz Garbus

2016
Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady

2017
Nick Broomfield

2018
Morgan Neville

2022
Ramin Bahrani

2023
Lynn Novick & Ken Burns

2024
Roger Ross Williams
Established in 2015, this award recognizes writers of the “small” screen medium. But there’s nothing small about the achievements of television and episodic writing over the years, it holds a deep and increasingly profound place in American cultural life. Even as the very definitions of what “screenwriting” changes and the mediums by which people experience “television” are constantly shifting. What remains timeless, though, are the gifts of a great storyteller. This award celebrates those artists whose vision and passion keep us watching episode after episode.

2015
Beau Willimon

2017
David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik

2019
Anne Beatts, Jane Curtain, Heidi Gardner, Sudi Green, Sarah Schneider

2021
Amy Sherman-Palladino & Daniel Palladino

2024
Kerry Ehrin
Every once in a while, a writer bursts onto the independent film scene, making noise with a combination of an already recognizable style and a compelling yet fresh take on a genre or tried-and-true narrative, and since 2010, we’ve been shining the spotlight on these exciting new talents with this honor. These screenwriters think outside the box and still manage to engage audiences, critics, and the industry alike.

2010
Michael Arndt

2011
Ben Queen

2012
Benh Zeitlin & Lucy Alibar

2013
Lake Bell

2014
Mike Cahill

2015
Leslye Headland

2016
Siân Heder

2017
Geremy Jasper

2018
Andrew Heckler

2022
Cooper Raiff

2023
Jenny Han

2024
Meredith Scardino
Established in 2008 the Compass Rose Award is a unique honor that recognizes the career achievements of all storytellers whose contributions to the world of cinema and television go beyond the written word, and their work whether it is acting, producing, or directing has a profound impact and inspires writers to create new material.

2008
Meg Ryan

2010
Robert Duvall

2011
Vera Farmiga

2012
Frank Langella

2016
Molly Shannon

2021
Kelsey Grammer
