Ben Stiller’s All-Star Comedy Roundtable Marks Presence at 30th Nantucket Film Festival

Ben Stiller brought a curated group of comedy stars to the 30th annual Nantucket Film Festival to talk about their careers in comedy.

According to an Indie Wire report, Stiller said he was “dead set against” a comedy career because it's what his parents did. Stiller revealed he dabbled in standup during his teens, focusing on New York City's alternate side parking policy. He performed a version of his standup for festival attendees and his fellow panelists. Amber Ruffin, Zach Cherry, Iliza Shlesinger, Michael Ian Black, and Mae Martin all discussed the influences that led to their work in comedy.

The 2025 Nantucket Film Festival showcased more than 50 feature and short films, including Jay Duplass' The Baltimorons, A24's André is an Idiot, Cole Webley's Omaha, Kate Beecroft's East of Wall, Matthew Shear's Fantasy Life, Sophie Brooks' Oh, Hi!, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's Folktales, and Kim A. Snyder's The Librarians, among many others. 

The June 27 Screenwriters Tribute honored Andor creator Tony Gilroy, documentary director Alex Gibney, and The Bear co-showrunner Joanna Calo.