Nantucket Film Festival Names Producer & Amazon Alum Marc Restighini, LuckyChap Partner Milan Popelka To Top Board Posts

EXCLUSIVE: Marc Resteghini, an executive producer of Young Sherlock and a former Amazon Studios executive, has been named board chair of the Nantucket Film Festival.

The fest, which focuses on screenwriting and storytelling, wrapped its 31st annual edition earlier this week on the island off the Massachusetts coast.

Resteghini succeeds Kathleen Matthews, a former television journalist, corporate executive and activist who served as board chair since 2011. Matthews and her husband, former MSNBC host Chris Matthews, are longtime fixtures on Nantucket.

The fest also named Milan Popelka vice-chair of the board. The former senior exec at FilmNation joined Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap as a partner in 2025.

Mystelle Brabbée, the festival’s executive director, is continuing in her role. She joined the organization in 1997 as program director.

Resteghini has been on the NFF board since 2024. He currently has a TV overall deal and first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios. As an Amazon Studios exec who headed the streamer’s television development, he steered series like The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, The Summer I Turned Pretty and The Underground Railroad.

Popelka oversees business operations, finance and strategic planning as well as growth initiatives across LuckyChap’s global portfolio of film, television, music, theater and other ventures. Previously, he served as chief operating officer at FilmNation Entertainment for more than 15 years, having joined the company at its inception.

“Nantucket has always been a magical place for my family, and I can’t imagine a better way to begin each summer than by gathering on the island for the Nantucket Film Festival,” Resteghini said in a statement. “For 30 years, the festival has celebrated the power of storytelling while championing extraordinary artists, fostering meaningful conversations, and serving as a cultural cornerstone of Nantucket’s vibrant arts community. It’s an honor to help lead the festival into its next chapter and to further strengthen its ties to Hollywood and the broader entertainment industry.”

Brabbée called Resteghini and Popelka two of the festival’s “most passionate advocates, champions, and connectors. Over the years, they have each helped introduce the festival to extraordinary storytellers, foster meaningful industry relationships, and expand our reach in ways that continue to benefit the organization today.”

Matthews said it has been “an honor to shepherd the vision of our festival’s founders, Jonathan and Jill Burkhart.” She added, “At a time of seismic shifts in the film, television and streaming industry, we have always searched for honest and meaningful stories and honored the storytellers.”