Telluride Film Festival 2010: No pass? Don't pass.

28 Aug Telluride Film Festival 2010: No pass? Don't pass.

"This festival (the Telluride Film Festival) is characterized by its small size and friendly atmosphere. If there were a few key words to describe Telluride, they might include 'intimate' and 'down home,' just as easily as 'monumental' and 'important.'" (Elise Berlin, Boulder Daily Camera)

Even without a pass, the 37th annual Telluride Film Festival, 9/3 – 9/6, has something for almost everyone.

The Telluride Film Festival opens with free films sponsored by Ralph and Ricky Lauren. The four film premieres, one each night starting Wednesday, September 1, just after dark, (and a day before the cat is let out of the bag with the official announcement about screenings on the long weekend to come), takes place in the Open Air Cinema or Elks Park, just across the street from the Courthouse. (Telluride Inside… and Out will be posting details about those films on or around September 1.)

Other Telluride Film Festival freebies include:
• The noon Seminars in Elks Park are free
• The 'Conversations' in the County Courthouse (although passholders are admitted first)
• Filmmakers of Tomorrow programs
• Films at the Backlot, located in the Wilkinson Public Library

The Late Show Pass, the last film at each of two different theaters is a great bargain: four films for $40. (Keep in mind that individual film tickets cost $20 each) Pick up your Late Show Pass at the Telluride Film Festival Hospitality Center @ Gondola Plaza, The Palm or the Chuck Jones (the Telluride Conference Center in the Mountain Village) opening day, Friday, September 3.

All seven indoor theaters put individual tickets on sale 10 minutes before showtime if there are seats available after passholders have been seated. Best to try the larger venues: The Palm, the Chuck Jones and the Galaxy.

Visit Brigadoon during the Telluride Film Festival for a detailed handout of shows and tips or go to the official website.

"While most festivals offer sightings of filmmakers as well as films, the population of Telluride — festival and town — is small enough that the ratio of auteurs to filmgoers may be higher than anywhere in the world." (Godfrey Cheshire, the New York Press)

For ongoing coverage of 2010 Telluride Film Festival, see Catalog of 2010 Stories.

(Editor's note: photos from Thursday night Open Air Cinema, 2009, "A Man and a Woman", with Anouk Aimee and Jean-Louis Trintignant)