Telluride Film Fest: Program Announced

03 Sep Telluride Film Fest: Program Announced

“Telluride is the best film festival in the world,” Clint Eastwood

Once the vow of silence is lifted – now – and the world gets to know what’s in store at the 42nd annual Telluride Film Festival, tomorrow, Friday, September 4 – Monday, September 7, the fun begins.

Only the Telluride Film Festival goes to the great expense of importing films and talent from all over the world, because Festival directors – Julie Huntsinger and Tom Luddy– believe in the importance of establishing an artistic as well as screen presence.  So this weekend, actors, directors, cinematographers, editors, producers as well as critics, distributors and buffs walk side by side on the streets or stand in line blabbing about films.

Everyone shows up in Telluride because the event is regarded as a jewel among film festivals, sans hype or hoopla. 

But who’s everyone? And what films will be showcased at the SHOW?

In addition, every year, since the event got off the ground in 1974, The Telluride Film Festival, known locally as The SHOW, paid tribute to artists whose contributions resonate throughout the medium. Forty-two years ago, the first tributees were Gloria Swanson, Francis Ford Coppola, and Leni Riefenstahl. 

The list of Telluride Film Festival honored actors swelled over the years to include Jack Nicholson, Gerard Depardieu, Clint Eastwood, Isabelle Huppert, Jodie Foster, Klaus Kinski, Shirley MacLaine, Toni Collette, Daniel Day Lewis, Viggo Mortensen, and part-time local (she met her husband Marc Schauer, her V.I.P host, when she was honored in 2004), Laura Linney. 

Directors who have been Film Festival tributees include Werner Herzog, Chuck Jones, Robert Altman, Pedro Almodovar, Ken Burns and Neil Jordan.

Former festival co-director and film curator Gary Meyer once observed a pattern in the way Telluride Film Fest tributees are selected: someone quite well known, a great artist whose work is not so well known in America, and someone who has operated quietly but very effectively behind the scenes. Does the pattern hold up in 2015?

This year’s tributees are Rooney Mara, Danny Boyle andAdam Curtis.

The cat’s finally out of the bag.

The Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, today announced its official program selections for the 42nd edition of the Telluride Film Festival. TFF’s annual celebration of artistic excellence brings together cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and artists to discover the best in world cinema in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. TFF will screen over seventy-five feature films, short films and revival programs representing twenty-seven countries, along with special artist Tributes, Conversations, Panels, Student Programs and Festivities. Telluride Film Festival takes place Friday, September 4 – Monday, September 7, 2015.

42nd Telluride Film Festival is proud to present the following new feature films to play in its main program:

·       CAROL (d. Todd Haynes, U.S., 2015)

·       AMAZING GRACE (d. Sydney Pollack, U.S., 1972/2015)

·       ANOMALISA (d. Charlie Kaufman, U.S., 2015)

·       BEAST OF NO NATION (d. Cary Fukunaga, U.S., 2015)

·       HE NAMED ME MALALA (d. Davis Guggenheim, U.S., 2015)

·       STEVE JOBS (d. Danny Boyle, U.S., 2015)

·       IXCANUL (d. Jayro Bustamante, Guatemala, 2015)

·       BITTER LAKE (d. Adam Curtis, U.K., 2015)

·       ROOM (d. Lenny Abrahamson, England, 2015)

·       BLACK MASS (d. Scott Cooper, U.S., 2015)

·       SUFFRAGETTE (d. Sarah Gavron, U.K., 2015)

·       SPOTLIGHT (d. Tom McCarthy, U.S., 2015)

·       RAMS (d. Grímur Hákonarson, Iceland, 2015)

·       MOM AND ME (d. Ken Wardrop, Ireland, 2015)

·       VIVA (d. Paddy Breathnach, Ireland, 2015)

·       TAJ MAJAL (d. Nicolas Saada, France-India, 2015)

·       SITI (d. Eddie Cahyono, Indonesia, 2015)

·       HEART OF THE DOG (d. Laurie Anderson, U.S. 2014)

·       45 YEARS (d. Andrew Haigh, England, 2015)

·       SON OF SAUL (d. Lázló Nemes, Hungary, 2015)

·       ONLY THE DEAD (d. Michael Ware, Bill Guttentag, U.S.- Australia, 2015)

·       TAXI (d. Jafar Panahi, Iran, 2015)

·       HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT (d. Kent Jones, U.S., 2015)

·       TIME TO CHOOSE (d. Charles Ferguson, U.S., 2015)

·       MARGUERITE (d. Xavier Giannoli, France, 2015)

·       TIKKUN (d. Avishai Sivan, Israel, 2015)

·       WINTER ON FIRE: UKRAINE’S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM (d. Evgeny Afineevsky, Russia-Ukraine, 2015)

Additional Sneak Previews may play outside the main program and will be announced through the Telluride Film Festival website over the course of the four-day weekend. Visit the TFF website for updates: www.telluridefilmfestival.org.

The 2015 Silver Medallion Awards, given to recognize an artist’s significant contribution to the world of cinema, go to filmmaker Danny Boyle (TRAINSPOTTING, SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE) who will present his latest film, STEVE JOBS; documentary filmmaker Adam Curtis (THE POWER OF NIGHTMARES) who will present his latest work, BITTER LAKE; and actress Rooney Mara (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO) who will present CAROL. Films will be shown following the on-stage interview and medallion presentation.

“We are thrilled to present such an exhilarating, diverse program for the 42^nd Telluride Film Festival,” said executive director Julie Huntsinger. “This year was an abundance of riches, particularly within the documentary category, and we feel privileged to celebrate these films and their artists with our audience in one of the most beautiful locations in the world.”

Guest Director Rachel Kushner, who serves as a key collaborator in the Festival’s program, presents the following revival programs:

·       THE MOTHER AND THE WHORE (d. Jean Eustache, France, 1973)

·       MES PETITES AMOUREUSES (d. Jean Eustache, France, 1974)

·       WAKE IN FRIGHT (d. Ted Kotcheff, Australia, 1971)

·       COCKSUCKER BLUES (d. Robert Frank, U.S., 1979)

·        A DAY IN THE COUNTRY (d. Jean Renoir, France, 1936) + UNCLE YANCO (d. Agnès Varda, France, 1967)

·       THE MATTEI AFFAIR (d. Francesco Rosi, Italy, 1972)

Additional film revival programs include DIE NIBELUNGEN (d. Fritz Lang, Germany, 1924) presented by Pordenone Silent Film Festival; L’INHUMAINE (d. Marcel L’Herbier, France, 1924) with the Alloy Orchestra; RETOUR DE FLAMME, a collection of short films curated by Serge Bromberg; and RESTORING NAPOLEON with Georges Mourier who is currently overseeing the six-and-half-hour restoration of the film for Cinémathèque Francaise.

Backlot, Telluride’s intimate screening room featuring behind-the-scenes movies and portraits of artists, musicians and filmmakers, will screen the following nine programs:

·       CINEMA: A PUBLIC AFFAIR (d. Tatiana Brandrup, Russia, 2015)

·       THE CENTURY OF THE SELF (d. Adam Curtis, U.K., 2002)

·       INGRID BERGMAN – IN HER OWN WORDS (d. Stig Björkman, Sweden, 2015)

·       IN THE SHADOW OF THE GREAT OAKS (d. George Mourier, France, 2005)

·       PEGGY GUGGENHEIM: ART ADDICT (d. Lisa Immordino Vreeland, U.S., 2015)

·       SEMBENE! (d. Samba Gadjigo, Jason Silverman, U.S.-Senegal, 2015)

·       DREAMING AGAINST THE WORLD (d. Tim Sternberg, Francisco Bello, U.S., 2015) + TYRUS (Pamela Tom, U.S., 2015)

Telluride Film Festival annually celebrates a hero of cinema that preserves, honors and presents great movies. The 2015 Special Medallion award goes to Participant Media. Jonathan King and Diane Weyermann will be presented the award prior to a screening of HE NAMED ME MALALA. Other Participant Media films in the festival include SPOTLIGHT and BEASTS OF NO NATION.

Telluride Film Festival’s SHOWcase for Shorts features eight short films chosen to precede select feature films; Filmmakers of Tomorrow includes three programs: Student Prints, Great Expectations, and Calling Cards from nineteen emerging filmmakers.

Telluride Film Festival’s Student Programs present students the opportunity to experience film as an art and expand participants’ worldview through film screenings and filmmaker discussions. The Student Symposium provides 50 graduate and undergraduate college students with a weekend-long immersion in cinema. The City Lights Project brings 15 high school students and five teachers from three schools the opportunity to participate in a concentrated program of screenings and discussions. FilmLAB offers a master-class program for UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television graduate filmmaking students. The Roger Ebert/TFF University Seminars give university professors and students the opportunity to travel to the Festival each year to participate in special programming and to attend screenings throughout the weekend. The newly implemented FilmSCHOLAR program gives young film scholars and aspiring critics the opportunity to immerse themselves in a weekend of cinema and learn from some of the best in the field. Created in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin.

Telluride Film Festival’s Talking Heads programs allow attendees to go behind the scenes with the Festival’s special guests. Six Conversations take place between Festival guests and the audience about cinema and culture, and three outdoor Noon Seminars feature a panel of Festival guests discussing a wide range of film topics. These programs are free and open to the public.

Additional Festivities will take place throughout the Festival including Book Signings with Emma Donaghue (Room), and Guest Director Rachel Kushner (The Flamethrowers); and a special outdoor screening of SHERPA (d. Jennifer Peedom, Australia, 2015) will play on Friday evening.

Corporate support at Telluride Film Festival plays an essential role in the life of the Festival and underscores the Festival’s commitment to quality, adventure and distinction in the art of cinema. TFF is privileged to collaborate with some of the world’s most renowned consumer and entertainment brands. This year we are thrilled to welcome new Premier Sponsor The Guardian, a global force in quality, independent media coverage, who will sponsor the Festival’s Noon Seminars, featuring filmmakers and actors in discussion about their projects, and the Festival’s closing celebration, the Labor Day Picnic.

“The festival could not be more proud to partner with the Guardian, an international voice, that shares the same values that our organization works hard to preserve,” said Huntsinger.

We also welcome the sleek, fast, all-electric Tesla Model S to town. A fleet will be on display and available to test drive during the festival.

We are extremely proud of our committed relationships, each of which are aligned with a unique feature of the festival and contribute to enhancing the festival experience, including Signature Sponsors: Turner Classic Movies, EY, Meyer Sound, National Endowment for the Arts, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association; Major Sponsors: Universal Studios, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Américas Film Conservancy; and Festival Sponsors The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Vimeo, The London West Hollywood, Dolby, Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media, Teatulia Organic Teas, Shopkeep POS, Telluride Alpine Lodging, New Sheridan Hotel, Dell and Boston Light and Sound, among others. We welcome new media partners Entertainment Weekly and Travel+Leisure. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will also feature highlights from the Telluride Collection at The Academy Archive.

The 42nd Telluride Film Festival’s program will be posted in its entirety at 12:00 noon on Thursday, September 3, 2015. Visit www.telluridefilmfestival.org to download the Program Guide.

Film stills and Festival images available upon request. Email shannon@telluridefilmfestival.org for more information.

About Telluride Film Festival

The prestigious Telluride Film Festival ranks among the world’s best film festivals and is an annual gathering for film industry insiders, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and critics. TFF is considered a major launching ground for the fall season’s most talked-about films. Founded in 1974, Telluride Film Festival, presented in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, is a four-day international educational event celebrating the art of film. Telluride Film Festival’s long-standing commitment is to join filmmakers and film connoisseurs together to experience great cinema. The exciting schedule, kept secret until Opening Day, consists of over two dozen filmmakers presenting their newest works, special Guest Director programs, three major Tributes to guest artists, special events and remarkable treasures from the past. Telluride Film Festival is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit educational program. Festival headquarters are in Berkeley, CA.

About Our Sponsors

Telluride Film Festival is supported by Premier Sponsor: The Guardian, Signature Sponsors: Turner Classic Movies, EY, Meyer Sound, National Endowment for the Arts, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, Major Sponsors: Universal Studios, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Américas Film Conservancy, and Festival Sponsors: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Vimeo, Entertainment Weekly, The London West Hollywood, Dolby, Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media, Teatulia Organic Teas, Shopkeep POS, Telluride Alpine Lodging, New Sheridan Hotel, Dell and Boston Light and Sound, among others.