47th Telluride Film Fest Cancelled; Pass Info, Respond by 8/3!

24 Jul 47th Telluride Film Fest Cancelled; Pass Info, Respond by 8/3!

Presented by the National Film Preserve, the Telluride Film Festival (TFF) recently released a letter officially cancelling the 47th edition of the event celebrated internationally for its dedication to the art, not the business, of filmmaking. TFF 2020 was originally scheduled for Labor Day Weekend, September 3-7.

Please note: If TFF does not hear from you by Monday, August 3, then your pass (or passes) will be considered a donation to the National Film Preserve. A gift to our 501(c)3 non-profit arts and education organization is deeply meaningful as we work together to get through this Covid-19 pandemic crisis. In that case a tax deduction letter will be sent for your records. And please remember, your generosity supports the work we do 12 months a year to support film and filmmakers.

Scroll down for detailed pass options.

“After months of intense due diligence around physically holding an event, we’ve come to the heartbreaking, but unanimous conclusion to cancel this year’s Labor Day celebration of film in Telluride,” the statement says. “But with a seemingly unending number of new cases of Covid-19 and the national chaos around it, even the best strategy is threatened by this out- of-control environment.”

The Telluride Film Festival plans to release its lineup in the near future in order to highlight what it says is “the best in film this year,” and hopes its audience will have the opportunity to see the films at other major fall festivals including NYFF, TIFF and Venice.

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 just before Opening Day, consists of over three dozen filmmakers presenting their newest works, special Guest Director programs, 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.

Full statement from TFF’s front office follows:

After months of intense due diligence around physically holding an event, we’ve come to the heartbreaking but unanimous conclusion to cancel this year’s Labor Day celebration of film in Telluride.

While there will be those who might say they’re not surprised by it, that this was inevitable, we beg to differ. It didn’t have to be this way. Until the past week or so, we had a very good plan to put on the SHOW safely. But with a seemingly unending number of new cases of Covid-19 and the national chaos around it, even the best strategy is threatened by this out-of-control environment. No matter how much many of us wear our masks and observe social distancing protocols, the pandemic has worsened rather than improved and the health and safety of you – our pass-holders, filmmakers, the people of Telluride and its surrounding areas – cannot be compromised.

As you may know, we have been working cooperatively with our fellow fall film festival partners to champion global cinema and its artists. We hope that many of you will seek out and discover the titles we’ve selected for this year’s program at the New York Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, or Venice Film Festival, or when these movies are made available on a wider basis.

We will announce soon what we have carefully programmed in the hopes that you will experience as we did, the best in film this year. There are some incredible, powerful, and beautiful gems and we’re excited to extol their virtues when the time is right. Follow these titles, support them. We intend to champion them outside of the festival as best we can.

For those who have supported us and believe in what we are trying to do, our gratitude is enormous. Thank you. We will need you in the coming months in many ways. Let’s light candles now to conjure a better 2021 and Labor Day weekend in Telluride, together, under the stars in the mountains doing what many of us love the most. The way we prefer to experience cinema will return.

Let’s make it so.

We wish you good health, peace and may we collectively move forward to a better world.

We understand that film festivals and their long-term health are not top of mind today. A safe vaccine, vital medical interventions for those sick and properly enforced health regulations are. However, we do ask that you take this moment to consider a world where gathering around a shared love of culture is no longer possible and what that means for the psychological condition of the world. If the prospect prompts a sense of despair, please advocate and champion the return of our gatherings that provide vital nourishment and oxygen to humanity’s soul.

Telluride Film Fest pass options:

You can donate the value of your pass to The National Film Preserve which works year-round to keep the cinematic arts alive (we operate the now temporarily closed Nugget Theater, with a year-round lease and operations obligation) and is dedicated to keeping a light on whether a Festival takes place or not.  We are deeply grateful to those of you who have already recognized this effort by turning your 2020 pass payment (either full or partial) into a tax-deductible donation.  It is a great relief as we chart our course for the very uncertain coming months.

If you plan to join us again next year, all things going our way in 2021, you can roll your pass over.

If your circumstances require that you need a refund, we will provide one for the pass amount paid less a 4% fee to cover expenses associated with your credit card transaction.