Telluride Film Fest: Film Lineup for Cancelled 2020 Event; Insider Thoughts!

05 Aug Telluride Film Fest: Film Lineup for Cancelled 2020 Event; Insider Thoughts!

The Telluride Film Festival,presented by the National Film Preserve, released its official program as of Tuesday, August 4. Below are selections for the now-cancelled event. (Go here for more on that.) For further information about Telluride Film Festival, please contact Shannon Mitchell, SVP Public Relations at shannon@telluridefilmfestival.org.

And to better understand what happened behind the scenes, Rebecca Keegan’s overview, (including an interview with TFF’s director Julie Huntsinger), for The Hollywood Reporter is a must-read. Go here.

The Festival, whose ethos is to bring together film enthusiasts, filmmakers and artists to celebrate cinematic excellence, was scheduled to take place over Labor Day weekend, September 3-7, 2020. The Festival previously announced its cancellation due to the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Representing 25 countries, the Festival’s program includes 29 new narrative and documentary feature films and 23 shorts. In addition, the Festival chose 3 distinguished artists to receive its Silver Medallion Award.

“Though we aren’t able to present our program in-person as planned, we still want to announce the lineup to bring attention to these brilliant films,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger. “We’ve listed everything we know about screening opportunities so that audiences can watch as many of these films as possible. The Festival will continue to do everything in its power to champion and promote this art form and the people who create it.”

Telluride Film Festival is proud to have selected the following new narrative and documentary feature films for its main program.

THE SHOW

AFTER LOVE (dir. Aleem Khan, UK, 89 min)

ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY (dir. Liz Garbus, Lisa Cortés, USA, 102 min)
How to watch: In select theaters Sept. 9, available to stream on Amazon Prime Video Sept. 18

THE ALPINIST (dir. Peter Mortimer, Nick Rosen, USA, 92 min)
How to watch: Follow @redbulldocs for screening updates

AMMONITE (dir. Francis Lee, UK, 117 min)
How to watch: Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-19)

ANDREY TARKOVSKY. A CINEMA PRAYER (dir. Andrey A. Tarkovsky, Italy-Russian Federation-Sweden, 97 min)

APPLES (dir. Christos Nikou, Greece-Poland-Slovenia, 90 min)
How to watch: Venice Film Festival (Sept. 2-12)

THE AUTOMAT (dir. Lisa Hurwitz, USA, 79 min)
How to watch: follow at Facebook.com/THEAUTOMATthemovie for screening updates

THE BEE GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART (dir. Frank Marshall, USA, 111 min)

CHARLATAN (dir. Agnieszka Holland, Czech Republic-Ireland-Poland-Slovakia, 118 min)
How to watch: screening at the now in-progress Transilvania International Film Festival

CONCRETE COWBOY (dir. Ricky Staub, USA, 111 min)
How to watch: Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-19)

DEAR MR. BRODY (dir. Keith Maitland, USA, 97 min)

THE DUKE (dir. Roger Michell, UK, 96 min)
How to watch: Venice Film Festival (Sept. 2-12), theatrical release Spring 2021

THE FATHER (dir. Florian Zeller, UK-France, 97 min)
How to watch: Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-19)

FIREBALL: VISITORS FROM DARKER WORLDS (dir. Werner Herzog, Clive Oppenheimer, UK-USA, 97 min)
How to watch: Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-19), Stream on Apple+ (date TBD)

IBRAHIM (dir. Samir Guesmi, France, 84 min)
How to watch: French release Dec. 9

MAINSTREAM (dir. Gia Coppola, USA, 94 min)
How to watch: Venice Film Festival (Sept. 2-12)

MANDIBULES (dir. Quentin Dupieux, France, 77 min)
How to watch: Venice Film Festival (Sept. 2-12); French release Dec. 2

MLK/FBI (dir. Sam Pollard, USA, 104 min)
How to watch: Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-19)

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BOY IN THE WORLD (dir. Kristina Lindström, Kristian Petri, Sweden, 93 min)

NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN (dir. Małgorzata Szumowska, co-dir. Michał Englert, Poland-Germany, 113 min)
How to watch: Venice Film Festival (Sept. 2-12)

NOMADLAND (dir. Chloé Zhao, USA, 108 min)
How to watch: Venice Film Festival (Sept. 2-12), Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-19), Telluride From Los Angeles Drive-In Screening (Sept. 11), New York Film Festival (Sept. 25-Oct. 11), theatrical release Fall 2020.

NOTTURNO (dir. Gianfranco Rosi, Italy-France-Germany, 100 min)
How to watch: Venice Film Festival (Sept. 2-12), Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 10-19)

PRAY AWAY (dir. Kristine Stolakis, USA, 101 min)

THERE IS NO EVIL (dir. Mohammad Rasoulof, Germany-Iran, 152 min)
How to watch: theatrical and virtual release at www.KinoMarquee.com by end of 2020

TO THE MOON (dir. Tadhg O’Sullivan, Ireland, 76 min)
How to watch: Venice Days Film Festival (Sept. 2-12)

TORN (dir. Max Lowe, USA, 92 min)

THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS (dir. Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, Italy-USA-Greece, 84 min)

TRUMAN & TENNESSEE: AN INTIMATE CONVERSATION (dir. Lisa Immordino Vreeland, USA, 86 min)

THE WAY I SEE IT (dir. Dawn Porter, USA, 100 min)

“Despite everything, 2020 has turned out to be another incredibly strong year for film,” added Huntsinger. “We were able to consider everything we’d hoped to. We love this program and the way it reflects this fascinating moment in domestic and international cinema, as well as life.”

SILVER MEDALLION AWARDS

The honorees chosen for the 2020 Silver Medallion Awards, which recognize artists’ significant contributions to the world of cinema, are Academy Award-winning actor Sir Anthony Hopkins (THE FATHER), Academy Award-winning actress Kate Winslet (AMMONITE), and critically acclaimed director, screenwriter and producer Chloé Zhao (NOMADLAND).

Telluride Film Festival’s shorts program includes a long shorts program; Student Prints, curated by Academy Award nominated writer, director, producer Gregory Nava; Calling Cards; and Great Expectations, both curated by Academy Award-winning writer, director, producer Barry Jenkins.

LONG SHORTS

THE LETTER ROOM (dir. Elvira Lind, USA, 32 min)
How to watch: coming soon to topic.com

LINDA AND THE MOCKINGBIRDS (dir. James Keach, USA, 40 min)
How to watch: visit https://www.lindaandthemockingbirds.com for film updates

PAWS IN PRISON (dir. Bill Guttentag, USA, 31 min)

THE TOXIC PIGS OF FUKUSHIMA (dir. Otto Bell, Japan-USA, 35 min)
How to watch: Rhode Island International Film Festival (Aug. 4-9), Docs Without Borders Film Festival

WHEN WE WERE BULLIES (dir. Jay Rosenblatt, USA, 36 min)
How to watch: visit https://www.jayrosenblattfilms.com for film updates

STUDENT PRINTS

BORDER (dir. Shu Zhu, Ino Yang Popper, AFI, USA, 4 min)
How to watch: stream at https://www.inoyangpopper.com/work/border

FOREVER (dir. Mitch McGlocklin, USC, USA, 7 min)
How to watch: visit www.mitch.cool for film updates

METAMORPHOSIS (dir. Xi Wang, USC, USA, 4 min)
How to watch: visit https://www.jakexwang.com/metamorphosis for film updates

PEEPS (dir. Sophie Somerville, Victorian College of the Arts, Australia, 17 min)
How to watch: screen at sophiesomerville.com/peeps

SILENTO (dir. Esteban García Vernaza, Columbia University, Colombia, 11 min)
How to watch: will screen online at the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival (Aug. 27-Sept. 6)

SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN (dir. Fany de la Chica, Columbia University, Spain, 13 min)
How to watch: screen at https://vimeo.com/302953733/271561fba8

UNDER THE HEAVENS (SEIVA BRUTA) (dir. Gustavo Milan, NYU, Brazil, 17 min)
How to watch: Rhode Island International Film Festival (Aug. 4-9), RIIFF virtual screening at http://www.film-festival.org (Aug. 4-16), screen at www.nanuchafilms.com

VIKTOR ON THE MOON (dir. Christian Arhoff, National Film School of Denmark, Denmark, 28 min)

“The Student Prints program is always exciting and surprising, discovering the fresh new voices in cinema today,” said Academy Award-nominated writer, director, producer Gregory Nava. “This year’s program features diverse filmmakers from around the globe. From the heartbreaking story of a Venezuelan refugee, to a surreal trip by Australian schoolgirls at a shopping mall, to the harrowing story of two young indigenous sisters escaping violence in Colombia, to a delightful comedy of a chubby, shy, nerd seeking some kind of human connection in modern-day Denmark, these films are dramatic, humorous, poignant and moving, showing that the future of cinema is in good hands.”

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

DA YIE (dir. Anthony Nti, Belgium-Ghana, 20 min)
How to watch: Brussels Short Film Festival (Sept. 2-12), Off-Courts Trouville (Sept. 4-12), DC Shorts Film Festival (Sept. 10-23), Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Sept. 16-27), screen online https://vimeo.com/ondemand/dayieshortfilm

GRAMERCY (dir. Jamil McGinnis, Pat Heywood, USA, 23 min)
How to watch: will screen online at the Locarno Film Festival (Aug. 9-15)

UNFORGIVABLE (dir. Marlén Viñayo, El Salvador, 36 min)
How to watch: DMZ Docs (Sept. 17-24)

CALLING CARDS

BENJAMIN, BENNY, BEN (dir. Paul Shkordoff, Canada, 7 min)

BITTU (dir. Karishma Dev Dube, India-USA, 17 min)
How to watch: Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia (Sept. 16-27), visit https://www.facebook.com/bittushortfilm/ for film updates

COMMUNITY GARDENS (dir. Vytautas Katkus, Lithuania, 15 min)
How to watch: La Guarimba Film Festival (Aug. 7-12), Minikino Film Week (Sept. 4-12), visit https://www.lightsonfilm.com/communitygardens.html for film updates

DAVID (dir. Zachary Woods, USA, 11 min)

I, JULIA (dir. Arvin Kananian, Sweden, 14 min)

LEAVE OF ABSENCE (dir. Anton Sazonov, Russian Federation, 12 min)
How to watch: visit antonsazonov.com for film updates

THE LOST ASTRONAUT (dir. Ben Proudfoot, USA, 13 min)
How to watch: screen at https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/100000006865864/almost-famous-the-lost-astronaut.html

“Despite the fog of madness that’s pervaded the lives of everyone inhabiting this spinning rock we call home, this year’s Filmmakers of Tomorrow program is proof positive that both life and The Show will indeed go on,” said Academy Award-winning writer, director, producer Barry Jenkins. “Spanning numerous continents and forms and stylings, the group of shorts submitted to this year’s festival was just as fine as ever and, to my delight, incredibly representative of the madness swirling in this most radical of times. As we move forward from the ashes of upheaval with a renewed focus on the shared experiences that unite us, this fantastic group of shorts illustrates that the ‘empathy machine of cinema’ is alive and well.”

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.