Telluride Film Fest: Poster for 49th Edition

01 Mar Telluride Film Fest: Poster for 49th Edition

The Telluride Film Festival (TFF, September 2- 6, 2021) presents its 2021 Festival poster, designed by Meow Wolf’s Luke Dorman. Posters are available for purchase now on the TFF website at www.telluridefilmfestival.org.

Luke Dorman is the Lead Graphic Designer at Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company that creates immersive, interactive experiences.

Dorman current focus is on design for Meow Wolf Denver, a permanent 4-story immersive experience opening in late 2021. Over the past 15 years, he has maintained a creative practice that straddles fine art, graphic design, and illustration. His contemporary and experimental approach to design work has led him to be recognized by Print, Communication Arts, the Society for Typographic Arts, GDUSA, among others. Prior to joining Meow Wolf, Dorman worked in design education and carries his passion for teaching, mentorship and community building into his work today.

Dorman began his design for the TFF poster by drawing a large assortment of shapes that functioned as a library from which he could pull forms and then let the work develop as he moved things around on the computer. All the shapes for the Telluride Film Festival poster were inspired by classic movie theater marquees and film equipment. As he started thinking what configurations he could make, a film projector seemed to make the most sense: something recognizable, but also something that would give him the freedom to play around. Dorman wanted to do something wild, colorful and celebratory because it felt like a good fit with the spirit of the Festival and also because he felt like we are all ready for a healthy dose of “positive vibes” right now.

“Oddly enough, my first encounter with Meow Wolf was actually when they submitted work to a micro-cinema film festival that I used to run, and they won the top prize. So, in some ways, this isn’t the first collision of Meow Wolf and the film world that I’ve been a part of,” Dorman said.

He goes on to say, “Of course, I jumped at the chance to represent Meow Wolf as the poster artist for the 48th Telluride Film Festival. It’s a true honor to be able to work on behalf of these two beacons of creative innovation and expression. But it’s also sort of twice as much pressure working as part of the legacy of all the great artists who have contributed to Telluride Film Festival posters and all the great artists who make up Meow Wolf.”

Meow Wolf, more:

Meow Wolf was recognized in Fast Company’s 2020 list of The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies. It is a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company that creates immersive, interactive experiences to transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. The company’s first location in Santa Fe opened in 2016 and showcases the THEA Award-winning, international sensation, House Of Eternal Return, where two million visitors have now discovered a multidimensional mystery house with secret passages, portals to magical worlds, and surreal, maximalist and mesmerizing art exhibits.

In 2019, Meow Wolf expanded beyond Santa Fe and opened Kaleidoscape, the world’s first artist-driven ride at Elitch Gardens in Denver.

Meow Wolf recently opened their second permanent installation, Omega Mart, at AREA15 in Las Vegas and a third permanent installation in Denver slated to open in late 2021.

Meow Wolf is proud to be the only certified B-Corporation in the themed entertainment industry, with a team dedicated to social impact and building a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

“We are HUGE fans of Meow Wolf, and Luke Dorman,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger. “His poster is a gorgeous piece of art – for both the short and long term. It’s the perfect escape from pandemic life, right this minute. With its happy, vibrant colors and design, it creates a glorious fantasy refuge. And it will bring joy and inspiration long into the future. We’re delighted to celebrate art and film, in full color, together again in the mountains of Colorado this September.”

Posters are an annual tradition of the Festival. Dorman joins a prestigious list of artists who have been selected by, and who have shared their talents with Telluride Film Festival. Past poster artists include Yann Legendre, Laurent Durieux, Christian Marclay, Dean Tavoularis, Ed Ruscha, John Mansfield, Julian Schnabel, Dottie Attie, Doug and Mike Starn, David Lance Goines, Chuck Jones, David Salle, Alexis Smith, Jim Dine, Seymour Chwast, Frederic Amat, Francesco Clemente, Dave McKean, Gary Larson, Chip Kidd, John Canemaker, Mark Stock, Laurie Anderson, William Wegman, Ralph Eggleston, Maira Kalman, Dave Eggers, Lance Rutter and Edwina White.

About the 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.

About TFF Sponsors:

Telluride Film Festival is supported by Signature Sponsors: Turner Classic Movies, Meyer Sound; Major Sponsors: Netflix, Amazon Studios, Participant, Universal Studios, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; Festival Sponsors: The Criterion Collection, Dolby, Dell Technologies; SHOW Sponsors: Telluride Ski & Golf Resort, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association; Hospitality Partners: Telluride Alpine Lodging, Madeline Hotel & Residences – Auberge Resorts Collection, New Sheridan Hotel; plus Spectrum, Seghesio Family Vineyards, the Town of Telluride and the Commission for Community Assistance, Arts and Special Events, Colorado Creative Industries among others.