28 Aug Telluride Film Festival: Program Announced for 52nd Edition!
Presented by the National Film Preserve, the Telluride Film Festival (TFF) announces its official program selections for the 52nd Telluride Film Festival (TFF). TFF’s 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.
The 51st Telluride Film Festival takes place Friday, August 29 through Monday, September 1, 2025.
Go here for more about the Telluride Film Festival (back to 2009).
The 52nd Telluride Film Festival is proud to present the following new feature films and episodic works to play in its main program, the SHOW:
• A PRIVATE LIFE (d. Rebecca Zlotowski, France, 2025)
• ASK E. JEAN (d. Ivy Meeropol, U.S., 2025)
• BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER (d. Edward Berger, Hong Kong/Macau, 2025)
• BLUE MOON (d. Richard Linklater, U.S./Ireland, 2025)
• BUGONIA (d. Yorgos Lanthimos, U.K., 2025)
• COVER-UP (d. Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, U.S., 2025)
• EVERYWHERE MAN: THE LIVES AND TIMES OF PETER ASHER (d. Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller, U.S./U.K., 2025)
• GHOST ELEPHANTS (d. Werner Herzog, Angola/Namibia/U.S., 2025)
• H IS FOR HAWK (d. Philippa Lowthorpe, U.K./U.S., 2025)
• HAMLET (d. Aneil Karia, U.K., 2025)
• HAMNET (d. Chloé Zhao, U.K., 2025)
• HIGHWAY 99 A DOUBLE ALBUM (d. Ethan Hawke, U.S., 2025)
• IF I HAD LEGS I’D KICK YOU (d. Mary Bronstein, U.S., 2025)
• IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT (d. Jafar Panahi, Iran/France/Luxembourg, 2025)
• JAY KELLY (d. Noah Baumbach, Italy/U.K./U.S., 2025)
• KARL (d. Nick Hooker, U.K., 2025)
• LA GRAZIA (d. Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, 2025)
• LOST IN THE JUNGLE (d. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Juan Camilo Cruz, U.S./Colombia, 2025)
• LUMIÈRE, LE CINÉMA (d. Thierry Frémaux, France, 2024)
• MAN ON THE RUN (d. Morgan Neville, U.S., 2025)
• NOUVELLE VAGUE (d. Richard Linklater, France, 2025)
• PILLION (d. Harry Lighton, U.K., 2025)
• SENTIMENTAL VALUE (d. Joachim Trier, Norway/France/Denmark/Germany, 2025)
• SHIFTY (d. Adam Curtis, U.K., 2025)
• SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE (d. Scott Cooper, U.S., 2025)
• SUMMER TOUR (d. Mischa Richter, U.S., 2025)
• THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION (d. Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, David Schmidt, U.S., 2025)
• THE BEND IN THE RIVER (d. Robb Moss, U.S., 2025)
• THE CYCLE OF LOVE (d. Orlando von Einsiedel, U.K./India/Sweden, 2025)
• THE HISTORY OF SOUND (d. Oliver Hermanus, U.S., 2025)
• THE MASTERMIND (d. Kelly Reichardt, U.S., 2025)
• THE NEW YORKER AT 100 (d. Marshall Curry, U.S., 2025)
• THE RESERVE (d. Pablo Pérez Lombardini, Mexico/Qatar, 2025)
• THE SECRET AGENT (d. Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil/France/Netherlands/Germany, 2025)
• THIS IS NOT A DRILL (d. Oren Jacoby, U.S., 2025)
• TUNER (d. Daniel Roher, U.S./Canada, 2025)
• URCHIN (d. Harris Dickinson, U.K., 2025)
The following short films will screen in the main program:
• ALL THE EMPTY ROOMS (d. Joshua Seftel, U.S., 2025)
• ALL THE WALLS CAME DOWN (d. Ondi Timoner, U.S., 2025)
• LAST DAYS ON LAKE TRINITY (d. Charlotte Cooley, U.S., 2025)
• SALLIE’S ASHES (d. Brennan Robideaux, U.S., 2025)
• SONG OF MY CITY (d. David C. Roberts, U.S., 2025)
Each year Telluride Film Festival pays tribute to individuals whose artistry has significantly contributed to the art of cinema. The 2025 Silver Medallion will be presented to Oscar-nominated writer/director Noah Baumbach (with JAY KELLY); Oscar-nominated actor/writer/director Ethan Hawke (with BLUE MOON, HIGHWAY 99 A DOUBLE ALBUM); and award-winning Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (with IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT). Programs will include a compilation of clips, an on-stage interview and a screening of the recipient’s new work.
Telluride Film Festival is proud to announce Emmy- and Academy Award–winning producer and filmmaker Ezra Edelman as this year’s Guest Director. A cherished Festival tradition, the Guest Director program invites a distinguished artist to curate a special selection of films, offering audiences a fresh lens through which to explore cinema history.
Edelman, acclaimed for his Academy Award–winning documentary O.J.: MADE IN AMERICA, brings his distinctive voice and passion for storytelling to the Festival with a handpicked selection of films. His curated program is presented in partnership with Turner Classic Movies (TCM), the Festival’s proud sponsor of the Guest Director section this year.
• ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (d. Alan J. Pakula, U.S., 1976)
• MALCOLM X (d. Spike Lee, U.S., 1992)
• NETWORK (d. Sidney Lumet, U.S., 1976)
• RASHOMON (d. Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1950)
• THE INSIDER (d. Michael Mann, U.S., 1999)
“It is almost impossible to detect themes across culture at the moment given the absolutely fractured nature of our world,” remarks Festival director Julie Huntsinger. “Certainly, filmmakers are talking about myriad subjects. At Telluride though, there always seems to be a thread of beautiful humanism in the stories told and this year is no different. At the heart of every one of them is the essence of humanity that is profoundly illuminating and beautiful, even if they’re also heartbreaking. We’re thrilled with what these filmmakers are sharing and proud to welcome back some old friends as well as new voices. Long live cinema, long live the theatrical experience.”
TFF annually celebrates a hero of cinema who preserves, honors, and presents important, meaningful films. British Producer Tessa Ross will be recognized with the Festival’s Special Medallion, at the presentation of BALLAD OF A SMALL PLAYER.
We are delighted to welcome new sponsor Google to Telluride Film Festival’s shorts section, Filmmakers of Tomorrow, which includes Student Prints, screening six films from the best in student-produced work from around the globe; and Calling Cards, screening 10 exceptional new works by promising filmmakers.
Telluride Film Festival’s Education Programs present students with the opportunity to experience film as an art form and to expand participants’ worldviews through film screenings and filmmaker discussions, including:
• Student Symposium – an immersive seminar for graduate and undergraduate students, underwritten by Golden Globes Foundation
• City Lights Project – pairing high school students and teachers with Festival films and guests, made possible by the Artemis Rising Foundation
• FilmLAB – leading filmmakers meet with American Film Institute Fellows
• FilmSCHOLAR – program for young critics and scholars in partnership with University of Wisconsin
Backlot, Telluride’s intimate screening room featuring behind-the-scenes movies and portraits of artists, musicians and filmmakers will screen the following programs, all free and open to the public:
• ALL I HAD WAS NOTHINGNESS (d. Guillaume Ribot, France, 2025)
• CAROL & JOY (d. Nathan Silver, U.S., 2025)
• CHAPLIN: SPIRIT OF THE TRAMP (d. Carmen Chaplin, Spain/U.K./Netherlands, 2024)
• EARTH TO MICHAEL (d. Nico López-Alegría, ZZ, U.S., 2025)
• ELIE WIESEL: SOUL ON FIRE (d. Oren Rudavsky, U.S., 2024)
• KING HAMLET (d. Elvira Lind, U.S./Denmark, 2025)
• MEGADOC (d. Mike Figgis, U.S./U.K., 2025)
• SHOOTING (d. Netalie Braun, Israel, 2025)
• THE GOLDEN SPURTLE (d. Constantine Costi, U.K./Australia, 2025)
• THEIR EYES (d. Nicolas Gourault, France, 2025)
Telluride Film Festival’s Talking Heads programs allow attendees to go behind the scenes with the Festival’s special guests. The Conversations series, sponsored by Indian Paintbrush, is devoted to cinema and culture. The outdoor Noon Seminars feature a panel of guests discussing a wide range of film topics. These programs are free and open to the public.
Special Screenings and Festivities include:
• CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS 3D 2025: Restoration and Recreation (d. Werner Herzog, France/Canada/U.S./U.K./Germany, 2010)
• LEARNING TO FLY (d. Max Lowe, U.S./France/Switzerland/Italy/China/Hong Kong, 2025)
• STEAL THIS STORY, PLEASE! (d. Carl Dean, Tia Lessin, U.S., 2025)
• 4K restoration of THE GOLD RUSH (d. Charles Chaplin, U.S., 1925)
• The New Yorker At 100: A Gallery Exhibition, a curation of cinema-inspired cover art and cartoons from The New Yorker’s iconic archives
• Festival Poster Signing with Daniel Clowes
• Truth Be Told: Journalism and Filmmaking in the 21st Century, a Special Panel presented by Turner Classic Movies
• Behind The Lens: AI and Filmmaking, presented by Google
• The SHOW App, sponsored by CRITERION
• Audi Drive Experiences, all weekend
TFF is honored to feature some of the world’s most renowned consumer and entertainment brands and to engage a vibrant philanthropic community of passionate and committed donors. Together, they play a dynamic role in the life of the Festival and underscore TFF’s commitment to quality, adventure, and distinction in the art of cinema. With great excitement TFF welcomes to the SHOW new major partners, Barco, with all screenings at the Palm Theater presented in stunning Laser by Barco projection, goodr supporting our hardworking SHOWcorps community, and HOKA enhancing the Labor Day Picnic. We are deeply appreciative of our many continuing partnerships including Audi as Exclusive Automotive Partner, Mandarin Oriental as Worldwide Hospitality Partner, MUBI at the Sheridan Opera House, National Geographic Documentary Films at the Chuck Jones Cinema plus sponsoring the Opening Night Feed, Panavision as Festival Camera, and we remain exceptionally proud to enjoy Meyer Sound’s extraordinary audio experience at the Galaxy, a venue sponsored by Amazon MGM Studios, and the Werner Herzog Theatre, sponsored by Netflix.
“We are filled with gratitude for the many enduring partnerships and passionate individuals who have shaped our journey and are delighted to welcome inspiring new collaborators into the Telluride Film Festival family,” says Huntsinger. “As we launch the 52nd edition, the generosity of our corporate, institutional, and philanthropic supporters continues to guide our way forward. With major construction now in motion on our permanent home in the historic Nugget Building, our capital campaign is entering its most vital stretch.”
The Nugget Project represents a bold new chapter for the Telluride Film Festival, ensuring that the art of cinema and the joy of gathering in theaters will thrive well into the future. This landmark initiative will establish a year-round cultural home at the historic Nugget Building—designed to nurture creativity, spark learning, bring our community together, and inspire future generations to fall in love with movies. The new center will include dedicated space for artist residencies, expanded educational programming, community events, and the cutting-edge Atmos Nugget Theater. This vision is being realized through the remarkable support of longtime partners Dolby and Meyer Sound, together with the generosity of Harkness Screens and Salter.
For more information, visit www.telluridefilmfestival.org.
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 artist Tributes, 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: Meyer Sound, National Geographic Documentary Films, Netflix; Major Sponsors: Amazon MGM Studios, Audi, goodr, Google, HOKA, Indian Paintbrush, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, MUBI, Panavision, Turner Classic Movies; Festival Sponsors: American Film Institute, BAFTA North America, Barco, CRITERION, Dell Technologies, Dolby, Four Seasons Private Residences Telluride, Harkness Screens, Marfa Stance, Maybourne, Telluride Express, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association; Hospitality Partners: Alpine Lodging Telluride, AvantStay, Canyon Ranch Austin, Lumière by Dunton, New Sheridan Hotel; plus Acqua Panna®, Crowd Cow, Fever-Tree Premium Mixers, Hill Valley, ImageNet, Impossible Foods, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, Novo Coffee, Paris Baguette, Patagonia, Pine Ridge Vineyards, Ratio Beerworks, Rocky Mountain Soda Co., S.Pellegrino®, Ski.com, Southworth Clubs, Spectrum, Spracklen Film and Video, Telluride News, Telluride Ski and Golf Resort, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Two Leaves and a Bud, and Vimeo among others. The organization is supported by grants from Artemis Rising Foundation,Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, Golden Globe Foundation, UniFrance and Virginia Wellington Cabot Foundation.
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