The Sudanese drama Goodbye Julia is continuing its impressive awards run, earning the Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature over the weekend at the Sonoma International Film Festival in California.
Mohamed Kordofani directed the story set in the context of the secessionist movement that led to the establishment of the independent nation of South Sudan in 2011.
“We commend the festival for its impressive selection of narrative features and unanimously select Goodbye Julia as the best film,” jurors wrote. “An outstanding first feature from Mohamed Kordofani, anchored by two stellar performances from Eiman Yousif and Siran Riak, Goodbye Julia provides a glimpse into a culture and region that’s underrepresented and underexplored in contemporary cinema.”
The jury, comprised of Rosa Bosch (Begin Again Films), Tyler Coates (The Hollywood Reporter), Rebecca Fisher (Magnolia Pictures), Jason Hellerstein (Sideshow), and Julie Huntsinger (Telluride Film Festival), awarded a Special Mention to Hesitation Wound, describing...
Mohamed Kordofani directed the story set in the context of the secessionist movement that led to the establishment of the independent nation of South Sudan in 2011.
“We commend the festival for its impressive selection of narrative features and unanimously select Goodbye Julia as the best film,” jurors wrote. “An outstanding first feature from Mohamed Kordofani, anchored by two stellar performances from Eiman Yousif and Siran Riak, Goodbye Julia provides a glimpse into a culture and region that’s underrepresented and underexplored in contemporary cinema.”
The jury, comprised of Rosa Bosch (Begin Again Films), Tyler Coates (The Hollywood Reporter), Rebecca Fisher (Magnolia Pictures), Jason Hellerstein (Sideshow), and Julie Huntsinger (Telluride Film Festival), awarded a Special Mention to Hesitation Wound, describing...
- 3/25/2024
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
The 27th Sonoma International Film Festival (March 20-24), as always, leaned into wine and food with the sold-out opening night U.S. premiere of Thomas Napper’s “Widow Clicquot” (Vertical Entertainment), starring Haley Bennett as the woman who saves the legendary winemaker’s legacy. The wine country film festival drew its highest audience attendance to date with a robust film slate programmed by artistic director Carl Spence (working with Executive Director Ginny Krieger), in his second year, including upcoming specialty fare like Luc Besson’s “DogMan” (Briarcliff Entertainment) starring Caleb Landry Jones in an incendiary performance, and Sony Pictures Classics’ raucous comedy “Wicked Little Letters,” starring Olivia Colman, along with a smattering of yummy wine and food events.
The five-day festival curated by Spence along with senior programmers Amanda Salazar and Ken Jacobson, showcased more than 100 films. Twenty-five countries were represented in this year’s lineup of 43 narrative features, 16 documentary features,...
The five-day festival curated by Spence along with senior programmers Amanda Salazar and Ken Jacobson, showcased more than 100 films. Twenty-five countries were represented in this year’s lineup of 43 narrative features, 16 documentary features,...
- 3/24/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Annette Bening, who was to have received the Golden Medallion for significant contribution to the world of cinema at September’s Telluride Film Festival — where the latest film in which the veteran actress stars, Jimmy Chin and Chai Vasarhelyi’s Diana Nyad biopic Nyad, had its world premiere — but who was unable to attend the fest due to the actors strike, will be presented with the honor at a special event in Los Angeles on Saturday, Jan. 6, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
The Bening tribute will include a career-retrospective conversation, interspersed with clips, moderated by her Nyad co-star Jodie Foster, and a presentation of the award by Meg Ryan.
This marks the first time that Telluride has presented an honor outside of the dates of its festival.
“Annette Bening has long deserved a tribute in Telluride — and everywhere else on the planet,” Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement.
The Bening tribute will include a career-retrospective conversation, interspersed with clips, moderated by her Nyad co-star Jodie Foster, and a presentation of the award by Meg Ryan.
This marks the first time that Telluride has presented an honor outside of the dates of its festival.
“Annette Bening has long deserved a tribute in Telluride — and everywhere else on the planet,” Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement.
- 12/21/2023
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Wes Anderson is inviting fellow cinephiles and fans to swap ideas in a new digital film club, with stars like Ethan Hawke and Maggie Gyllenhaal guest-curating.
Anderson’s longtime producing partners at Indian Paintbrush are launching Galerie, an exclusive curated club featuring original videos, considered writing, live screenings, and discussions with leading filmmakers.
Production company Indian Paintbrush was founded in 2006 by Steven Rales, and the company has produced and financed all of Anderson’s films since 2007. Per the official description, Galerie has a mission to “celebrate film conversation and literacy by offering access to film collections curated by industry creators, thoughtful essays, and exclusive live events with today’s most esteemed cinema professionals and cultural minds.”
Subscriptions cost $10 per month. In addition to Anderson, curators include Mike Mills, Taylor Russell, Karyn Kusama, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, James Gray, and Ed Lachman. Curators will “guide members as they...
Anderson’s longtime producing partners at Indian Paintbrush are launching Galerie, an exclusive curated club featuring original videos, considered writing, live screenings, and discussions with leading filmmakers.
Production company Indian Paintbrush was founded in 2006 by Steven Rales, and the company has produced and financed all of Anderson’s films since 2007. Per the official description, Galerie has a mission to “celebrate film conversation and literacy by offering access to film collections curated by industry creators, thoughtful essays, and exclusive live events with today’s most esteemed cinema professionals and cultural minds.”
Subscriptions cost $10 per month. In addition to Anderson, curators include Mike Mills, Taylor Russell, Karyn Kusama, Ethan Hawke, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, James Gray, and Ed Lachman. Curators will “guide members as they...
- 11/16/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
One of the pleasures of Telluride is watching a master auteur accept the Silver Medallion. Telluride Executive Director Julie Huntsinger was shocked to discover that in the 50 years of the festival, no Silver Medallion was ever awarded to German filmmaker Wim Wenders. So this year, he brought his two Cannes selections, 3D documentary “Anselm” (Sideshow and Janus) and Competition title “Perfect Days” (Neon), whose star Koji Yakusho (“Shall We Dance?”) won Best Actor at Cannes. Despite its German director, Japan has chosen to submit the film for the Oscar.
At Thursday night’s first tribute, Werner Herzog dug into his pocket to fish out the Silver Medallion, and placed it around his old friend’s neck. “The same time several years ago Tom Luddy put this on my neck,” said Herzog. “I kept thinking, ‘this is an injustice if you hadn’t received this medallion in 1978, and 1981, and 1995, and 2015.’ Because...
At Thursday night’s first tribute, Werner Herzog dug into his pocket to fish out the Silver Medallion, and placed it around his old friend’s neck. “The same time several years ago Tom Luddy put this on my neck,” said Herzog. “I kept thinking, ‘this is an injustice if you hadn’t received this medallion in 1978, and 1981, and 1995, and 2015.’ Because...
- 9/3/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
“Sex is back,” Julie Huntsinger, executive director of the Telluride Film Festival, told a packed house of festivalgoers as they took in the newest effort from Yorgos Lanthimos at the 50th anniversary edition. A pre-screening convo and tribute was moderated by director Karyn Kusama, as the two discussed Lanthimos’ filmography, including his early works “Kinetta” and “Alps.”
In the audience were Oscar winners like director Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and actor Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”), and they, along with the rest of the crowd, devoured the audacious, Frankenstein-esque tale.
After bowing at the Venice Film Festival, Lanthimos brought his eccentric cinematic style to the Colorado mountains with the sci-fi dramedy, the first movie among this year’s sensational Telluride lineup that feels like a potential best picture winner.
Based on the novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray, it tells the story of a young woman named Bella Baxter...
In the audience were Oscar winners like director Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) and actor Casey Affleck (“Manchester by the Sea”), and they, along with the rest of the crowd, devoured the audacious, Frankenstein-esque tale.
After bowing at the Venice Film Festival, Lanthimos brought his eccentric cinematic style to the Colorado mountains with the sci-fi dramedy, the first movie among this year’s sensational Telluride lineup that feels like a potential best picture winner.
Based on the novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray, it tells the story of a young woman named Bella Baxter...
- 9/3/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“It’s hard to get here,” said Telluride Executive Director Julie Huntsinger at the opening day press conference. “So we should really knock your socks off. The mayor wants to talk to us now, and I have nothing for you except stop the price gouging!”
After lengthy negotiations with the unions and hard-won interim waivers for some of the indie films showing this year, Telluride launched on August 31 with a festival brunch packed with filmmakers on a balmy mountaintop. There were fewer stars than usual, but there was plenty of talent on hand. Jon Batiste, freed from late-night television, came to Telluride with his wife Suleika Jaouad, ahead of a performance in concert with Matt Heineman’s documentary “American Symphony,” which is seeking a distributor.
Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president Michael Barker was reunited with German actress Sandra Hüller (“Toni Erdmann”), who is here with two Cannes hits, “The Zone of Interest...
After lengthy negotiations with the unions and hard-won interim waivers for some of the indie films showing this year, Telluride launched on August 31 with a festival brunch packed with filmmakers on a balmy mountaintop. There were fewer stars than usual, but there was plenty of talent on hand. Jon Batiste, freed from late-night television, came to Telluride with his wife Suleika Jaouad, ahead of a performance in concert with Matt Heineman’s documentary “American Symphony,” which is seeking a distributor.
Sony Pictures Classics’ co-president Michael Barker was reunited with German actress Sandra Hüller (“Toni Erdmann”), who is here with two Cannes hits, “The Zone of Interest...
- 9/1/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Jeff Nichols brings pure Americana to the Telluride Film Festival with his luscious period drama “The Bikeriders,” which feels like the distant older cousin of “The Outsiders.” It stands as his single best directorial outing, and in tow are a trio of invigorating performances from Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy, all putting their stamp on an awards season that will be undoubtedly competitive.
Based on the 1968 photo and interview book by Danny Lyon, “The Bikeriders” tells a fictional story inspired by a Midwestern motorcycle club, seen through its members’ lives over a decade.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Nichols, who writes and directs, has carved out a special lane of talented American filmmakers who are able to wrangle honest and moving performances from the likes of Michael Shannon (“Take Shelter”) and Matthew McConaughey (“Mud”). He does it once again with his actors including Butler,...
Based on the 1968 photo and interview book by Danny Lyon, “The Bikeriders” tells a fictional story inspired by a Midwestern motorcycle club, seen through its members’ lives over a decade.
Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories.
Nichols, who writes and directs, has carved out a special lane of talented American filmmakers who are able to wrangle honest and moving performances from the likes of Michael Shannon (“Take Shelter”) and Matthew McConaughey (“Mud”). He does it once again with his actors including Butler,...
- 8/31/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
With the festival kicking off tomorrow, Telluride Film Festival has now unveiled its lineup, featuring new films from Jeff Nichols (the first image from which can be seen above), Emerald Fennell, Annie Baker, Andrew Haigh, Yorgos Lanthimos, Justine Triet, Wim Wenders, Kitty Green, Ethan Hawke, and many more.
“Fifty years is a long time to do anything. And while we might be a little biased, we feel the work that Tff does is pretty important,” comments Telluride Film Festival director Julie Huntsinger. “We take the charge of preserving the theatrical experience and promoting film seriously, but with necessary winks here and there. We’re ecstatic to share a program we feel reflects so much of the past fifty years, naturally and organically, films old and new, which stand as a testament to our beloved co-founders Tom Luddy and Bill Pence who are no longer with us.”
• All Of US Strangers...
“Fifty years is a long time to do anything. And while we might be a little biased, we feel the work that Tff does is pretty important,” comments Telluride Film Festival director Julie Huntsinger. “We take the charge of preserving the theatrical experience and promoting film seriously, but with necessary winks here and there. We’re ecstatic to share a program we feel reflects so much of the past fifty years, naturally and organically, films old and new, which stand as a testament to our beloved co-founders Tom Luddy and Bill Pence who are no longer with us.”
• All Of US Strangers...
- 8/30/2023
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
The 50th edition of the Telluride Film Festival will include the world premieres of Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders,” George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin,” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “Nyad,” and Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” among other top awards hopefuls, festival organizers announced on Wednesday.
In keeping with tradition, the 2023 Telluride lineup was kept under wraps until 24 hours before the annual festival begins – although sharp-eyed pundits and awards experts were able to accurately speculate about many of the titles in this year’s lineup due to premiere designations at other festivals in Toronto, Venice, and New York.
“Saltburn” is Fennell’s second film after 2020’s “Promising Young Woman,” which landed the budding auteur a trio of Oscar nominations. The film stars recent Best Supporting Actor nominee Barry Keoghan, as well as Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria” fame, former Oscar nominees Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant,...
In keeping with tradition, the 2023 Telluride lineup was kept under wraps until 24 hours before the annual festival begins – although sharp-eyed pundits and awards experts were able to accurately speculate about many of the titles in this year’s lineup due to premiere designations at other festivals in Toronto, Venice, and New York.
“Saltburn” is Fennell’s second film after 2020’s “Promising Young Woman,” which landed the budding auteur a trio of Oscar nominations. The film stars recent Best Supporting Actor nominee Barry Keoghan, as well as Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria” fame, former Oscar nominees Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant,...
- 8/30/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
One of the primary charms of the small but mighty Telluride Film Festival has always been its chance meetings. Sharing a gondola ride with an auteur. Trading theater line gossip with an exec. Reaching for the same hat at that shop on Colorado Ave. as an Oscar winner (it looks better on her, obviously).
But this year, thanks to Hollywood’s dual strikes, Telluride arrives with a high potential for awkwardness. And that’s because everybody in the business … kind of hates each other right now. At least judging by social media, picket-line signs and dueling press statements.
Telluride kicks off its 50th annual festival on Thursday in the Rockies, with an extra day of programming ending Monday and a slate of Oscar hopefuls including the first public screenings of films like Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers (Focus Features), Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (Amazon) and George C. Wolfe’s Rustin...
But this year, thanks to Hollywood’s dual strikes, Telluride arrives with a high potential for awkwardness. And that’s because everybody in the business … kind of hates each other right now. At least judging by social media, picket-line signs and dueling press statements.
Telluride kicks off its 50th annual festival on Thursday in the Rockies, with an extra day of programming ending Monday and a slate of Oscar hopefuls including the first public screenings of films like Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers (Focus Features), Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn (Amazon) and George C. Wolfe’s Rustin...
- 8/30/2023
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This year’s Telluride Film Festival will be missing its beloved co-founder, Tom Luddy, who died this year. Thus, the 2023 festival is dedicated to Luddy (1943-2023), as well as co-founders Bill Pence (1940-2022), James Card (1915-2000), and Stella Pence. Executive Director Julie Huntsinger, whose role expanded in the years since she joined the festival as managing director in 2007, is running the show solo for the first time.
Per usual, the 50th anniversary Tff edition covers a range of over eighty feature films, new features, shorts, and classic programs representing twenty-nine countries, along with filmmaker tributes, conversations, seminars, and student programs. Huntsinger is carrying on the Luddy legacy while at the same time showcasing her own taste. “Tom was a fearless leader until the bitter end,” said Huntsinger on the phone during a recent interview with IndieWire. “I miss him so much. I’m devoted to tradition and continuity, and I...
Per usual, the 50th anniversary Tff edition covers a range of over eighty feature films, new features, shorts, and classic programs representing twenty-nine countries, along with filmmaker tributes, conversations, seminars, and student programs. Huntsinger is carrying on the Luddy legacy while at the same time showcasing her own taste. “Tom was a fearless leader until the bitter end,” said Huntsinger on the phone during a recent interview with IndieWire. “I miss him so much. I’m devoted to tradition and continuity, and I...
- 8/30/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Telluride Film Festival turns 50 this year (though it remains to be seen how many of the chief film festivals in North America will go off without a hitch due to the duo actor/writer strikes currently unfolding), but until we know more, you can feast your eyes on this brand-new, eye-poppingly colorful poster promoting the popular Colorado annual event.
The artists chosen to design the poster is Luke Dorman, the principal graphic designer of the Santa Fe-based Meow Wolf, a hugely attended multimedia arts center that now has outposts in Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth and Las Vegas, with one on the way in the Houston area in 2024. As an homage to the festival’s history, Dorman reconfigured a single moment from each of the 49 installments to include in this half-century poster.
“Fifty years is a momentous milestone,” Dorman said, returning to artists duty after drawing up the 2021 poster. “It’s...
The artists chosen to design the poster is Luke Dorman, the principal graphic designer of the Santa Fe-based Meow Wolf, a hugely attended multimedia arts center that now has outposts in Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth and Las Vegas, with one on the way in the Houston area in 2024. As an homage to the festival’s history, Dorman reconfigured a single moment from each of the 49 installments to include in this half-century poster.
“Fifty years is a momentous milestone,” Dorman said, returning to artists duty after drawing up the 2021 poster. “It’s...
- 7/20/2023
- by Jason Clark
- The Wrap
Gravitas Ventures has acquired the global rights to Isaac H. Eaton’s 2023 crime thriller “Welcome to Redville” starring Jake Manley, Highdee Kuan and Chris Elliott. Gravitas, The Anthem Sports & Entertainment Company, has set the film’s VOD release for August 29.
“Welcome to Redville” tells the story of a robbery-gone-wrong and the couple forced on the run in a small desert town called Redville. As drama and death ensues, couple Leo (Manley) and Toni (Kuan) discover that Redville and its strange townspeople are hard —if not impossible — to shake off.
The film was written by Eaton and Danny DeVoto. It was produced by Eaton and Frank Zanca and was executive produced by Brad Kramer and Alice Abernathy. Bill Guentzler, Gravitas Ventures VP of acquisitions, helmed the deal with Ramo Law.
Telluride Film Festival Unveils 50th Anniversary Festival Poster By Luke Dorman
Telluride Film Festival has unveiled the poster for its 50th anniversary.
“Welcome to Redville” tells the story of a robbery-gone-wrong and the couple forced on the run in a small desert town called Redville. As drama and death ensues, couple Leo (Manley) and Toni (Kuan) discover that Redville and its strange townspeople are hard —if not impossible — to shake off.
The film was written by Eaton and Danny DeVoto. It was produced by Eaton and Frank Zanca and was executive produced by Brad Kramer and Alice Abernathy. Bill Guentzler, Gravitas Ventures VP of acquisitions, helmed the deal with Ramo Law.
Telluride Film Festival Unveils 50th Anniversary Festival Poster By Luke Dorman
Telluride Film Festival has unveiled the poster for its 50th anniversary.
- 7/19/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay, McKinley Franklin, Jaden Thompson and Sophia Scorziello
- Variety Film + TV
Companies that send bevies of agents, executives, and publicists to film festivals as a matter of course are now mulling the unthinkable: They’re sending fewer people for less time, enforcing shared housing, or choosing between events.
“My usual [Telluride] hotel is charging me $700 a night,” said one Hollywood literary agent. “It’s cheaper to go to Venice.” He’s waiting to see if he can share a condo with other agents — a first. A press agent tells me that when he goes to Sundance 2024, he may have to give up his prized Eccles parking pass.
Of course, this is the very definition of a first-world problem, but it also points to a larger issue at play. Going to a festival has always been fun, but their design was practical. It was the best — and sometimes, the only — way that people made talent discoveries, new deals, and acquired hot titles.
That...
“My usual [Telluride] hotel is charging me $700 a night,” said one Hollywood literary agent. “It’s cheaper to go to Venice.” He’s waiting to see if he can share a condo with other agents — a first. A press agent tells me that when he goes to Sundance 2024, he may have to give up his prized Eccles parking pass.
Of course, this is the very definition of a first-world problem, but it also points to a larger issue at play. Going to a festival has always been fun, but their design was practical. It was the best — and sometimes, the only — way that people made talent discoveries, new deals, and acquired hot titles.
That...
- 7/7/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Filmmakers and executives, creatives of music, theater and art remembered Tom Luddy as friend and mentor, tastemaker and cultural force who deployed an astonishingly vast network to nurture talent and bring people and projects together over decades.
The co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival passed away in February.
“I am thinking of getting a tattoo of you on my arm,” said Irish director Mark Cousins at tribute event at the Paris Theatre over the weekend. “Here is Hitchcock on my arm, and here is and Kira Muratova. Maybe you would fit between the two?” He added, “For the rest of my life, I will see partly through your eyes. I miss you and I love you.”
“Tom Luddy was a constant presence. The sun around which so many of us have revolved,” said Ken Burns. The two met when Burns screened Huey Long at Telluride in 1985. “For the next 35-plus years,...
The co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival passed away in February.
“I am thinking of getting a tattoo of you on my arm,” said Irish director Mark Cousins at tribute event at the Paris Theatre over the weekend. “Here is Hitchcock on my arm, and here is and Kira Muratova. Maybe you would fit between the two?” He added, “For the rest of my life, I will see partly through your eyes. I miss you and I love you.”
“Tom Luddy was a constant presence. The sun around which so many of us have revolved,” said Ken Burns. The two met when Burns screened Huey Long at Telluride in 1985. “For the next 35-plus years,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Editor’s note: Tom Luddy, co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival, died last week at age 79. Here, filmmaker Alan Elliott, who directed the Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace, remembers his kind spirit and moral compass. He also pays tribute to one of Luddy’s signature projects: a collaboration with Agnès Varda on an influential 1968 film about the Black Panthers.
Tom Luddy, the benevolent wizard/curator of the Telluride Film Festival, who, in the post-’60s glow of generational change in the film world, created safe space to get high (at altitude) for his people: film lovers.
Tom was non-denominational about “film lovers.” As eager to talk film with a total stranger in line at one of the smaller theaters at the festival as he was with Werner Herzog or Martin Scorsese, the socialistic mores of Telluride were a reflection of Tom. Pre-Covid, at a completely packed Saturday night screening at the Werner Herzog theater,...
Tom Luddy, the benevolent wizard/curator of the Telluride Film Festival, who, in the post-’60s glow of generational change in the film world, created safe space to get high (at altitude) for his people: film lovers.
Tom was non-denominational about “film lovers.” As eager to talk film with a total stranger in line at one of the smaller theaters at the festival as he was with Werner Herzog or Martin Scorsese, the socialistic mores of Telluride were a reflection of Tom. Pre-Covid, at a completely packed Saturday night screening at the Werner Herzog theater,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Alan Elliott
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Luddy, who co-founded and served as artistic director for the Telluride Film Festival and produced films including “The Secret Garden” and “Barfly,” died Feb. 13 in Berkeley, Calif., after battling a long illness. He was 79.
Luddy co-founded Telluride in 1974 along with Bill Pence, Stella Pence and James Card. Luddy served as co-director, then as artistic director and adviser through 2022. Beginning in a small opera house, the festival evolved into one of the largest and most respected globally over the past five decades.
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger in a statement. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a sphinx-like quality that took a little time to get around, for some. But once you knew him, you were...
Luddy co-founded Telluride in 1974 along with Bill Pence, Stella Pence and James Card. Luddy served as co-director, then as artistic director and adviser through 2022. Beginning in a small opera house, the festival evolved into one of the largest and most respected globally over the past five decades.
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger in a statement. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a sphinx-like quality that took a little time to get around, for some. But once you knew him, you were...
- 2/14/2023
- by Julia MacCary
- Variety Film + TV
Tom Luddy, the film producer who co-founded Telluride Film Festival, died Monday in Berkeley, California, after a long illness, the festival confirmed. He was 79.
The producer behind films like “The Secret Garden” (1993) and “Barfly” (1987) co-founded the festival in 1974 with Bill and Stella Pence and James Card. He served as co-director, then artistic director and adviser through 2022.
“Tom was a force in the film industry for nearly six decades,” Telluride wrote in a release. “He had a life-long love and passion for film, and a tireless dedication to film restoration, distribution, and exhibition. His presence will be profoundly missed by the many people whose lives were touched by his kindness, artistry, and his innate ability to bring people together to make something beautiful.”
Also Read:
Austin Majors, Former ‘NYPD Blue’ Child Actor, Dies at 27
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,...
The producer behind films like “The Secret Garden” (1993) and “Barfly” (1987) co-founded the festival in 1974 with Bill and Stella Pence and James Card. He served as co-director, then artistic director and adviser through 2022.
“Tom was a force in the film industry for nearly six decades,” Telluride wrote in a release. “He had a life-long love and passion for film, and a tireless dedication to film restoration, distribution, and exhibition. His presence will be profoundly missed by the many people whose lives were touched by his kindness, artistry, and his innate ability to bring people together to make something beautiful.”
Also Read:
Austin Majors, Former ‘NYPD Blue’ Child Actor, Dies at 27
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,...
- 2/14/2023
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
Tom Luddy, the understated co-founder and artistic director of the Telluride Film Festival who championed world cinema, spotlighted overlooked gems and saluted legends during his near half-century run with the event, has died. He was 79.
Luddy died peacefully Monday in Berkeley, California, after a long illness, Telluride senior vp public relations Shannon Mitchell told The Hollywood Reporter.
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a sphinx-like quality that took a little time to get around, for some.
“But once you knew him, you were welcomed into a kingdom of art, history, intelligence, humor and joie de vivre that you knew you couldn’t be without. He made life richer. Magical. He...
Luddy died peacefully Monday in Berkeley, California, after a long illness, Telluride senior vp public relations Shannon Mitchell told The Hollywood Reporter.
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger said in a statement. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a sphinx-like quality that took a little time to get around, for some.
“But once you knew him, you were welcomed into a kingdom of art, history, intelligence, humor and joie de vivre that you knew you couldn’t be without. He made life richer. Magical. He...
- 2/14/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tom Luddy, co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival and producer of numerous films for Francis Ford Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios, died February 13 at a nursing home in Berkeley, CA, where he had been under care for dementia. He was 79.
The festival announced Luddy’s death this morning. The news comes two months after the death of another Telluride co-founder, Bill Pence.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Bill Pence Dies: Telluride Film Festival Co-Founder Was 82 Related Story Telluride Review: Werner Herzog's 'Theater Of Thought'
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” said Julie Huntsinger, executive director of the Telluride Film Festival. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a Sphinxlike quality that took a little time to get around, for some.
The festival announced Luddy’s death this morning. The news comes two months after the death of another Telluride co-founder, Bill Pence.
Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story Bill Pence Dies: Telluride Film Festival Co-Founder Was 82 Related Story Telluride Review: Werner Herzog's 'Theater Of Thought'
“The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” said Julie Huntsinger, executive director of the Telluride Film Festival. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a Sphinxlike quality that took a little time to get around, for some.
- 2/14/2023
- by Todd McCarthy and Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Bill Pence, co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival, died Dec. 6 after a longtime illness, the Telluride Daily Planet reported on Wednesday. He was 82.
Pence co-founded the festival in 1974 with his wife Stella, film preservationist James Card, producer Tom Luddy and the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities. He also served as co-director and president of the National Film Preserve, which continues to operate the Telluride Film Festival annually.
“Bill Pence is an almost mythical figure in the landscape of the Telluride Film Festival. An incredibly generous founder but any single description isn’t enough,” Julie Huntsinger, executive director of the Telluride Film Festival, said in a statement shared with Variety. “A showman, a visionary, a great leader, a film buff — all of these things and more. But most importantly of all, Bill was a great person. Kind and smart and a wonderful father and husband. We continue to be...
Pence co-founded the festival in 1974 with his wife Stella, film preservationist James Card, producer Tom Luddy and the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities. He also served as co-director and president of the National Film Preserve, which continues to operate the Telluride Film Festival annually.
“Bill Pence is an almost mythical figure in the landscape of the Telluride Film Festival. An incredibly generous founder but any single description isn’t enough,” Julie Huntsinger, executive director of the Telluride Film Festival, said in a statement shared with Variety. “A showman, a visionary, a great leader, a film buff — all of these things and more. But most importantly of all, Bill was a great person. Kind and smart and a wonderful father and husband. We continue to be...
- 12/30/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Bill Pence, the co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival, died Dec. 6 after a long illness, the Telluride Daily Planet reported. He was 82.
The first festival was held in 1974 in the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Colorado. It was started by the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities; Bill and his wife, Stella; Tom Luddy; and James Card. It continues to be operated annually by the National Film Preserve.
“Bill Pence is an almost mythical figure in the landscape of the Telluride Film Festival,” Julie Huntsinger, executive director of Telluride Film Festival, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “An incredibly generous founder, but any single description isn’t enough. A showman, a visionary, a great leader, a film buff — all of these things and more.
“But most importantly of all, Bill was a great person. Kind and smart and a wonderful father and husband.
Bill Pence, the co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival, died Dec. 6 after a long illness, the Telluride Daily Planet reported. He was 82.
The first festival was held in 1974 in the Sheridan Opera House in Telluride, Colorado. It was started by the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities; Bill and his wife, Stella; Tom Luddy; and James Card. It continues to be operated annually by the National Film Preserve.
“Bill Pence is an almost mythical figure in the landscape of the Telluride Film Festival,” Julie Huntsinger, executive director of Telluride Film Festival, said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “An incredibly generous founder, but any single description isn’t enough. A showman, a visionary, a great leader, a film buff — all of these things and more.
“But most importantly of all, Bill was a great person. Kind and smart and a wonderful father and husband.
- 12/30/2022
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Bill Pence, a co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival, passed away on Dec. 6 after a long illness at the age of 82, the Telluride Daily Planet reported on Wednesday.
In 1974, Pence co-founded the fest, along with his wife Stella Pence, film preservationist James Card, and producer Tom Luddy. He was also the co-director and president of the National Film Preserve, which runs the annual festival, which is held in the Colorado town over Labor Day weekend.
He and Stella also founded the Santa Fe Film Festival in New Mexico in 1980 and ran it for three years.
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“Bill’s fire burned so very brightly and touched so many. Those who worked for him did it as much to not disappoint him as to carry on his vision,” wrote Jim Bedford in the Telluride Daily Planet.
“Bill Pence is an almost mythical...
In 1974, Pence co-founded the fest, along with his wife Stella Pence, film preservationist James Card, and producer Tom Luddy. He was also the co-director and president of the National Film Preserve, which runs the annual festival, which is held in the Colorado town over Labor Day weekend.
He and Stella also founded the Santa Fe Film Festival in New Mexico in 1980 and ran it for three years.
Also Read:
Mike Hodges, ‘Croupier’ and ‘Get Carter’ Director, Dies at 90
“Bill’s fire burned so very brightly and touched so many. Those who worked for him did it as much to not disappoint him as to carry on his vision,” wrote Jim Bedford in the Telluride Daily Planet.
“Bill Pence is an almost mythical...
- 12/29/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Updated: Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard, in a phone interview with IndieWire, said the following about Bill Pence: “[I’ve been going to Telluride] since 1978. Bill Pence was one of the pioneers of repertory cinema. That led to the festival. He had a chain of theaters all across the west, he’d bicycle repertory prints. He’d find archive program stuff no one had heard about for years, the [other theaters] would follow his lead, his festival turned into the ultimate repertory theater in his wild dreams. They put this thing together. Always at Telluride you’d see the best prints out of the archives, it was one of the treats of going there. Bill curated that; one of the roots of the festival was Bill Pence’s love of films and older cinema.
“I remember one year that stands out: Bill had original prints of Hitchcock movies that nobody could get and be able to...
“I remember one year that stands out: Bill had original prints of Hitchcock movies that nobody could get and be able to...
- 12/29/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Per annual tradition, The Hollywood Reporter’s executive editor (awards) Scott Feinberg and senior editor (film) Rebecca Keegan huddled on the last day of the Telluride Film Festival to dissect their Labor Day weekend in the Rockies…
Keegan Well Scott, before Telluride even began this year, the Colorado festival’s executive director Julie Huntsinger warned us that she had programmed lots of potentially divisive movies for this year’s edition. Boy, howdy, was she right. There were countless movies that had people fuming (e.g. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s semi-autobiographical epic Bardo), arguing (e.g. Sarah Polley’s novel adaptation Women Talking) and even covering their eyes in horror (e.g. Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal drama Bones and All) — and that was before they even got to discussing the state of the world or their fellow gondola passenger’s taste. Lots of movies here have clusters of passionate fans, but few were broad crowd pleasers.
Keegan Well Scott, before Telluride even began this year, the Colorado festival’s executive director Julie Huntsinger warned us that she had programmed lots of potentially divisive movies for this year’s edition. Boy, howdy, was she right. There were countless movies that had people fuming (e.g. Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s semi-autobiographical epic Bardo), arguing (e.g. Sarah Polley’s novel adaptation Women Talking) and even covering their eyes in horror (e.g. Luca Guadagnino’s cannibal drama Bones and All) — and that was before they even got to discussing the state of the world or their fellow gondola passenger’s taste. Lots of movies here have clusters of passionate fans, but few were broad crowd pleasers.
- 9/6/2022
- by Scott Feinberg and Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The conversation heading into the Telluride Film Festival last week was less about the annual Colorado gathering’s expertly curated 2022 lineup and instead focused on titles that didn’t hit the mountains this year. “It’s gotten less cooperative in years past because of their rules about world premieres,” executive director Julie Huntsinger told Indiewire about the Venice Film Festival, which this year launched “White Noise” and “The Whale” along with Telluride entries “Tar” and “Bardo.” “I just don’t think that’s conducive to saving an art form that’s existentially threatened,” she added. “I hope that there can come a time where filmmakers don’t have to choose between us. I really hope we can cooperate to save cinema.”
But despite the somewhat diffuse nature of this year’s film festivals – none of the major narrative titles will hit Venice, Telluride, Toronto, and New York as some contenders...
But despite the somewhat diffuse nature of this year’s film festivals – none of the major narrative titles will hit Venice, Telluride, Toronto, and New York as some contenders...
- 9/4/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Telluride 2022 Begins with Buzz About ‘Women Talking,’ a Rare Robert Downey Jr. Appearance, and More
One week after the box office experienced decade lows, the fall film festivals have come to save the day, premiering dozens of new movies that hope to bring audiences back to theaters and maybe even win some awards.
At the opening day brunch, Telluride attendees were already chatting about what they have heard of the films that premiered out of Venice, which had kicked off two days ago. Naturally, the conversation turned to a couple of projects that also happen to be at Telluride as well.
While there is still much excitement for “TÁR,” which will close the Cate Blanchett tribute on Saturday night, the previous day’s wave of divisive reviews for “Bardo” had brunch goers wondering whether or not they can power through its ever-evolving runtime (there were whispers that even sure exceeds the 174 minutes listed on the program guide).
One person who is powering through the experience is director Alejandro González Iñárritu,...
At the opening day brunch, Telluride attendees were already chatting about what they have heard of the films that premiered out of Venice, which had kicked off two days ago. Naturally, the conversation turned to a couple of projects that also happen to be at Telluride as well.
While there is still much excitement for “TÁR,” which will close the Cate Blanchett tribute on Saturday night, the previous day’s wave of divisive reviews for “Bardo” had brunch goers wondering whether or not they can power through its ever-evolving runtime (there were whispers that even sure exceeds the 174 minutes listed on the program guide).
One person who is powering through the experience is director Alejandro González Iñárritu,...
- 9/3/2022
- by Marcus Jones
- Indiewire
The Telluride Film Festival’s emphasis on documentary has not wavered in recent years. But the prominence of nonfiction fare at the 49th edition has arguably made this year’s Telluride the autumn Sundance, where some of the biggest buzz is for docs.
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Sept. 2, includes 16 docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Steve James (“A Compassionate Spy”), Matthew Heineman (“Retrograde”), Chris Smith (“Sr.”) Ondi Timoner (“Last Flight Home”) and Ryan White (“Good Night Oppy”). (Additional “secret” screenings have yet to be announced.)
The rising level of documentaries at the Colorado fest is largely due to the influence of Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“This year, there is almost parity with the narrative features in the [main feature] program,” says Huntsinger, who co-directs Telluride with Tom Luddy. “It’s not us actively seeking it. For lack of a better word,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
The 49th annual Telluride Film Festival will host the world premiere screenings of Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” and Sebastian Lelio’s “The Wonder” – as well as North American premieres of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Bardo,” Luca Guadagnino’s “Bones and All,” Todd Field’s “Tar,” James Gray’s “Armageddon Time,” and Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Broker” among other top fall titles.
In keeping with the Telluride Film Festival’s famously late-breaking announcement process, the 2022 lineup was revealed on Thursday morning, just one day before the prestigious festival kicks off.
Due to the nuances of how the Toronto International Film Festival positioned some of its debuts as well as the roster of features debuting at the Venice Film Festival this week, industry observers had long expected many of the 2022 titles to screen in the Colorado town. But that doesn’t make the Telluride list any less impressive in its variety.
In keeping with the Telluride Film Festival’s famously late-breaking announcement process, the 2022 lineup was revealed on Thursday morning, just one day before the prestigious festival kicks off.
Due to the nuances of how the Toronto International Film Festival positioned some of its debuts as well as the roster of features debuting at the Venice Film Festival this week, industry observers had long expected many of the 2022 titles to screen in the Colorado town. But that doesn’t make the Telluride list any less impressive in its variety.
- 9/1/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Cate Blanchett will receive a tribute for her performance in “Tár.” Ten actors, including Rooney Mara and Claire Foy, will fill the stage for the premiere of Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking.” Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu and Sam Mendes will salute the art of cinema with their new movies, “Bardo” and “Empire of Light,” while Robert Downey Jr. will emerge from his post-“Avengers” retreat to promote a new documentary about his late filmmaker father.
These are some of the potential highlights of the 49th Telluride Film Festival, which announced its lineup today with the usual blend of awards season hopefuls, festival favorites, and cinephile treats. The Labor Day weekend event returned to form last year after its 2020 cancellation by launching future Oscar winners “The Power of the Dog” and “Belfast,” and that success has injected renewed optimism in the festival’s impact.
“This year, there are some real ass-kicking films,...
These are some of the potential highlights of the 49th Telluride Film Festival, which announced its lineup today with the usual blend of awards season hopefuls, festival favorites, and cinephile treats. The Labor Day weekend event returned to form last year after its 2020 cancellation by launching future Oscar winners “The Power of the Dog” and “Belfast,” and that success has injected renewed optimism in the festival’s impact.
“This year, there are some real ass-kicking films,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Telluride Film Festival’s official 2022 lineup has been announced, revealing world premieres of Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre’s “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” and Sebastián Lelio’s “The Wonder.”
In its 49th year, the festival will pay tribute to two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, whose new film “TÁR,” from director Todd Field, will debut stateside after premiering at the Venice Film Festival.
In addition, the festival will also tribute Academy Award nominee Polley (adapted screenplay for 2006’s “Away from Her”) and acclaimed documentarian Marc Cousins, who has two films dropping at the fest. One is “My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock,” which is based on a fictional monologue between Cousins and the master of suspense. The other is “The March on Rome,” depicting the ascent of fascism in Europe during the 1930s.
Other Venice bows heading over to the Colorado Mountains are Luca Guadagnino’s...
In its 49th year, the festival will pay tribute to two-time Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett, whose new film “TÁR,” from director Todd Field, will debut stateside after premiering at the Venice Film Festival.
In addition, the festival will also tribute Academy Award nominee Polley (adapted screenplay for 2006’s “Away from Her”) and acclaimed documentarian Marc Cousins, who has two films dropping at the fest. One is “My Name Is Alfred Hitchcock,” which is based on a fictional monologue between Cousins and the master of suspense. The other is “The March on Rome,” depicting the ascent of fascism in Europe during the 1930s.
Other Venice bows heading over to the Colorado Mountains are Luca Guadagnino’s...
- 9/1/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
A tribute to Cate Blanchett, a Sam Mendes romance set in a cinema house and a bumper crop of documentaries are on the agenda at the 49th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which kicks off Friday in the Rockies and runs through Monday.
The intimate Colorado event serves as the unofficial stateside kickoff of awards season, but Telluride may be most notable this year for the arguments its movies start, says festival executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“There’s so many more divisive films,” says Huntsinger, who programs Telluride together with the festival’s sr. consultant, Tom Luddy. “There’s so much more angst. There’s just tumult and upheaval in the world, and it’s reflected in the films. People will fight about movies this year more than they ever have.”
Among the movies screening at Telluride that may spark furious debates...
A tribute to Cate Blanchett, a Sam Mendes romance set in a cinema house and a bumper crop of documentaries are on the agenda at the 49th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which kicks off Friday in the Rockies and runs through Monday.
The intimate Colorado event serves as the unofficial stateside kickoff of awards season, but Telluride may be most notable this year for the arguments its movies start, says festival executive director Julie Huntsinger.
“There’s so many more divisive films,” says Huntsinger, who programs Telluride together with the festival’s sr. consultant, Tom Luddy. “There’s so much more angst. There’s just tumult and upheaval in the world, and it’s reflected in the films. People will fight about movies this year more than they ever have.”
Among the movies screening at Telluride that may spark furious debates...
- 9/1/2022
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Telluride Film Festival has revealed its annual poster for the 2022 event, happening over the Labor Day weekend September 2 – 5. This year’s one-sheet is designed by artist Leanne Shapton, who is also the art editor at the New York Review of Books. Swaths of eye-popping green usher in a breath of fresh air — and excitement for the movies to come over one of the most anticipated weekends of the season.
Telluride is always a treat because the event gathers tastemaking audiences at the start, rather than the middle or end, of the awards season, where the spirit of discovery is still in the air and folks aren’t beaten down by the oversaturation of awards campaigns that last the course of six months. Instead, the event, while it does push many of the awards contenders to come out of the gate, is about the pure love of the movies.
So...
Telluride is always a treat because the event gathers tastemaking audiences at the start, rather than the middle or end, of the awards season, where the spirit of discovery is still in the air and folks aren’t beaten down by the oversaturation of awards campaigns that last the course of six months. Instead, the event, while it does push many of the awards contenders to come out of the gate, is about the pure love of the movies.
So...
- 7/14/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Selection of Kantemir Balagov and Kira Kovalenko to be unveiled on September 2 opening day.
Telluride Film Festival will run from September 2-5 this year and has invited dissident Russian filmmakers Kantemir Balagov and Kira Kovalenko to be its guest directors.
Balagov directed Cannes 2017 Un Certain Regard Fipresci winner Closeness and followed that up with Beanpole, which premiered in the same section in 2019 and also won Fipresci, as well as the best director prize and made the shortlist as Russia’s Oscar submission. His next project, TV series The Last Of Us, is set to premiere on HBO in 2023.
Kovalenko’s...
Telluride Film Festival will run from September 2-5 this year and has invited dissident Russian filmmakers Kantemir Balagov and Kira Kovalenko to be its guest directors.
Balagov directed Cannes 2017 Un Certain Regard Fipresci winner Closeness and followed that up with Beanpole, which premiered in the same section in 2019 and also won Fipresci, as well as the best director prize and made the shortlist as Russia’s Oscar submission. His next project, TV series The Last Of Us, is set to premiere on HBO in 2023.
Kovalenko’s...
- 6/14/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Even as Cannes just wrapped up last month, and Tribeca is still going on this week, all eyes on the Festival circuit are turning towards Fall, and the all-important stops like Venice, Toronto, and Telluride that will be kicking off the fest circuit likely to set the table for awards season. And others are making early moves now as New York Film Festival organizers were in town last week holding a reception for studio and PR reps and press to pump up interest in their Fall festival even before that other aforementioned NY-based fest got rolling with its opening night. Leaders of the Toronto International Film Festival were also in town this Spring holding meetings and lunches to assure the industry it would be returning to business as usual in person this Fall. All the festival heads are busy seeing early previews of films that hope to use the Fall fests to launch Oscar campaigns.
- 6/14/2022
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
On February 24, when Russia launched an unprompted military invasion of Ukraine, directors Kantemir Balagov and Kira Kovalenko hit the streets to protest.
“We really thought we could change something,” Balagov told IndieWire by phone this month from Los Angeles with Kovalenko on the line. “But later, when we found out real people in our homeland support this, we understood something terrible was happening. This Russian TV propaganda has brainwashed a lot of people. That moment was kind of a breaking point for us and we understood that we needed to get out of Russia.”
Over the past two years, the couple have been among the rising stars of the Russian film community: The 32-year-old Kovalenko’s 2021 drama “Unclenching the Fists” was the country’s official Oscar submission last year, while 30-year-old Balagov’s “Beanpole” was the submission the year prior. Once they realized that opposing the war would put them at risk,...
“We really thought we could change something,” Balagov told IndieWire by phone this month from Los Angeles with Kovalenko on the line. “But later, when we found out real people in our homeland support this, we understood something terrible was happening. This Russian TV propaganda has brainwashed a lot of people. That moment was kind of a breaking point for us and we understood that we needed to get out of Russia.”
Over the past two years, the couple have been among the rising stars of the Russian film community: The 32-year-old Kovalenko’s 2021 drama “Unclenching the Fists” was the country’s official Oscar submission last year, while 30-year-old Balagov’s “Beanpole” was the submission the year prior. Once they realized that opposing the war would put them at risk,...
- 6/14/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
As movie theaters struggle during the pandemic, theatrical windows shrink, stars turn to limited series and more viewers get arthouse fare from streamers, where does this leave the role of films in film festivals?
Most festivals launched with a mission to support specialty theatrical films. Yet New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival quietly rebranded as the Tribeca Festival in June to reflect a wider variety of content. It’s just one of several events where small-screen movies and series, concerts, virtual reality and other mediums are becoming main attractions. Offering their expert opinions, the heads of Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, SXSW, Tribeca and Mill Valley told Variety where they think fests are heading, how their roles are shifting and if adding these new elements is crucial to their survival.
Sundance Film Festival director Tabitha Jackson had a trial by fire when her inaugural 2021 fest became the first one to show its slate almost exclusively online,...
Most festivals launched with a mission to support specialty theatrical films. Yet New York City’s Tribeca Film Festival quietly rebranded as the Tribeca Festival in June to reflect a wider variety of content. It’s just one of several events where small-screen movies and series, concerts, virtual reality and other mediums are becoming main attractions. Offering their expert opinions, the heads of Sundance, Telluride, Toronto, SXSW, Tribeca and Mill Valley told Variety where they think fests are heading, how their roles are shifting and if adding these new elements is crucial to their survival.
Sundance Film Festival director Tabitha Jackson had a trial by fire when her inaugural 2021 fest became the first one to show its slate almost exclusively online,...
- 1/25/2022
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
Not all movies are destined for Oscars. And the Telluride Film Festival, while it plays a pivotal role in the annual awards derby, isn’t just seeking to thrust movies into the Oscar spotlight. This year, with many adult moviegoers not comfortable inside theaters, and long slow platform releases in the rearview, film festivals are even more crucial for building word of mouth — not only for the lucky few that will land major Oscar campaigns this year, but smaller films trying to pull eyeballs to multiple platforms. And with the Golden Globes out of the picture, indie awards like the Gothams and the Independent Spirits will carry more sway.
That’s why the lucky (masked when indoors) attendees at Tff 2021 reveled in hugging old friends and rubbing shoulders at parties and packed cinemas — the festival played to 75 percent capacity, per co-director Julie Huntsinger — as well as listening to Q&a...
That’s why the lucky (masked when indoors) attendees at Tff 2021 reveled in hugging old friends and rubbing shoulders at parties and packed cinemas — the festival played to 75 percent capacity, per co-director Julie Huntsinger — as well as listening to Q&a...
- 9/8/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Not all movies are destined for Oscars. And the Telluride Film Festival, while it plays a pivotal role in the annual awards derby, isn’t just seeking to thrust movies into the Oscar spotlight. This year, with many adult moviegoers not comfortable inside theaters, and long slow platform releases in the rearview, film festivals are even more crucial for building word of mouth — not only for the lucky few that will land major Oscar campaigns this year, but smaller films trying to pull eyeballs to multiple platforms. And with the Golden Globes out of the picture, indie awards like the Gothams and the Independent Spirits will carry more sway.
That’s why the lucky (masked when indoors) attendees at Tff 2021 reveled in hugging old friends and rubbing shoulders at parties and packed cinemas — the festival played to 75 percent capacity, per co-director Julie Huntsinger — as well as listening to Q&a...
That’s why the lucky (masked when indoors) attendees at Tff 2021 reveled in hugging old friends and rubbing shoulders at parties and packed cinemas — the festival played to 75 percent capacity, per co-director Julie Huntsinger — as well as listening to Q&a...
- 9/8/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Pandemic? What pandemic?
For all of us at the 48th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which wraps up today, it was pretty much business as usual as long as we all wore masks during the movies and had proof of vaccination, plus a negative Covid test result, within 72 hours before ever hitting the Colorado Rockies town that hosts this cinematic nirvana. The annual event brings out movie lovers of all stripes, as well as Hollywood’s Oscar brigade in hopes of establishing surefire contenders.
With packed and in many instances completely full screenings (largest venues hold 600-plus) over the course of the festival, which was extended to run five days instead of the usual four in hopes of keeping the crowds down at the most popular films by having more showtimes, I really couldn’t tell much of a difference...
For all of us at the 48th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which wraps up today, it was pretty much business as usual as long as we all wore masks during the movies and had proof of vaccination, plus a negative Covid test result, within 72 hours before ever hitting the Colorado Rockies town that hosts this cinematic nirvana. The annual event brings out movie lovers of all stripes, as well as Hollywood’s Oscar brigade in hopes of establishing surefire contenders.
With packed and in many instances completely full screenings (largest venues hold 600-plus) over the course of the festival, which was extended to run five days instead of the usual four in hopes of keeping the crowds down at the most popular films by having more showtimes, I really couldn’t tell much of a difference...
- 9/6/2021
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The fall festival season took off with a rash of big awards titles at Venice, which opened Wednesday with rapturous reviews for Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers” (which will also close the New York Film Festival), and Telluride, which launched on Thursday with a mix of Cannes hits and world premieres.
While Venice went forward with a live festival last year, Telluride 2020 was shut down by the pandemic, and fest director Julie Huntsinger said at Thursday’s opening day press conference that putting on this year’s festival was “a miracle,” as many stars and filmmakers, including Will Smith and Joaquin Phoenix — the stars of the Thursday night world premieres “King Richard” and “C’mon, C’mon,” respectively — were unable to attend due to constantly changing local Covid restrictions.
Venice day two brought more raves for Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix); the director, Kirsten Dunst, and...
While Venice went forward with a live festival last year, Telluride 2020 was shut down by the pandemic, and fest director Julie Huntsinger said at Thursday’s opening day press conference that putting on this year’s festival was “a miracle,” as many stars and filmmakers, including Will Smith and Joaquin Phoenix — the stars of the Thursday night world premieres “King Richard” and “C’mon, C’mon,” respectively — were unable to attend due to constantly changing local Covid restrictions.
Venice day two brought more raves for Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix); the director, Kirsten Dunst, and...
- 9/3/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The fall festival season took off with a rash of big awards titles at Venice, which opened Wednesday with rapturous reviews for Pedro Almodovar’s “Parallel Mothers” (which will also close the New York Film Festival), and Telluride, which launched on Thursday with a mix of Cannes hits and world premieres.
While Venice went forward with a live festival last year, Telluride 2020 was shut down by the pandemic, and fest director Julie Huntsinger said at Thursday’s opening day press conference that putting on this year’s festival was “a miracle,” as many stars and filmmakers, including Will Smith and Joaquin Phoenix — the stars of the Thursday night world premieres “King Richard” and “C’mon, C’mon,” respectively — were unable to attend due to constantly changing local Covid restrictions.
Venice day two brought more raves for Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix); the director, Kirsten Dunst, and...
While Venice went forward with a live festival last year, Telluride 2020 was shut down by the pandemic, and fest director Julie Huntsinger said at Thursday’s opening day press conference that putting on this year’s festival was “a miracle,” as many stars and filmmakers, including Will Smith and Joaquin Phoenix — the stars of the Thursday night world premieres “King Richard” and “C’mon, C’mon,” respectively — were unable to attend due to constantly changing local Covid restrictions.
Venice day two brought more raves for Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix); the director, Kirsten Dunst, and...
- 9/3/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Telluride is off and running, and it’s not business as usual.
The first day began with the annual patron brunch, where press, talent and other festival-goers mingle in the celebration of the Colorado getaway, now in its 48th year. In attendance were “Belfast” writer and director Kenneth Branagh with one of his stars Jamie Dornan, which screens for the first time later this evening. Others include “A Hero” writer and director Asghar Farhadi, “The Power of the Dog” co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee, “Flee” director Jonas Poher Rasmussen and “Red Rocket” writer and director Sean Baker with his two stars Simon Rex and Bree Elrod.
Afterward, Telluride co-director Julie Huntsinger greeted the media in attendance at the press orientation, speaking about the full slate and everything it has to offer. In an obvious sign of the times, Huntsinger shared that for one of the first times in recent memory, one of their tribute honorees,...
The first day began with the annual patron brunch, where press, talent and other festival-goers mingle in the celebration of the Colorado getaway, now in its 48th year. In attendance were “Belfast” writer and director Kenneth Branagh with one of his stars Jamie Dornan, which screens for the first time later this evening. Others include “A Hero” writer and director Asghar Farhadi, “The Power of the Dog” co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee, “Flee” director Jonas Poher Rasmussen and “Red Rocket” writer and director Sean Baker with his two stars Simon Rex and Bree Elrod.
Afterward, Telluride co-director Julie Huntsinger greeted the media in attendance at the press orientation, speaking about the full slate and everything it has to offer. In an obvious sign of the times, Huntsinger shared that for one of the first times in recent memory, one of their tribute honorees,...
- 9/2/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Fall festival season officially launches this week, and the programmers at the Telluride Film Festival are ready to make up for time lost last year amid the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, just a day before the Telluride Film Festival officially kicks off for 2021, organizers announced an enormous lineup of 80 features, including the premieres of multiple buzzy awards contenders like Will Smith in “King Richard,” Kenneth Branagh’s autobiographical drama “Belfast,” Joe Wright’s “Cyrano,” and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” (which will also screen during this year’s Venice Film Festival).
“I do think we’ve got the best movies of the year,” Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger told Indiewire in an interview. Unlike last year’s Telluride Film Festival, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic (although Telluride did announce its lineup and host a drive-in screening of “Nomadland” in Los...
“I do think we’ve got the best movies of the year,” Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger told Indiewire in an interview. Unlike last year’s Telluride Film Festival, which was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic (although Telluride did announce its lineup and host a drive-in screening of “Nomadland” in Los...
- 9/1/2021
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Previously confirmed titles include ‘The Electrical Life of Louis Wain’.
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast are among the world premieres on the programme for the 48th Telluride Film Festival (September 2-6).
The festival has confirmed a line-up of 80 films across features, shorts and retrospectives. Francis Ford Coppola, who said this week he is willing to invest up to $100m of his own money to get passion project Megalopolis made, will be among filmmakers attending in person. Coppola has a new cut of The Outsiders and The Rain People playing in Special Screenings.
Barry Jenkins...
Reinaldo Marcus Green’s King Richard and Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast are among the world premieres on the programme for the 48th Telluride Film Festival (September 2-6).
The festival has confirmed a line-up of 80 films across features, shorts and retrospectives. Francis Ford Coppola, who said this week he is willing to invest up to $100m of his own money to get passion project Megalopolis made, will be among filmmakers attending in person. Coppola has a new cut of The Outsiders and The Rain People playing in Special Screenings.
Barry Jenkins...
- 9/1/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Documentaries are front and center at this year’s Telluride Film Festival, far more than usual, with 18 new releases in the main program (not classics) and a total of four from NatGeo Documentary Films. How did that happen? NatGeo is no stranger to quality nonfiction, from Oscar, BAFTA, and Emmy-winning “Free Solo” to Oscar-nominated Syria-under-siege documentary “The Cave.”
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Documentaries are front and center at this year’s Telluride Film Festival, far more than usual, with 18 new releases in the main program (not classics) and a total of four from NatGeo Documentary Films. How did that happen? NatGeo is no stranger to quality nonfiction, from Oscar, BAFTA, and Emmy-winning “Free Solo” to Oscar-nominated Syria-under-siege documentary “The Cave.”
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
For one thing, one of the films booked for last year’s canceled festival is in the 2021 selection, as Tff co-director Julie Huntsinger welcomed rookie filmmaker Max Lowe back with “Torn,” the true story of a family hit hard by the loss of his father, legendary mountaineer Alex Lowe, killed in a Tibet avalanche in 1999.
Much like Bing Liu’s Oscar-winning “Minding the Gap,” “Torn” explores untapped emotions as Lowe seeks answers to complex and uncharted family dynamics, helped by his younger brothers, his mother, and her second husband, his father’s mountain partner,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Celebrating its 48th edition, the Telluride Film Festival announced its official programming selections, which include world premieres of Kenneth Branagh’s “Belfast,” Mike Mills’ “C’mon C’mon,” Joe Wright’s “Cyrano,” Reinaldo Marcus Green’s “King Richard” and Céline Sciamma’s “Petite Maman.”
Also on the docket are Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” and Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer.” Larraín’s film is opening the Venice Film Festival, where several of the films are screening before debuting Stateside in Colorado.
From the documentary side, festivalgoers will get a smorgasbord of subjects from acclaimed filmmakers such Todd Haynes (“The Velvet Underground”), Lisa Hurwitz (“The Automat”), Liz Garbus (“Becoming Cousteau”) and Sam Pollard and Rex Miller (“Citizen Ashe”).
From the international circuit, selections include the Sundance hit “Flee” from Jonas Poher Rasmussen, an international animated documentary...
Also on the docket are Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Paolo Sorrentino’s “The Hand of God” and Pablo Larraín’s “Spencer.” Larraín’s film is opening the Venice Film Festival, where several of the films are screening before debuting Stateside in Colorado.
From the documentary side, festivalgoers will get a smorgasbord of subjects from acclaimed filmmakers such Todd Haynes (“The Velvet Underground”), Lisa Hurwitz (“The Automat”), Liz Garbus (“Becoming Cousteau”) and Sam Pollard and Rex Miller (“Citizen Ashe”).
From the international circuit, selections include the Sundance hit “Flee” from Jonas Poher Rasmussen, an international animated documentary...
- 9/1/2021
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Telluride Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 48th edition after canceling the event last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite that setback — and some new logistical hurdles mandated by the pandemic — the exclusive Colorado gathering once again promises a familiar assemblage of Oscar season hopefuls, timely documentaries, and potential hidden gems. With over 80 features in the lineup, Telluride will showcase several highly anticipated fall titles and highlights from earlier festivals in addition to the return of its tributes, which this year will go to Riz Ahmed, Peter Dinklage, and Jane Campion.
In an interview, Telluride co-director Julie Huntsinger projected the usual confidence about the caliber of the selection and its potential impact, but did not mince words when it came to assessing the challenges of assembling the festival in a pandemic. “I do think we’ve got the best movies of the year,” she said. “I’m feeling pretty good.
In an interview, Telluride co-director Julie Huntsinger projected the usual confidence about the caliber of the selection and its potential impact, but did not mince words when it came to assessing the challenges of assembling the festival in a pandemic. “I do think we’ve got the best movies of the year,” she said. “I’m feeling pretty good.
- 9/1/2021
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
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