Good Monday morning to all of you...
THE WORLD LEARNS WHAT WE'VE KNOWN FOR A GOOD LONG WHILE
The Telluride Film Festival announced this past week that:
A) This year will be their 40th Anniversary.
B) That an extra day has been added to the schedule as a part of the anniversary celebration...it will start on Thursday, Aug. 29th this year. We knew that as the festival head honchos told us at the opening day press gathering last September.
C) That there will be a new 650 seat theater venue...we've known that was in the works for awhile too. It will be a re-modeled Hanley Pavilion in Telluride Town Park and will be named in honor of Telluride advisor-guest-presenter-guru-gadfly Werner Herzog. (I saw one tweet this week suggesting the Theater be nicknamed "Der Werner". I'm suggesting we call it "The Zog!").
D) Passes are now on sale for TFF #40.
The thing is, it was all officially announced this week and the film world took a good deal of notice.
Here's the press release from TFF and VP of Press Relations Shannon Goodwin Mitchell:
TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES ITS
40th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
AND PASS SALE INFORMATION
New 650 Seat Werner Herzog Theatre to be Complete for 2013 Edition
Berkeley, CA – Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, announces its 40th Anniversary set to run August 29 – September 2, 2013. An additional day of festivities has been added to the usual four-day Festival, making room for a five-day bounty of special programming and festivities. The National Film Preserve is a not-for-profit arts and educational organization that annually presents the Telluride Film Festival.
Festival passes will be available for purchase beginning tomorrow, March 1, 2013. Festival passes may be purchased at www.telluridefilmfestival.org/passes. Pass levels and descriptions may also be found on the Festival’s website. Pricing will not increase given the additional day in 2013.
Telluride Film Festival, along with the Town of Telluride, is also pleased to announce it is creating a new venue in time for its 40th Anniversary celebration. The Werner Herzog Theatre will be situated in Telluride’s Town Park Pavilion and become the Festival’s most technologically advanced theatre accommodating 650 pass holders. Telluride Film Festival is committed to present not only the best quality films but in the most state of the art manner. TFF is also committed to maximizing pass holder enjoyment, valuing its intimate, relaxed atmosphere and will not be expanding its 2013 pass holder base.
In keeping with Festival tradition, Telluride Film Festival does not announce its program in advance, though the 40th promises to be a grand reunion highlighting all the elements of the last forty years. During this special edition of the SHOW, the Festival is thrilled it will be able to showcase its technical excellence and provide its pass holders and sponsors the highest level of service while presenting the world’s greatest films and filmmakers.
“The 40th celebration is our chance to thank and honor the founders, filmmakers and audience who have helped us create such a beloved cultural institution,” said Telluride Film Festival Executive Director Julie Huntsinger. “We are inspired every day by the cinematic genius that surrounds us and look forward to sharing the best of that on this very special occasion.”
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. Co-founded in 1974 by Tom Luddy, James Card, and Bill and Stella Pence, 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 Opening Day, consists of over two dozen filmmakers presenting their newest works, special Guest Director programs, three 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 Our Sponsors
Telluride Film Festival is supported by Land Rover North America, Turner Classic Movies, Ernst & Young, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association, Audible.com, Universal Studios, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Américas Film Conservancy, Pine Ridge Winery, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Telluride Alpine Lodging, Meyer Sound, The London Hotel Group, ShopKeep POS, The Hollywood Reporter, Dolby, Crumpler, Boston Light and Sound, among others.
And here's some of the coverage that press release engendered:
OSCAR POST-MORTEMS
Kris Tapley and Anne Thompson dissect last week's Oscars on Oscar Talk:
Awards Daily's Sasha Stone does the same on her Oscar Podcast:
AND NOW...THE FIRST STAB IN THE DARK
The Hollywood Reporter posted its first spec piece about 2014 Oscar possibilities this week. Yes, The body of the 85th Oscar ceremony was still warm. Nevertheless, that's where I'll start with the speculation, analysis and guesswork for TFF #40. The entire THR story is here:
But here's a quick rundown of the films that they include:
"August: Osage County"
"Captain Phillips"
"Foxcatcher"
"Fruitvale"
"Inside Llewyn Davis"
"Monuments Men"
"Nebraska"
"Saving Mr. Banks"
"Wolf of Wall Street"
So...what can I say about these 9 prospects?
Count on "Nebraska" being in Telluride. Alexander Payne's new film with Bruce Dern and Will Forte will play. Payne has become a T-ride regular after having guest directed and subsequently debuting "The Descendants" there.
Pic from "August: Osage County"
I suspect that there is at least some chance that we could see either (or both) "Monuments Men" and "August: Osage County". That speculation is based in part on the George Clooney connection to both of those projects (producer on "August" and Producer-writer-director-actor on "Monuments"). Clooney was a tributee in 2011 and cannot have been displeased that "Argo", which he also co-produced, debuted at Telluride and went on to win Best Picture. Additionally, "August" is being distributed by The Weinstein Company which has had a presence at Telluride for some time including "The Sapphires", "Butter", "The Artist" and "The King's Speech".
Count "Foxcatcher" as a weak "Maybe". It's directed by Bennett Miller and co-written by Dan Futterman who had great success with "Capote" at TFF in 2005. So, that gives it a little shine...bur Bennett's last film "Moneyball" didn't play Telluride and "Foxcatcher's" distributor, Columbia, hasn't been a player at there.
Also in the incredibly weak "Maybe" column: "Wolf of Wall Street". The Martin Scorsese directed film could conceivably show up because he's been there before and reportedly will have a Roger Ebert documentary, "Life Itself", that he executive produced playing as a part of the SHOW. Here's that post from December:
Unlikely: Both Tom Hanks projects: "Saving Mr. Banks" and "Captain Phillips" lack any real Telluride connections/characteristics.
Also unlikely is the Coen Brothers new picture "Inside Llewyn Davis". The Coen's are likely to be included in the Cannes lineup and that might be the only festival play for the film. One quick note that does give a tiny ray of hope is that one of the films production companies is Scott Rudin Productions which has had an occasional presence in T-ride including "Frances Ha" last year as well "Margot at the Wedding". Though, admittedly, that's a Noah Baumbach connection more than a Scott Rudin connection.
And "Fruitvale" is off the table as it premiered at Sundance.
That's all for now...More on Thursday...
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