Michael's Telluride Film Blog : Best of the Week/Out of the Furnace Trailer

Hello on a Saturday...

As is the case during the summer, here's the best of what I posted from a week that looked at European Production companies and their connections to Telluride:

BEST OF THE WEEK

BRITS PRODUCE

Two weeks ago, I was looking at domestic distributors that seem to be frequently represented at the Telluride Film Festival. Last week I focused on smaller scale domestic distributors and a group of individuals that also have a frequent presence. This week I'm going to be looking at European film production companies that seem to pop up in film credits at Telluride with some frequency.

Today and tomorrow will be centered on the British. The end of the week on the French (and maybe one other).

But let's start with the U.K.:

BBC FILMS

Here's what I have been able to track down from the last half decade vis-a-vis BBC Films at Telluride:

2008: Millions
2009: Fish Tank, Bright Star, An Education
2010: The First Grader, Tamara Drewe
2011: We Have to Talk About Kevin
2012: Ginger and Rosa

BBC Films most likely Telluride offerings for 2013 would include:

"The Invisible Woman" and "Philomena". There actually seems to have been a backwards confirmation for "The Invisible Woman" as a TFF #40 film according to a Daily Mail story from June 27:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2350412/Backstabbing-RSC--Mantel.html

"Philomena" has also been fairly high on my list of Telluride possibles. I wouldn't be surprised if both films make the cut for The SHOW.

UK FILM COUNCIL

This British production house has an even more prevalent profile for Telluride over the past decade than BBC Films does, although they were shut out in 2012.

The UK Film Council track record over the past decade:

2003: Intermission, Touching the Void
2004: Enduring Love, Merchant of Venice
2006: Venus, The Last King of Scotland, Deep Water
2007: When Did You Last See Your Father, Brick Lane
2008: Happy-Go-Lucky
2009: Fish Tank, Bright Star
2010: Tamara Drewe, The King's Speech
2011: Shame, We Need to Talk About Kevin

So They've been represented in 8 of the last 10 years and often with 2 films in those years that they have been represented. The trouble is that there doesn't seem to be a lot to chose from in the UK Film Council pantheon of films at the moment.

Maybe the most likely is Kevin Macdonald's "How I Live Now". Macdonald, at one point, was often represented at Telluride but hasn't had a film play TFF since 2007's "My Enemy's Enemy". The film stars Saoirse Ronan.

We could see Ken Loach's documentary about WWII Britain, "The Spirit of '45". It played the Berlin Fest.

The third (and least likely possibility from my perspective) is Jonathan Glazer's highly anticipated "Under the Skin" starring Scarlett Johansson as an alien in human form.

Chances:

"How I Live Now" 50%
"Spirit of 45" 30%
"Under the Skin" 15%

BRIT PRODUCERS #2

Yesterday I examined a couple of British production outfits that have been a part of the festival in the past. Today I'll look at another: Film4.

FILM4 has been a fairly constant presence at Telluride over the past seven years:

2006: Deep Water
2007: When Did You Last See Your Father, Brick Lane
2008: Happy-Go-Lucky, Hunger, Slumdog Millionaire
2009:
2010: Another Year, Never Let Me Go
2011: Shame
2012:

Although Film4 wasn't represented in 2012, they do have a number of possible films in the barrel that could have Telluride potential including:

The John LeCarre adaptation "A Most Wanted Man"
Roger Michell's "Le Weekend"
Kevin Macdonald's "How I Live Now"
Cannes success "The Selfish Giant"
Ken Loach's "The Spirit of 45"
and Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin".

All but "A Most Wanted Man" have been addressed/assessed in this space recently ("Le Weekend" and "How I Live Now" were discussed in the "Usual Suspects" posts, "The Selfish Giant" in the Sundance Selects portion of U.S. distribution companies and "Spirit of '45" and "Under the Skin" in yesterday's UK Film Council breakdown).

"A Most Wanted Man" has no other Telluride indicators, so its status as a Telluride "potential" is limited. Put it 20%.

There are other Brit Film Production houses that have some history with Telluride: Lipsync, See Saw, Film Four, but as of right now, these companies don't have films listed on IMDb that appear to be in position for TFF #40.

LE FRENCH PART ONE

Time to take a look at some of the more often Telluride represented French production houses in terms of their past with the festival and what those companies might have in store that have the potential to play over the Labor Day weekend. We begin with:

CANAL +

Look at the history of Canal+ as a producer of films that played at Telluride over the last decade:

2003: The Barbarian Invasions, Dogville, Love Me If You Dare, The Tripletts of Belleville
2004: The Weeping Meadow
2005: The Child, Cache, Lemming, Live and Become
2006: Volver, Indigenes, The Page Turner
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Terror's Advocate, Jellyfish
2008: With a Little Help From Myself, I've Loved You So Long
2009: Farewell, Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, The White Ribbon
2010: The Illusionist, Carlos, Of Gods and Men, The Princess of Montpensier
2011: Crazy Horse, Albert Nobbs, Goodbye First Love, The Kid with a Bike, The Artist, Le Havre
2012: Rust and Bone, Superstar, The Attack

Canal+ averages 3 films each year at Telluride. What do they have that might play this year?

"Blue is the Warmest Color", "Bastards (Les Saluds)", "The Great Beauty", "The Past", "A Castle in Italy", "Mood Indigo", "Camille Claudell: 1915". "The Past" and "Blue is the Warmest Color" have the greatest chance to be on Telluride's 2013 bill of fare.

These seem to be the most likely to me but Canal+ has their finger in a lot of pots, so there could be many others that play. Check Canal+'s full lineup via IMDb here:
http://www.imdb.com/company/co0028557/?ref_=fn_co_co_1

STUDIOCANAL

Another French production outfit that sometimes plays at Telluride is StudioCanal. Look at their ten year Telluride track record:

2003: Young Adam, Love Me If You Dare
2004:
2005: Cache
2006: Indigines, Catch a Fire
2007:
2008:
2009:
2010: The Princess of Montpensier
2011:
2012: Love, Marilyn

As you can see, StudioCanal's T-ride participation is hit and miss. Of the films that StudioCanal has had a hand in, there are two that have some Telluride potential but it's low level potential:

The Coen Brothers' "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Michel Gondry's "Mood Indigo". I'd put both films chances at 20%.

MORE FRENCH PRODUCERS (PART DEUX)

Today I continue looking at French production houses that have been Telluride players in the recent past and also look at those films that they have been a part of that could make the upcoming list of TFF #40 films.

FRANCE2 CINEMA

Here are the films from France2 Cinema that have played Telluride in recent years:

2006: Indigenes
2009: A Prophet, Coco Before Chanel
2010: The Princess of Montpensier
2011: The Kid with a Bike
2012: Rust and Bone

As you can see, France2 has been a modest player and really only in the last four years. Still, France2 has three films with some Telluride potential: "Blue is the Warmest Color", "Mood Indigo" and "The Great Beauty".

"Blue" has the best chance of playing T-ride.

FRANCE3 CINEMA

France3 has had a larger profile than France2 at Telluride over the past few years:

2003: Dogville, The Tripletts of Belleville
2004:
2005: Lemming, Live and Become, Cache
2006: The Page Turner, Indigenes
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly, Persepolis
2008: I've Loved You So Long
2009: The White Ribbon
2010: The Illusionist, The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men
2011: The Artist
2012: Superstar, Amour

So France3 is very consistently at Telluride with one or two films a year. Their current crop has two suspects: "The Past" and "Grigris". I think "The Past" is very likely and "Grigris" is a 50/50 shot to make the program.

LE FRENCH FINALE

A look at our final couple of French production companies that have had some Telluride connection in the past as I try to divine what they might have in store for us over Labor Day weekend.

CINE+ (CINECINEMA)...one and the same...

CineCinema changed over to Cine+ within the last two years or so but it's all the same. This production company has often been represented at Telluride over the last few years:

2005: Lemming, Live and Become
2006: The Page Turner, Indigenes
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
2008: With a Little Help from Myself
2009: Farewell, Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, Inferno
2010: The Illusionist, The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men
2011: Goodbye First Love, The Kid with a Bike, Le Havre, The Artist
2012: Rust and Bone, Superstar, The Attack, Amour

Over eight years Cine+(CineCinema) has participated in 21 TFF films, an average of 2-3 per year but trending toward four in three of the last four years. What do they have in the wings that could play this year?

"Blue is the Warmest Color", "Mood Indigo", "The Past", "Les Saluds", and "The Great Beauty" seem to be the most likely suspects. Of the five I think "The Past" is the most likely followed by "Blue", "Great Beauty" then "Les Saluds" and "Mood Indigo".

ARTE FRANCE CINEMA

Another Franco production outfit that has had persistent presence in Telluride is arte France Cinema. Their track record looks like this:

2003: Dogville
2004: The Weeping Meadow
2005: The Child, Cache, Paradise Now
2006: Day Night Day Night
2007:
2008: O'Horten
2009:
2010:
2011: Le Havre, Goodbye First Love
2012:

You can see that arte France Cinema has had a spotty history at T-ride but they do have their hand in four possible Telluride players for this year:

"Michael Kohlhaas"
"Bastards/Les Saluds"
"Camille Claudell: 1915"
"My Sweet Pepper Land"

I'd put all of these at 25% to show at The SHOW.

THIS WEEKS' TEN BETS:

1) Nebraska
2) The Invisible Woman
3) The Story of Children and Film
4) The Past
5) The Unknown Known
6) Daughter of the Dawn
7) Aguirre: The Wrath of God
8) The Immigrant
9) Labor Day
10) The Lunchbox

The rotating tenth spot goes this week to a Sony Pictures Classic film. Other films floating just below these Ten Bets are:

The Selfish Giant, Like Father Like Son, Life Itself, Only overs Left Alive, Blue is the Warmest Color, Young and Beautiful, 12 Years a Slave, Philomena, Heli and Quai d'Orsay.

"THE ZOG" NEARS COMPLETION

For months I've been reporting on the development and progress on the project to makeover The Hanley Pavilion in Town Park in Telluride so that it can be used as a tenth venue during the film festival. The Telluride Daily Planet reported yesterday that the progress has been good and that the new "Werner Herzog Theater" (The Zog) is on target.

The story also dropped a couple of interesting items. First, and perhaps most eye-catching was the revelation that "The Zog" will be mostly a "first come, first serve venue". Festival co-director Julie Huntsinger is quoted in the article as saying that there will be no passholder distinction at "The Zog". Huntsinger says in the story that the exception will be in the case of film premieres that occur at the new 750 seat facility.

Another interesting note is that, in addition to the extra fifth day of programming to celebrate the fests 40th anniversary, a special Wednesday afternoon "event" will be held to start the weekend. The story doesn't give any clues as to what that "event" might be.

Here's the link to the complete Telluride Daily Planet story:

http://www.telluridenews.com/articles/2013/07/07/news/doc51d75875e8e88369135159.txt

OUT OF THE FURNACE TRAILER