THE FIRST SIGNS OF BEALE STREET
Stefan James, Kiki Layne, Regina King and Barry Jenkins at Essence Fest
One of the most hotly anticipated titles of the fall has to be Oscar winner Barry Jenkins' If Beale Street Could Talk. The film is the writer/director's follow up to the thrice Oscar winning Moonlight. It's an adaptation of the James Baldwin novel of the same name.
That alone would be enough to pique the interest of Telluriders but adding fuel to the fire has been the relative quiet surrounding the film.
There is a good deal of speculation that it will play Venice and I have had it at the number one spot on this summer's first Ten Bets lists for TFF #45. We also know that its one of the films that Annapuna Pictures is distributing this fall...as Megan Ellison's production company adds distribution to its list of services. Other films in their lineup include: Backseat, The Sisters Brothers and Destroyer.
All that to get to the story that Jenkins and some of the actors in the film: Regina King, Stephan James and Kiki Layne, were featured in a Q+A about the film at New Orleans' Essence Fest this past weekend.
Here's the 14 minute interview from YouTube:
I found the interview via a story from Awards Watch and that story is linked here.
More coverage is here from BlackFilm.com and also from Hollywood Elsewhere.
If Beale Street Could Talk is not yet scheduled for release in the United States.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS-PART ONE 2018
If Beale Street Could Talk director and TFF Usual Suspect Barry Jenkins
There are a number of people that have, over the years have become frequent players at Telluride.They're folks that may not always be there and even if they are there, they don't always have a project that screens at the fest but often times you can predict some of the choices for the fest based on The Usual Suspects and what they do have to offer.
For example...Barry Jenkins...who has been a part of the fest in a variety of ways for a decade and a half. That's why his If Beale Street Could Talk is at the top of the Ten Bets list.
Steve McQueen-His Hunger, Shame and Oscar winner 12 Years a Slave all screened at Telluride which leads one to think that Widows is a good bet. I've been holding back on putting it in the Ten Bets because the film's description seems less Telluride-y than McQueen's previous efforts. Still, it wouldn't surprise if it were to screen at T-ride.
Jacques Audiard-Audiard has been represented thrice at TFF 1996- A Self Made Hero, 2009-A Prophet and 2012-Rust and Bone. However his Palme D'or winning Dheepan wasn't at The SHOW in 2015. His The Sisters Brothers could get him back to the San Juans.
Alejandro Inarritu is a great example of a "usual suspect" who attends even when he doesn't have a project. That happened last year when he was in town to support his amigo Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape of Water. I suspect that could happen again this year for Alfonso Cuaron's Roma. Cuaron, himself would become a "usual suspect" this year if Roma plays. I think that could happen.
Jason Reitman- At one point Reitman was a sure TFF bet as he ran off a series of SHOW entrants: Juno (07), Up in the Air (09) and Labor Day (13) but Young Adult and Men, Women and Children which might have played The SHOW did not. Reitman could return this year with The Frontrunner. There's a decent chance that could happen.
I'll look at more of "The Usual Suspects on Thursday.
Yorgos Lanthimos has made a big splash on the art house circuit over the past few years with The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer including an Oscar nomination for writing The Lobster.
This year he has directed the historically based The Favourite set during the reign of Queen Anne in Britain in the 1700's. Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone star and the film is reportedly more "accessible" than either Lobster or Scared Deer. As it is from Fox Searchlight, this might be the year that a Lanthimos film makes the TFF lineup.
All of that reminder material is to get to the fact that the film had a teaser/trailer release on Monday. Here it is from YouTube:
The Favourite is scheduled for release on Nov. 23rd.
That's your Tuesday MTFB. More to come on Thursday.
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