The Telluride Daily Planet Reports that the Telluride Town Council agreed last night (with stipulations) to add an extra day to TFF #47. This year's fest is now planned to take off on Thursday, Sept. 3.
From Suzanne Cheavens/ The Watch/Daily Planet:
"Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is trying to envision its world-renowned gathering of cinephiles in a world post-COVID-19, and in doing so, wants to create more space. Film fest representative Brandt Garber requested one additional day to tack on to its Labor Day weekend festival, which takes place in numerous venues around town. Telluride Town Council agreed unanimously to the extra day.
Originally scheduled from Sept. 2-7, the event, which attracts an international crowd of nearly 3,000 film-lovers, film industry heavyweights and a fleet of crew and volunteers, will now begin Sept. 1. Garber explained the reasoning behind wanting an additional day added.
The article says Sept. 1 but I believe they mean Sept. 3rd which is the actual date for the Thursday prior to Labor Day."
The last time the fest was a five day affair was in 2013 when a day was added as a part of the film festival celebrating its 40th iteration.
Perhaps most importantly...this signals that the fest is still strongly committed to occurring.
The complete article is linked here.
FRANCE'S DECISION MAKES CANNES LESS LIKELY
Multiple reports over the past few days have revealed that French President Macron has extended that country's restrictions regarding Covid-19 deeper into the year. The order also included bans on "festival" style events until mid-July. That's a nail in the coffin of the suspected dates that Cannes had reportedly circled for a belated attempt to mount the fest (June 23-July 4 per Deadline). Deadline quoting a Cannes press release:
"Following the French President’ statement, on Monday, April 13th, we acknowledged that the postponement of the 73rd International Cannes Film Festival, initially considered for the end of June to the beginning of July, is no longer an option."
However, Indewire published this statement released by the film fest:
“It is clearly difficult to assume that the Festival de Cannes could be held this year in its original form. Nevertheless, since yesterday evening we have started many discussions with professionals, in France and abroad. They agree that the Festival de Cannes, an essential pillar for the film industry, must explore all contingencies allowing to support the year of Cinema by making Cannes 2020 real, in a way or another.”
So, clearly, Thierry Fremaux and his crew haven't thrown in the towel as yet but it's also growing increasingly clear that the options for Cannes are winnowing to very few.
Complete coverage of these details is linked here from:
Variety
The Hollywood Reporter
Indiewire
Deadline
The Playlist
FREMAUX INTERVIEW PROVIDES SOME INSIGHT
In an interview with Variety posted yesterday, Cannes Director Thierry Fremaux talks candidly about where the Cannes Fest with regard to whether some version of the fest goes forward in 2020.
Highlights include the lack of an absolute decision to cancel the festival outright and the possibility of teaming up with one or more European fall film fests in some capacity.
No North American film fest is mentioned by Fremaux -Telluride, Toronto or New York-suggesting that keeping a version of the fest or labeling a film or part of some other fest as a Cannes 2020 presentation would likely remain Eurocentric.
Read the interview from Variety here.
CANNES SIDEBARS DECIDE NO-GO IN 2020
After all of the above went down on Tuesday, Cannes Sidebar sections, Directors' Fortnight, Critics' Week and ACID announced Wednesday that those sections would not be held in Cannes this year.
Variety, among others, had the statement from them:
“The Directors’ Fortnight, La Semaine de la Critique and ACID regret to announce the cancellation of their 2020 editions in Cannes. The health crisis we are all presently facing makes it impossible to anticipate the practical course of events."
Multiple reports suggested, however, that en effort would be made to aid films that were already scheduled for those sections to find homes at other film fests still on the schedule for later this year.
The cancellation of the three sidebar programs is yet another indication that the main event at Cannes is closer to being cancelled in its traditional state and possibly altogether in any form.
Coverage of the Sidebar announcement is linked here from:
Variety
The Hollywood Reporter
Indiewire
Deadline
THR ASKS THE QUESTION: WHERE WOULD FILMS GO?
In light of the continuing developments regarding the Cannes Film Fest and the increasing chances that it just doesn't happen, The Hollywood Reporter writers Alex Ritman and Scott Roxborough posted a piece on Tuesday asking the question: "What Happens to Cannes-Bound Films Now?
That's a reasonable question.
Roxborough and Ritman lay out speculation for 13 films that were hinted at as Cannes possibilities and assess their possible fall film fest fate. They work on the assumption that Telluride, Venice and Toronto will happen.
The only film that gets a mention with Telluride as a specific possible landing spot is Joe Wright's The Woman in the Window which has been batted around quite bit regarding its release date.
Other films on the THR story's list are:
The French Dispatch
Benedetta
Soul
Top Gun: Maverick
Memoria
Tre Piani
The Trial of the Chicago 7
Flag Day
Tenet
Last Night in Soho
Penninsula
Summer of '85
From this list, my "best bets" for Telluride inclusion would be: The Trial of the Chicago 7, The French Dispatch, Summer of '85, Tre Piani and Flag Day.
The complete THR story is linked here.
EMAIL: mpgort@gmail.com
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