Venice Lineup Announced / Toronto Lineup Announced / Views of Venetian Choices / Whither French Dispatch and On the Rocks? / Meanwhile - A Correction

VENICE LINEUP ANNOUNCED

The Venice Film Festival announced the films in its lineup in three categories: Competition, Out of Competition and Horizons.  From those three categories there are two films that we strongly believe will be announced by Telluride organizers as having been scheduled for TFF #47: Nomadland and Notturno.

TFF #47 possibles from Competition:

Guest of Honor/Adam Egoyan

Dear Comrades/Andrei Konchalovsky

Out of Competition/Fiction:

The Duke/Roger Michell

Out of Competition/Non-Fiction:

Sportin' Life/Abel Ferrera

Crazy, Not Insane/Alex Gibney

Hopper/Welles/Orson Welles

City Hall/Frederick Wiseman

Horizons:

Mainstream/Gia Coppola

Now we await news from Toronto and New York as well as the ultimate TFF announcement.  Could that came tomorrow?

I have lined multiple articles with the complete Venice lineup (save for films that me still be added and that could happen) along with their analysis:

Variety

Deadline 

Indiewire

TORONTO LINEUP ANNOUNCED

Here's the list of films that the Toronto International Film Festival announced earlier today:

180 Degree Rule (Farnoosh Samadi |​ Iran)

76 Days (H​ao Wu​, Anonymous, ​Weixi Chen​ | USA)

Ammonite​ (Francis Lee​ | United Kingdom)

Another Round​ (Thomas Vinterberg | Denmark)

Bandar Band (M​anijeh Hekmat |​ Iran/Germany)

Beans​ ​ (Tracey Deer​ | Canada)

Beginning ​(Dasatskisi)​ ​(Dea Kulumbegashvili​ | ​Georgia/France)

The Best is Yet to Come (Bu zhi bu xiu) (​Wang Jing | China)

Bruised​ (Halle Berry | USA)

City Hall​ (Frederick Wiseman | USA)

Concrete Cowboy​ (Ricky Staub | USA)

David Byrne’s American Utopia ​ (Spike Lee | USA)

The Disciple ​(Chaitanya Tamhane | India)

Enemies of the State​ (S​onia Kennebeck​ ​| USA)

Falling​ (Viggo Mortensen | Canada/United Kingdom)

The Father​ (Florian Zeller | United Kingdom/France)

Fauna​ (N​icolás Pereda​ | Mexico/Canada)

Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds (W​erner Herzog, C​live Oppenheimer​ | United Kingdom/USA)

Gaza mon amour​ ​(Tarzan Nasser, Arab Nasser​ |France /Germany/Portugal/Palestine/Qatar)

Get the Hell Out​ (​Taochulifayuan)​ (I-FanWang ​| Taiwan)

Good Joe Bell​ (Reinaldo Marcus Green | USA)

I Care A Lot (J​ Blakeson | United Kingdom)

Inconvenient Indian (M​ichelle Latimer |​ C​anada)

The Inheritance​ (Ephraim Asili | USA)

Lift Like a Girl (​​Ashya Captain)​​ (Mayye Zayed | E​gypt/Germany/Denmark)

Limbo ​(Ben Sharrock | United Kingdom)

Memory House​ (​Casade Antiguidades)​ ​(João Paulo Miranda Maria​ | Brazil/France)

MLK/FBI​ (Sam Pollard | USA)

The New Corporation: An Unfortunately Necessary Sequel​ ​(Joel Bakan, Jennifer Abbott |​ Canada)

New Order​ (​Nuevo orden​) (Michel Franco​ | Mexico)

Night of the Kings​ (L​a Nuit des rois​) (P​hilippe Lacôte ​| C​ôte d’Ivoire/France/Canada/Senegal)

Nomadland​ (Chloé Zhao​ | USA)

No Ordinary Man​ (A​isling Chin-Yee, Chase Joynt​ | Canada)

Notturno (G​ianfranco Rosi​ |​ Italy / France / Germany)

One Night in Miami (R​egina King | USA)

Penguin Bloom​ ​(Glendyn Ivin​ | Australia)

Pieces of a Woman (K​ornél Mundruczó ​| USA/Canada/Hungary)

Preparations to Be Together For an Unknown Period of Time​ (F​elkészülés meghatározatlan ideig tartó együttlétre​) (​Lili Horvát​ | Hungary)

Quo Vadis, Aïda? (J​asmila Žbanić ​| B​osnia and Herzegovina/N​orway/The Netherlands/Austria/Romania/France/Germany/Poland/Turkey)

Shadow In The Cloud​ (R​oseanne Liang​ | USA/NewZealand)

Shiva Baby​ (Emma Seligman​ | USA/Canada)

Spring Blossom​ (Suzanne Lindon | France)

A Suitable Boy​ ​Mira Nair​ | United Kingdom/India

Summer of 85​ ​(​Été​ 85​) ​(François Ozon​ | France)

The Third Day​ (Felix Barrett, Dennis Kelly ​| United Kingdom)

Trickster ​(Michelle Latimer | Canada)

True Mothers​ (​Asagakuru)​ (Naomi Kawase|Japan)

Under the Open Sky​ (S​ubarashikisekai)​ ​(Miwa Nishikawa​|Japan)

Violation​ Madeleine (Sims-Fewer, Dusty Mancinelli ​| Canada)

Wildfire ​(Cathy Brady​ | United Kingdom/Ireland)

Thoughts:  The TIFF list includes a slew of the Cannes Selected list.  Such as Another Round, True Mothers and Summer of '85.

TFF #47 expected films Ammonite, Nomadland and Notturno were all on the TIFF list.  

Some titles here (in addition to the Cannes titles listed above) that I think could end up on Telluride's list when it is revealed:

Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy

Werner Herzog's Fireball

Frederick Wiseman's City Hall

Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI

Here's Variety's coverage of the TIFF announcement this morning.  

VIEWS OF VENETIAN CHOICES

Here's a look from The Film Stage of some of the stills/teasers/trailers from films announced for Venice including a trailer for Giancarlo Rosi's Notturno which is expected as a TFF #47 announcement:

And this till from Frederick Wiseman's City Hall...which I think has a shot to be the on the TFF #47 list:

View all the images that The Film Stage has thus far here.

WHITHER THE FRENCH DISPATCH AND ON THE ROCKS?

You have to wonder.  

The French Dispatch was/is expected to be named as a choice for TFF #47 per reporting from Indiewire but the word from multiple sources the Wes Anderson film has been delayed indefinitely.  Does that mean it still shows up when TFF announces what would have been the lineup for edition #47?

And then there's the news that Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks was wooed heartily by the Venice Fest and A24 said nay-nay.

That according to an Eric Kohn/Indiewire interview of Venice Artistic Director Alberto Barbera on July 28th.  That complete interview is linked here.

Seems to me that also takes On the Rocks out of being named to the TFF list whenever we see it.

MEANWHILE A CORRECTION:

I guess Pixar's Soul will NOT be in the TFF #47 announcement after all.  Back on July 20th I reprinted this reporting from Anne Thompson Indiewire story entitled Film Festivals 2020: Here's What We Do Know:

The Telluride 2020 program, sources say, includes such titles as Francis Lee’s lesbian romance “Ammonite” (also a TIFF selection, as well as Cannes), Gianfranco Rosi’s Middle East documentary “Notturno,” Chloe Zhao’s road movie “Nomadland” (Searchlight) starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand, Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” (October 16, Searchlight), Steve McQueen’s anthology films “Mangrove” and “Lovers Rock” (BBC, Amazon Prime), and Pixar’s animated “Soul” (November 20, Disney).

However, when I was checking back on that story for today's MTFB post I discovered that it has been re-written.  Please note the underlined and highlighted segment:

The Telluride 2020 program, sources say, includes such titles as Francis Lee’s lesbian romance “Ammonite” (also a TIFF selection, as well as Cannes), Gianfranco Rosi’s Middle East documentary “Notturno,” Chloe Zhao’s road movie “Nomadland” (Searchlight) starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand, Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” (October 16, Searchlight), and Steve McQueen’s anthology films “Mangrove” and “Lovers Rock” (BBC, Amazon Prime). Not included was another Cannes selection, Pixar’s animated “Soul” (November 20, Disney), which should turn up in Toronto and New York.

So, for the time being, no Soul can be expected on the TFF #47 list.  

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A Week Later... / Nomadland to "Play Telluride" (and Other Places) / Herzog's Fireball Has a Home

A WEEK LATER...

So a week ago I posted a segment suggesting the possibility that the 2020 Oscar season might already be locked in.  My notion was that some possible players will ultimately end up missing the eligibility window as studios/distributors will opt to hold their release until later in 2021.

Then the past week happened and films began to disappear from the announced release schedule.  It was a little surreal.  Tenet...who knows?  Mulan...same.  Even The French Dispatch-which we suspect will be announced as a TFF #47 selection- has gone from an Oct. 16th release date to indeterminant.

I'm beginning to think my idle speculation about what the 2020 Oscar race ends up looking like might actually be what happens.

Here's how I laid out the Oscar race a week ago using the predictions from Clayton Davis' Awards Circuit and ignoring films that I thought might get scheduled outside the window of Oscar eligibility with probable TFF #47 films in Bold:

1) Nomadland
2) Mank
3) Ammonite
4) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (set to drop on Netflix on Oct. 16th)
5) Soul
6) The French Dispatch
7) Hillbilly Elegy
8) The White Tiger
9) Stillwater (???)
10) The Father
11) Da 5 Bloods
12) Minari
13) Greyhound
14) Palm Springs
15) Untitled Fred Hampton Project
16) The Glorias
17) I'm Thinking of Ending Things
18) Those Who Wish Me Dead
19) Respect
20) Onward


It seems to me that the slew of announcements from Warners, Paramount and Disney made the above scenario more likely.

Now, I will note here that I have seen some scuttlebutt on social media arguing that the Academy should, at this point, do a combined 2020-2021 Oscar season.  Though that's possible, I don't see that as very likely.  My guess...and it is just a guess, is that the Academy will stick to its guns having already extended Oscar season to two months and providing studios with the ability for a film to have Oscar eligibility even with its premiere occurring non-theatrically.

I have linked a number of re-scheduling stories from this past week below:

ShowBiz411

Hollywood Elsewhere

The Film Stage


NOMADLAND TO "PLAY TELLURIDE" AFTER ALL (AND OTHER PLACES)

Chloe Zhao's Nomadland will play Telluride...after a fashion.  Indiewire reports that there will be a special drive-in presentation of the film under the banner of "Telluride from Los Angeles".

Thom Geier at The Wrap reports that the drive-in experience will happen on the evening of Sept. 11th-the same night it co-world premieres at both Venice and Toronto and that director Chloe Zhao and star Frances McDormand are scheduled to appear.

Other Nomadland news was revealed, however, as Indiewire's Zach Sharf reports that the film has been selected as the New York Film Fest's centerpiece and that it will also screen as apart of the official program for both Toronto and Venice.

The occurrence of a film playing all four fests is unusual but I suspect that we'll see more of that than this year because of the disruption created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Nomadland as yet, no announced release date.

The Wrap's story can be found here.

The Indiewire story can be found here.




HERZOG'S FIREBALL HAS A HOME

Apple TV+ has acquired the Werner Herzog documentary Fireball according to Deadline.com.  That acquisition means the film is still a possibility to be named as one of the 20 or so films that are expected to be announced as "TFF #47" choices any day.

And speaking of TFF #47 choices, I'm expecting that list any day now.  With Venice announcing their lineup tomorrow and Toronto likely to name some of their lineup later this week, I wouldn't be stunned should we get that information before close of day on Friday.

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If It Had Happened-The Tributes? / Sniffing Out Another Possible / What Might Have Been-Chicago 7 Looks

IF IT HAD HAPPENED-THE TRIBUTES?

Because my mind works the way it does (or doesn't?), after TFF announced that TFF #47 was not to be but that they had a list of 20 or so films that would have been programmed and that all of the tribute recipients were planning to attend, I got to wondering who those folks might be.

Then with Indiewire's story about some of the titles they thought might make the lineup when it is ultimately revealed, I put together a third new list of films that are my "Bets" to make the TFF list.  And from that I began to speculate and extrapolate tribute possibilities.

If you remember last Monday's 3rd Ten Bets:

10) Fireball
9) John Prine: Hello In There
8) There Is No Evil
7) Soul
6) The French Dispatch
5) Lover's Rock (Small Axe)
4) Mangrove (Small Axe)
3) Notturno
2) Nomadland
1) Ammonite

Other possibilities: Undine, Forgotten We'll Be, Untitled Garbus/Cortes Voting Rights Documentary,  The Secrets We Keep, American Utopia (probably not now as it has been named Toronto's opening night film) and French Exit.

Soooo...let's look at some of more intriguing possibilities:

From #1 Ammonite:  You could see either Kate Winslet or Saoirse Ronan getting named.  Rumors have it that Ronan might well have been a possible tributee in 2017 with Lady Bird.  Winslet was in T-ride with the cast of Steve Jobs in 2015.

From #2 Nomadland:  Two time Oscar winner Frances McDormand (Fargo/Three Billboards, three other nominations) is a no brainer possibility.

From #4 #5 Small Axe films Mangrove and Lover's Rock: Director Steve McQueen.  McQueen's feature list isn't lengthy but is impressive including 12 Years a Slave (for which he won an Oscar as a producer of the Best Picture winner), Widows, Hunger, Shame.  He's a definite consideration.

From #6 The French Dispatch:  Writer/Director Wes Anderson is the most obvious choice.  A lengthy  and well-loved resume' (including The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel) and seven time Oscar nominee makes that apparent.  But the cast is so large and diverse...you'd have a cornucopia of actor type possibilities: Saoirse Ronan (again), Frances McDormand (again), Elizabeth Moss, Edward Norton, Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Benicio Del Toro, Henry Winkler and, of course, Bill Murray (could he double up with the addition of Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks being programmed as well?)

From #7:  I think Pixar's Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out, Monster's Inc.) might be a possibility.  MTFB friend Christopher Schiller has suggested perhaps Pixar as an entity gets a tribute.  That sounds like a real possibility as well.

From the rest of the "Bets" and the other possibilities:

Undine director/writer Christian Petzold
Documentary producer/director Liz Garbus
Actress Michelle Pfeiffer from French Exit




SNIFFING OUT ANOTHER POSSIBLE

Poster for Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters (from IMDb)

As we await word from TFF organizers what the official TFF #47 lineup is/was I may have sniffed out another possibility.  Without going into details, because I can't, I respectfully offer the documentary The Truffle Hunters. 

Had some things happen the last day or so that makes me think if could be on the TFF #47 list when it gets announced.  Yes, I know, it bowed at Sundance back in late January which is usually means a clear "no" for TFF as it wouldn't be a North American premiere.  But...that's a less stringent truth when it comes to docs as, over the years, TFF has programmed docs that had previously screened in the U.S. before screening at Telluride. 

Working for the film's possible inclusion is that its distributor is Sony Pictures Classics which often has a substantial TFF profile.

The Truffle Hunters focuses on three elderly Italian men who, wait for it-hunt truffles.

The Truffle Hunters IMDb page is linked here.

The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for World Cinema-Documentary.


WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN-CHICAGO 7 LOOKS

(from Vanity Fair)

Vanity Fair had a knockout exclusive first look at stills from Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7. 

Included in the accompanying article by David Ansen is the revelation that the film will drop on Netflix on Oct. 16th.  I've had this film circled as a TFF possibility since learning that it was going forward (first mention in MTFB that I can find is Dec. 2018).  The Oct. 16th date feels like what, in the olden times-like last year- would have been a plan to drop the film after completing a run tha could have included TFF, TIFF, Venice and/or NYFF.

Nevertheless, despite Netflix's determination that they wouldn't be festing at all this season, this is one of three films that I'm really, really looking forward to (in addition are Mank and The French Dispatch).

Glad I have that Netflix subscription.

The complete story and many other photos are here at Vanity Fair.

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Indiewire Reveals? / Ten Bets #3 / Oscar Ramblings / The Last Distribs

INDIEWIRE REVEALS?

Indiewire's Anne Thompson posted on Thursday a story called "Film Festivals 2020: Here's What We Do Know".  Within the article she counts down a list of films that she attributes to "sources" that will be on the list of 20 or so films that Telluride has said they will announce as those that would have been selected for TFF #47.

Here's the Thompson rundown:

The Telluride 2020 program, sources say, includes such titles as Francis Lee’s lesbian romance “Ammonite” (also a TIFF selection, as well as Cannes), Gianfranco Rosi’s Middle East documentary “Notturno,” Chloe Zhao’s road movie “Nomadland” (Searchlight) starring Oscar-winner Frances McDormand, Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” (October 16, Searchlight), Steve McQueen’s anthology films “Mangrove” and “Lovers Rock” (BBC, Amazon Prime), and Pixar’s animated “Soul” (November 20, Disney).


The list here looks reasonable and comports pretty well with what I had on last week's Ten Bets. Reviewing Anne's list and the last Ten Bets finds that both lists include:

Ammonite
Notturno
Nomadland
Mangrove
Lover's Rock

 I'd also point out that I've been sniffing around about The French Dispatch being in the possibility column for TFF #47 since the film's premiere date was pushed to October.

The real surprise to me is the inclusion of Pete Docter's Pixar release Soul.  That's a film that I would have never tripped to on my own.  If it shows up on the list of TFF #47 films that Telluride organizers say will be revealed in the next few days, then that is quite the plum for the Telluride that might have been.

The complete article is linked here.


TEN BETS #3

Updating the Ten Bets this Monday with the new information from the Indiewire story referenced above.  But before I do that, here's a look at last week's Ten Bets:


10) Undine
9) Forgotten We'll Be
8) The Secrets We Keep
7) Notturno
6) Small Axe (Mangrove and/or Lover's Rock)
5) John Prine: Hello In There
4) Fireball
3) Nomadland
2) There Is No Evil
1) Ammonite


Before this week's Ten Bets, a quick note:  this could be the last Ten Bets for 2020.  That will be true should TFF announce their list of selected films this week.  I think it's very possible for that announcement to come as early as today.  So, that said, here's the latest Ten Best for MTFB:


10) Fireball
9) John Prine: Hello In There
8) There Is No Evil
7) Soul
6) The French Dispatch
5) Lover's Rock (Small Axe)
4) Mangrove (Small Axe)
3) Notturno
2) Nomadland
1) Ammonite

Other possibilities: Undine, Forgotten We'll Be, Untitled Garbus/Cortes Voting Rights Documentary, The Secrets We Keep, American Utopia and French Exit.

Look for a MTFB SPECIAL POST should the TFF announcement happen this week.


OSCAR RAMBLINGS

I'm kind of wondering if "Oscar Season" is really already locked for this year despite The Academy bumping the eligibility window of the end of February 2021 and the actual Oscar date to the end of April.  Here me out...

What if Tenet gets delayed all the way to Summer 2021?  I think that's a real possibility especially in light of rumors swirling that the last Daniel Craig Bond film-No Time to Die- will be headed to a Summer 2021 date.   I also think that's a real possibility for Spielberg's West Side Story, Villenueve's Dune, Greengrass' News of the World, Caro's Mulan, Jenkins' Wonder Woman 1984 and Scott's The Last Duel.  I can't see any of these films being debuted in anything but a theatrical release of some kind and increasingly I think that's unlikely to happen in any meaningful sense by Feb. 28, 2021.

So posit that the above scenario is true... what films become Oscar players with the films that are already known?

Start with the idea that I'm right about them and eliminating the films listed above:  Clayton Davis at Awards Circuit currently has Tenet at #7, West Side Story at #10, Dune at #4, News of the World at #18, Mulan at #17, Wonder Woman 1984 #26, No Time to Die at #44 and The Last Duel as an "Unranked Contender".

What films then do become players?  Again, I'm including Awards Circuit rankings for each film.

Films that we believe will be on the TFF #47 list when it's announced: Nomadland #1, Ammonite #3, Soul #6, The French Dispatch #8.

Films that I thought could be TFF players but haven't shown up on the Cannes list:  Annette #11 (already off to 2021 and a rumored bow at Cannes next May).  Stillwater #13 (moved off its Nov. 6th date and not yet re-dated.  Waiting to see if a pre-Feb. 28th drop is useful?), C'mon C'mon #14, On the Rocks #16 (I'll bet it holds off until Cannes).

Films that played TFF #46: The Assistant #36, First Cow (UR).

Sundance 2020 films: The Father #15, Minari #20, Never Rarely Sometimes Always #37.

And then there's the load of Netflix titles: Mank #2, The Trial of the Chicago 7 #5, Hillbilly Elegy #9, The White Tiger #12, Da 5 Bloods #19 (already out, of course), Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (UR), Rebecca (UR).

I'm thinking that Netflix may not roll all of these films before Feb. 2021.  Perhaps they also will hold some of these titles back for the possibility of Cannes or the Oscars for 2021.

So, an adjustment of Clayton's predictions that skip the BIG films I've listed above as well as films that appear to be off to post Feb. 2021 but includes the Netflix titles leaves us with the following top 20 (with TFF #47 possibles in Bold.


1) Nomadland
2) Mank
3) Ammonite
4) The Trial of the Chicago 7
5) Soul
6) The French Dispatch
7) Hillbilly Elegy
8) The White Tiger
9) Stillwater (???)
10) The Father
11) Da 5 Bloods
12) Minari
13) Greyhound
14) Palm Springs
15) Untitled Fred Hampton Project
16) The Glorias
17) I'm Thinking of Ending Things
18) Those Who Wish Me Dead
19) Respect
20) Onward

And, of course, if Clayton is close to right... TFF #47 films, such as they are, could still be serious players in this weird Oscar season.


The complete and unaltered list of Clayton's predictions at Awards Circuit predictions are linked here.



THE LAST DISTRIBS: COHEN MEDIA, SUNDANCE SELECTS AND IFC FILMS AND KINO LORBER

I'm closing out the summer's look at distributors that have some Telluride history and films that could be named on TFF"s forthcoming list of films that would have programmed at The 2021 version of The SHOW.

COHEN MEDIA GROUP

Cohen's TFF History:

2019: No Titles
2018: The Great Buster
2017: The Insult, Face Places
2016: Journey Through French Cinema
2015: Hitchcock/Truffaut, Marguerite, Rams
2014: Magician
2013: No Show
2012: The Attack

Possible TFF #47 titles and their chance to play:

Forgotten We'll Be 50%
Operation Mincemeat 20%

KINO LORBER

KL's TFF History:

2019: Beanpole
2018: No Titles
2017: Film Worker
2016: Fire at Sea
2015: Ixcanul, Sembene!, Taxi
2014: The Decent One
2013: Burning Bush, La Maison de la Radio, Manuscripts Don't Burn
2010: La Quattro Volte, Poetry
2007: Blind Mountain

Possible TFF #47 title and its chance to play:

There Is No Evil 50%


SUNDANCE SELECTS AND IFC FILMS

The Sundance/IFC TFF History:

2019: No titles
2018: Non-fiction
2017: Eating Animals

2016: Things to Come, Graduation, Wakefield

2015: 45 Years

2014: Two Days One Night, Seymour: An Introduction

2013: Blue Is the Warmest Color

2012: Frances Ha, The Central Park Five, Everyday

2011: Into the Abyss, Pina, The Forgiveness of Blood, The Kid with a Bike, Goodbye First Love

2010: The Princess of Montpensier, Carlos, Tabloid

2009: Fish Tank, Red Riding, Life During Wartime, Vincere

2008: Hunger, Gomorrah, Flame and Citron, Everlasting Moments, The Good the Bad and The Weird

2007: Secret Sunshine, 4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days, Jar City

2006: Deep Water, Indigenes, Day Night Day Night

2005: Three Times

Possible TFF #47 selection and its chances:

Undine 45%

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TFF Cancellation After Action Report / 600,000 / TFF #46 Films in 2020

TFF CANCELLATION AFTER ACTION REPORT

Well, this is depressing.  I can't say that I was surprised at the announcement but I can say that I thought that if this was the decision that I thought it might come a bit later.  Nevertheless, I was in Oklahoma City with my wife, who was had a doctor's appointment (not Covid-19 related) when I got the news.  Of course, it knocked the breath out of me.

Then my phone blew up.

Lots of reaching out between me and friends and colleagues social media, email amd direct messages.

Full disclosure here:  I have been a bit "at sea" about the Blog's purpose and utility for the last year.

When TFF declined to accredit me as a journalist last year I wrote that I wasn't really sure about what I was going to do with it.  Ultimately I decided to push on and essentially continue to do what I have been doing since 2008 with the notion that I'd re-evaluate this year and after re-applying for this year's fest.

Now, we're here and the fest has again denied my press accreditation request (I still haven't had an answer from them regarding the rationale for the denial for either last year or this).  And now there is no TFF #47 to write about.

Normally, as you know, I'd be spending this next two months expanding the Ten Bets list and looking forward to the clues provided by announcements from Toronto, Venice and New York (all still on the schedule to happen).  Then I'd be reporting on the fest itself followed by the six month runup to the Oscars and how Telluride films fared and affected that race.  Now?

If you saw yesterday's "Special Post" you may have seen the section devoted to Variety's Peter DeBruge's interview with TFF Executive Director Julie Huntsinger then you know that she revealed that there's a possibility that a TFF #47 list of films that would have played is probably going to be released at some point "later this month".  Huntsinger also revealed that the Tribute recipients had been chosen and were planning to physically attend.

Other questions...

*Is there a TFF #47 poster and artist?
*Who was the Guest Director going to be for 2020?
*Will next year's fest be labeled TFF #47 or #48?
*Did Peter DeBruge hint that Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch would have been on the Telluride lineup?

Meanwhile, Todd McCarthy writing for deadline yesterday notes that co-director Todd Luddy has said that TFF had about 20 films lined up and that the list of those will be forthcoming soon.  From the McCarthy post:

"Festival co-director Tom Luddy, the only one of Telluride’s founding team still on board, said that the titles of about 20 would-have-been festival entries will be revealed in a few days. This will at least provide some insight into what key tastemakers regard as among the best films of the year, even if critics and the public will, at this point, have nothing to say in the matter."


My probable path for the next few weeks...

Continue the regular Monday/Thursday publishing schedule (there's certainly no reason for an increased publication schedule now) with the concept continuing to be sussing out what the T-ride lineup might have been.  I'll probably also take a stab at guessing who the tributes might have included though there's no indication in the DeBruge article that we'll ever know who they were.

After the TFF #47 lineup that-might-have-been is announced...re-assessment...again.

Here's the link again to the DeBruge/Huntsinger interview.

The Todd McCarthy/Deadline piece is linked here.



600,000

As a weird counterpoint to the above...MTFB blew through its 600,000th view as a result of Monday's post.  Over the 12 years that I've been doing this I have published 1803 (counting today's post) posts in addition to the various History and Oscar pages.  That means that each post has averaged 333.14 views.  Of course, some posts have-been hit more than others.  The current front runner is from Jan. 4, 2018 in the run-up to the Oscar nominations announcement.  It had 2616 views.

It seems odd and counter-intuitive to have a celebratory note in light of Tuesday's announcement but I'd be less than honest if I said that it didn't matter.  As always, I'm stupefied that anyone has found and read the blog over these past few years.  Again I want to thank everyone that takes the time to read my ramblings.  Thanks to those of you that comment and email and message.  Thanks to so many of you that have taken a moment to say hello during the actual fest itself.  Thanks to the real journalists that have been so kind and  welcoming at Telluride.  And the biggest thanks goes to my wife who has out up with this time consuming passion project for more than a decade.  She's got more patience than I do.


TFF #46 FILMS IN 2020

Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel has put together a compilation of over 100 critics and industry experts to name the best films of 2020 so far (Jordan was kind enough to invite my input but I wasn't able to get a list out together in time).

Some TFF #46 made the list:

#5 The Assistant
#6 First Cow
#12 Beanpole
 

Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods was the top vote getter.

Jordan's entire list of 38 films can be found here.

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SPECIAL WEDNESDAY POST: BREAKING NEWS-THE SHOW WON'T GO ON

We got the news yesterday afternoon that the 47th Telluride Film Festival has been cancelled.  Both press and passholders received the official word via email.  It landed in my inbox at 1:17 EDT/4:17 PDT.  At my house we had both with the press release and the passholders letter.

The press release reads as follows:

47TH TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL CANCELLED 

DUE TO CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

TELLURIDE, CO – Telluride Film Festival, presented by the National Film Preserve, released today a letter officially cancelling the 47th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, originally scheduled for September 3-7, 2020. 

 “After months of intense due diligence around physically holding an event, we’ve come to the heartbreaking but unanimous conclusion to cancel this year’s Labor Day celebration of film in Telluride,” the statement says. “But with a seemingly unending number of new cases of Covid-19 and the national chaos around it, even the best strategy is threatened by this out of control environment.”

 The Festival plans to release its lineup in the near future in order to highlight what it says is “the best in film this year,” and hopes its audience will have the opportunity to see the films at other major fall festivals including NYFF, TIFF and Venice.

 That was followed by the full statement which went to passholders:


After months of intense due diligence around physically holding an event, we’ve come to the heartbreaking but unanimous conclusion to cancel this year’s Labor Day celebration of film in Telluride. 

While there will be those who might say they’re not surprised by it, that this was inevitable, we beg to differ. It didn’t have to be this way. Until the past week or so, we had a very good plan to put on the SHOW safely. But with a seemingly unending number of new cases of Covid-19 and the national chaos around it, even the best strategy is threatened by this out of control environment. No matter how much many of us wear our masks and observe social distancing protocols, the pandemic has worsened rather than improved and the health and safety of you - our passholders, filmmakers, the people of Telluride and its surrounding areas - cannot be compromised. 

As you may know, we have been working cooperatively with our fellow fall film festival partners to champion global cinema and its artists. We hope that many of you will seek out and discover the titles we’ve selected for this year’s program at the New York Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, or Venice Film Festival, or when they’re made available on a wider basis. We will announce soon what we have carefully programmed in the hopes that you will experience as we did, the best in film this year. There are some incredible, powerful, and beautiful gems and we’re excited to extol their virtues when the time is right. Follow these titles, support them. We intend to champion them outside of the festival as best we can. 

For those who have supported us and believe in what we are trying to do, our gratitude is enormous. Thank you. We will need you in the coming months in many ways. Let’s light candles now to conjure a better 2021 and Labor Day weekend in Telluride, together, under the stars in the mountains doing what many of us love the most. The way we prefer to experience cinema will return.  Let’s make it so.

We wish you good health, peace and may we collectively move forward to a better world. 

 We understand that film festivals and their long-term health are not top of mind today. A safe vaccine, vital medical interventions for those sick and properly enforced health regulations are. However, we do ask that you take this moment to consider a world where gathering around a shared love of culture is no longer possible and what that means for the psychological condition of the world. If the prospect prompts a sense of despair, please advocate and champion the return of our gatherings that provide vital nourishment and oxygen to humanity's soul. 


Additionally, passholders received another email last night outlining options for what they might chose to do regarding the status of their passes from TFF Chief of Staff Kirsten Laursen:


Dear Passholder,

You may already have seen the news that we are cancelling the 47th Telluride Film Festival with very heavy hearts. Please see attached statement. 

Because the National Film Preserve works year-round to keep the cinematic arts alive (i.e. we operate the now temporarily closed Nugget, with a year round lease obligation) and is dedicated to keeping a light on whether a Festival takes place or not, we are deeply grateful to our sponsors and passholders who recognize this effort by turning their 2020 payment into a tax-deductible donation - either full or partial.  Many have already opted to do this and it is a great relief as we chart our course for the very uncertain coming months. 

Your generosity supports the work we do twelve months a year to support film and filmmakers - even and especially during this uncertain time.  

We hope you will consider making a tax-deductible donation, either full or partial in any amount to our 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and we will provide a tax letter for your records. 

If rolling over passes and sponsorship to 2021 is best for you, we will of course accommodate.  

If you decide to request a refund, we refund the total amount paid less a 4% fee to cover expenses associated with your credit card transaction.

I am available to talk through any of this if easier - on my cell below, or I'm happy to give you a call at your convenience.

A gift to the National Film Preserve/Telluride Film Festival is deeply meaningful as we work together to get through this crisis.  We look forward to being together around the silver screen again!  Thank you so much for your dedication to the SHOW.

Thank you. 


Finally, Peter DeBruge at Variety posted an interview with TFF Co- Director Julie Huntsinger last night titled: "Telluride Fest Director on Why They Ultimately Pulled the Plug".

A couple of highlights from that interview include:

“Every single tribute [honoree] was attending, and they were good ones! I had two filmmakers tell me that if they had to walk to Telluride, they would,” says Huntsinger, who hopes to make the lineup public later this month in order to support the films they would have invited."

Two things here: 1) We'll likely get to know what films had been chosen at some point in the not terribly distant future and 2) The Tributes were lined up and ready to go.

DeBruge mentions Ammonite and The French Dispatch in the article and I don't know if he's being coy and telling us those two films will be on the list or if The French Dispatch sounds like a cool title to speculatively include (we're already pretty sure Ammonite is on the list).


The complete article is linked here and has a lot more that you'll find interesting.

I'll be back with the regular Thursday edition of MTFB with musings and such.  Today I have to bag my lodging and deal with rolling over my passes...like a lot of you.

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Ten Bets #2 / Update from Telluride / Focus Does a Do-Si-Do / The Distribs: Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions

TEN BETS #2

Here's an update on my latest guesses about what films might screen as a part of gthe 47th Telluride Film Festival.  First, a reminder of the this year's first Ten Bets list from June 29th:

10) Ammonite
9) Undine
8) The Secrets We Keep
7) Forgotten We'll Be
6) Untitled Garbus/Cortes Voting Rights Doc
5) Fireball
4) Nomadland
3) John Prine: Hello in There
2) Small Axe (Mangrove and/or Lover's Rock)
1) There Is No Evil


And the current Ten Bets:

10) Undine
9) Forgotten We'll Be
8) The Secrets We Keep
7) Notturno
6) Small Axe (Mangrove and/or Lover's Rock)
5) John Prine: Hello In There
4) Fireball
3) Nomadland
2) There Is No Evil
1) Ammonite

I still feel that the Untitled Garbus/Cortes Voting Rights Documentary is also a good bet for TFF #47.


UPDATE FROM TELLURIDE

Since my last post on Friday more information has come to light from Telluride.  Last week I had included a good deal of information from an Indiewire story that, among other items, suggested that Telluride's Town Council would meet and likely make some TFF related decisions on July 15th.  That appears to be incorrect.  The Parks Committee does have a meeting scheduled in Telluride on July 15th but the Town Council does not meet until July 21st.

According to sources in Telluride the agenda for that meeting has not been posted.

Meanwhile, Suzanne Cheavans writing in The Telluride Daily Planet reported on a San Miguel County Commissioners meeting from last week at which there was some discussion of TFF.  Her reporting has a couple of very interesting pieces of information including the revelation that school buildings in Telluride will not be available for the fest to use. That article is linked here.


FOCUS DOES A DO-SI-DO

Focus Features has sifted its lineup.  The distribution company announced that they have moved Let Him Go starring Kevin Costner and Diane Lane from Aug. 21st to Nov. 6th and that consequently that will displace Stillwater which had originally been scheduled on Nov. 6th.  No new date was announced for Stillwater which stars Matt Damon and Abigail Breslin.

Back on June 25th I assessed the Focus lineup for Telluride possibilities and had put Stillwater's chances at 50%.  At that time I didn't evaluate the chances for Let Him Go because of its pre-TFF release date.

The move reduces Stillwater's chances of being in the TFF #47 lineup in my estimation.  It goes from my original guestimate of 50% down to 20%.  Meanwhile, Let Him Go gets rated at a 25% chance of making the Telluride lineup.

As a side note, Focus Features did a survey of past TFF journalist attendees a month ago that centered on getting a feel for probable attendees for this year.

Here's more info from Deadline.


THE DISTRIBS: LIONSGATE/ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

Lionsgate and affiliated film company Roadside Attractions have a solid appearance history with the Telluride Film Festival.

Lionsgate at Telluride:

2017: Hostiles
2016: La La Land
2013: All Is Lost

Roadside Attractions was repped at T-ride as follows over the past few years:

2019: Judy
2018: Trial by Fire
2016: Manchester by the Sea
2014: '71, Mommy, The Homesman
2013: All is Lost, Gloria
2012: Stories We Tell
2011: Albert Nobbs
2010: Biutiful

Between the two affiliated companies they average about 1.2 films per year at TFF.

This year Lionsgate's best shot is Fatale starring two time Oscar winner and past TFF Tribute recipient Hilary Swank (TFF #41 in 2014).  Swank stars as the fatale of the title.  The film was originally scheduled for release in June but is now dated for Oct. 30th.  Doug Liman's Chaos Walking (with Charlie Kaufman credited as one of the writers of the screenplay) might be an outside possibility.  It's currently scheduled for release in January 2021.

Roadside Attractions only shot appears to be The Glorias from Julie Taymor.  The film looks at the life of feminist icon Gloria Steinem and stars Julianne Moore and Alicia Vikander.  The film played Sundance, however, and as a result is highly unlikely for Telluride...although...as weird as this year is...never say never.

Chances:

Fatele 30%
Chaos Walking 20%
The Glorias 15%

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Joint Statement Revealed / Another Fest Goes Down / Venice Outlines Plans / SPC Teases French Exit

JOINT STATEMENT REVEALED

Film journalists yesterday received notices of a joint statement of cooperation between the Telluride, Toronto, Venice and New York Film Fests.  Here it is:

It's an interesting and perhaps a not entirely unexpected statement from all four fests.  It is, also light on any kind of detail in terms of what that cooperation means in a practical sense.

Kris Tapley tweeted about the announcement this way:

"Not entirely sure what this is actually saying beyond vaguely recognizing that there won’t be a crop of films big enough to sustain the usual jockeying for exclusivity."

 Writing for Deadline, Tom Grater:

"Traditionally the first port of call for films intending to launch into awards season, the fests are facing major changes to their 2020 editions due to ongoing virus disruption. In a joint statement today the event’s top brass say they are looking beyond the typical competitiveness that exists. It’s not clear exactly how that will manifest, but it may mean less of the typical scrapping to secure the top premieres in the best slots – the events are already planning to scale back their programs this year, and the Oscars being postponed to April 21 for 2021 also puts less pressure on landing those big contenders."

Yesterday afternoon Indiewire's Eric Kohn posted an informative piece about the cooperation announcement that included some clear statements about TFF #47

Kohn says:

1) Francis Lee's Ammonite will play TFF:

"Kate Winslet-starring lesbian drama “Ammonite,” a Cannes 2020 selection set to open this year from Neon, is slated at both Telluride and TIFF"

2) Documentary Notturno from Fire at Sea director Gianfranco Rosi will also play Telluride:

“Notturno,” a documentary from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gianfranco Rosi set in the Middle East, will also hit the quartet of fall festivals with eye towards making its way into the documentary Oscar race."

3) Kohn says Telluride will be smaller and have considerable overlap (see below regarding average overlap):

"Both TIFF and Venice have already announced significant curtailing to their usual vast lineups, with 50 movies playing in each. (TIFF usually programs over 300.) Telluride and New York also will have smaller lineups and don’t utilize specific premiere policies, but they have been looking at many of the same titles in the programming process. Even without a specific mandate to combine forces, considerable overlap would be inevitable."

4) Telluride's Town Council is set to vote on the Film Fest proceeding on July 15th:

"And Telluride faces a vote from the Colorado mountain town’s city council on July 15 to determine whether it can hold the event at all"

5) Venice and Telluride may co-premiere some films:

"The festival heads jointly declined to comment for this story. However, sources said that Venice was ambivalent about whether official “collaboration” between the festivals would impact a change to its premiere policy, since it comes first in the calendar. However, the festival was exploring the possibility of hosting joint premieres timed to take place simultaneously in Telluride."

6) Kohn suggests that virtual Telluride screenings are a possibility:

"The programming heads debated the merits of holding virtual editions if physical gatherings become impossible; for the moment, all four festivals are exploring ways of combining physical and virtual aspects of their programs. That led to conversations about the ideal online screening platforms, safety standards, and protocols for handling filmmaker and industry guests, should choose to travel."

Kohn's complete analysis is linked here.

So... perhaps more overlap between fests?  For Telluride and Toronto that overlap has averaged 17.8 films per year over the past five years.  For New York it's 7.6 films per year and for Venice it's been 7.0 films per year.

As a parenthetical note I'll remind everyone that Indiewire suggested a few weeks back that Telluride would make some details known about its approach to their festival in "mid-July".  The above assessment from Kohn suggests that we'll find out some details after the town council votes on the 15th.

ANOTHER FEST GOES DOWN

Austin, TX. based Fantastic Fest has announced that it will not have a 2020 event due to Covid-19 .  The fest was originally scheduled for Sept. 24-Oct. 1.

The Cancellation of the fest is notable for Telluride observers as its announcement of titles each year would often provide information that allowed confirmation of a film for Telluride inclusion or exclusion.

Though the fest's press release says that the organizers have decided that a virtual event will not occur with new films, there will be a "Celebration of Fantastic Fest" online that will provide events online to highlight the festival's past.

Fest organizers have pledged that Fantastic Fest will return in 2021.

Here's the link to the release.

VENICE OUTLINES PLANS

The Venice Film Fest will be scaled down this year.  Variety reporting on Tuesday that the venerable film fest will screen 50-55 feature films with their announcement of what films will be playing revealed on July 28th.

Other items...they'll have two outdoor venues and will scrap some normal sections of their fest.

It will be interesting over the next few weeks as we hear from both Venice and Toronto what they will be screening and how the status for each film is characterized.

Variety's complete story is linked here.

As a side note, in a separately published interview with Variety Venice head Alberto Barbera reveals that David Fincher's Mank isn't ready which Barbera implies is a reason that it won't be at Venice, may blow a big hole in my "Netflix surprisingly plays films at Telluride" theory.

That interview is here.

SPC TEASES FRENCH EXIT 

Sony Pictures Classics tweeted a first look at the Michelle Pfeiffer starring French Exit this week.  Here's the photo:

Their tweet's text was simply: 

French Exit. 

Coming Soon.

Made me wonder if I should move it up into the next iteration of the Ten Bets (which I'll post next Thursday).

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Does San Sebastian List Tell Us Anything? / I'm Thinking of Ending Things Goes Early / Sasha Weighs In on Oscar

DOES SAN SEBASTIAN LIST TELL US ANYTHING?

San Sebastian is planning for its film fest which runs Sept. 18-26...roughly two weeks after TFF and a week after Toronto.  They've announced their first set of selected films which include a number of Cannes "branded" films.  Of not to Telluride watchers probably are Summer of '85, Another round and True Mothers...which, barring being World Premieres for TIFF might indicate them as possibilities for TFF #47.

I'll point out again that when TIFF announced their Cannes titles a few weeks back, I pointed out that the TIFF press language called their selections as "premieres" without any qualifying status (i.e. "World" or "North American".  My point was the notion that if TIFF could have announced them as a "World" or "North American" premiere they would have.  Of course, I could be totally wrong.

Still, perhaps these selections are pointing to the most likely Cannes "crossovers" this year.


Here's the San Sebastian initial announcement from Variety.


I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS GOES EARLY

Netflix has announced that Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things will drop on Sept. 4th which is now the second day of the Telluride Film Festival.  The announcement would certainly suggest that the film would not be at TFF #47 in a "normal" world.  In a Covid-19 world, who knows?

But it also probably underscores Netflix's earlier revelation that they won't be including ANY of their titles at ANY film fest this fall.

As many of you know, I have been harboring a theory that there Netflix might pop some of their titles at Telluride under cover of Telluride's policy of not revealing titles until the day before the fest starts.

My takeaway from this information that my theory seems even less likely to come to pass and it was a highly unlikely scenario to begin with.  Still, I'm not likely to abandon it it completely.


SASHA WEIGHS IN ON OSCAR

My friend Sasha Stone, founder of Awards Daily posted some serious and early Oscar prognostication since my last post.  Included in the article re her picks for Best PIc as well as a list forwarded to her from another friend.  I can tell you that Sasha's friend is also pretty good at predicting Oscar fortunes.

The friend's list includes:

Da 5 Bloods (Netflix)
The French Dispatch (Searchlight)
Hamilton (Disney)
Mank (Netflix)
Minari (A24)
Nomadland (Searchlight)
Stillwater (Focus)
Tenet (Warner Bros.)
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (Netflix)
West Side Story (Fox/Disney)

Sasha's list includes:

Mank
West Side Story
Nightmare Alley
News of the World
Tenet
Nomadland
Stillwater
Trial of the Chicago 7
The Father
Da 5 Bloods

Films on both lists: Mank, Da Five Bloods, Chicago 7, Nomadland, Stillwater, Tenet and West Side Story.  Of those only Nomadland seems to me to be a solid TFF prospect.  Da Five Bloods, Mank and Chicago 7 are all Netflix joints now and I don't see Tenet or West Side Story being at a fest at all.  Stillwater from Focus is intriguing.  Whether it's a serious TFF possibility depends on if it's finished and what path Focus Features decides to follow.

The friend's other three films are: The French Dispatch, Hamilton and Minari.  Of that list only The French Dispatch might be in the cards for TFF.  Hamilton is playing now on Disney+,  Minari was a Sundance film.

Sasha's other four are: The Father (also a Sundance title), Guillermo Del Toro's Nightmare Alley which recent reports suggest wasn't quite half-filmed when production shut down due to the pandemic-I don't think it'll be close to ready for TFF.  Actually, I'll be surprised of it's ready in time for Oscar consideration this year even with the extended release window currently in place.  Sasha's third film is Paul Greengrass' News of the World which hasn't been high on my list for TFF all along as Greengrass has never played anything at Telluride and also due to the lack of much a Telluride profile from its distributor/studio (Columbia/Universal).

Sasha's complete article is here and includes some mention of Best Director and Best Actor possibilities.

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Two Years Running / Blues and Brews Bows Out of 2020 / Add to Amazon / Nomadland Is Imminent / The Distribs: Bleecker Street / Netflix Adds the Chicago 7

TWO YEARS RUNNING

For the second consecutive year Michael's Telluride Film Blog has been denied press accreditation for the actual fest itself.  Here's a screenshot of the email informing me yesterday afternoon:

So again, after having been granted that status from 2011-2018, TFF has said no. 

When I was denied last year, I asked at the time if there was a specific reason (I've sent that question again this year) and also if there was an appeal process.  I never got an answer.

As I said last year, I fully grasp that the fest can chose who to accredit who not to accredit.  I get that.

Further, I understand that I have published articles that have not been well received within the fest's hierarchy. This past year I have tried to be circumspect with regard to the stories I post and have, on a number of occasions, self-edited as I determined that a particular  thought or story might land badly.  That doesn't seem to have curried any favor.

And, of course, I'm aware that the very point of the blog (sussing out what might play at the fest) is antithetical to the fest's goal of keeping the lineup under wraps.

Still, after having been granted the status for eight years and then being denied for these last two, I am curious as to whether MTFB will ever be accredited again. 


BLUES AND BREWS BOWS OUT FOR 2020

The Telluride Daily Planet reported yesterday that the Telluride Blues and Brews Fest has been canceled for this year.  That leaves TFF as the only fest left standing for Telluride this year.  Blues and Brews was scheduled for Sept. 18-20-two weeks after The SHOW.

Festival director Steve Gumble is quoted in the paper with this:

“We held on to each day and each update and watched our hopes of holding Blues & Brews fade as each day passed.  Having said that, it is with tremendous sadness that I sit here forced to write what I thought I would never have to write — the 27th Telluride Blues & Brews Festival will be canceled for 2020. This is the toughest decision I have made, but without a doubt, it is the right thing to do.”

The complete story is here.


ADD TO AMAZON

Last Monday I took a look at the films that I thought might be possible TFF #47 players from Amazon Studios.  Since then, Amazon Prime Video has acquired a new foreign film title that probably should enter in our consideration

Variety reported on Monday that the streaming service had snagged Chilean hit Jailbreak.  The film is based on the true story escape that occurred in 1990.  Variety reports that the film is Chile's biggest hit in the past few years.

My guestimate at the chances of Jailbreak making a stop in Telluride are 25%.

The Variety story is linked here.


NOMADLAND IS IMMINENT

Chloe Zhao's Nomadland seems to be done...complete...wrapped and locked.  Next Best Picture's Will Mavity tweeted the info yesterday that Nomadland has received its MPAA rating.  It's R by-the-by.

Here's Will's Tweet:

In the comments following Will's Tweet are a couple of references to its possible inclusion for Telluride.

Many readers know that I had Nomadland on my list for a good long while last year as a TFF #46 potential title.  I even still listed as a "possible" choice outside the final 25 "Bets" posted the day before Telluride announced its lineup.

Nomadland stars Frances McDormand.  Its IMDb listing is linked here.



THE DISTRIBS: BLEECKER STREET

Bleecker Street Media is the definition of a specialty house/film distribution company.  Their presence at Telluride over the years has been spotty but not invisible.  Last year they were represented at Telluride with Kitty Green's The Assistant which has gotten very good reviews since its theatrical release in late January.  Some have included it in their Ten Best lists for the first half of 2020.

The Bleecker Street T-ride profile looks like this:

2019- The Assisstant
2015- Beasts of No Nation (partnered with Netflix)


As we look to TFF for 2020 Bleecker could have a couple of films that we should consider:

The Secrets We Keep from director Yuval Adler whose Bethlehem was included by TFF in 2013.  The Secrets We Keep is a post-World War II story of Holocaust survivors trying to make their way in New York.

The other project is John Patrick Shanley's Wild Mountain Thyme.  Shanley is an Oscar, Pulitzer and Tony award winning writer.  He previously directed Doubt (Based on his own stage play) and Joe Versus the Volcano.  Wild Mountain Thyme stars Emily Blunt, Jon Hamm and Jamie Dornan.  IMdB's description of the film reads:


"A pair of star-crossed lovers in Ireland get caught up in their family's land dispute."

My guestimate:

The Secrets We Keep 45%
Wild Mountain Thyme 20%


NETFLIX ADDS THE CHICAGO 7

After weeks of teasing that a deal was probably coming and reported hangups regarding international rights, Netflix has acquired Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 from Paramount for $56 million.  In a normal year that would shoot the film right to the top of my Telluride chart but because Netflix has announced that they're not taking any of their films to any of the festivals that won't be happening.

Now, just for fun, close readers of this space have noticed that I have picked up on a couple hints here and there that the Netflix decision may not be as ironclad as it seems.  I have wondered if we might see some Netflix titles as a "surprise" in Telluride.  Those aforementioned hints, Netflix's presence at the fest over the last half decade, Netflix saying that they will continue sponsoring fests- they sponsored the Chuck Jones Theater last year and the Labor Day Picnic in 2018 and I believe they'll be a sponsor of some sort again this year- all make me think that there's at least a glimmer of a chance that some of their projects could end up in the San Juans over Labor Day weekend.

Now that list of projects includes Sorkin's Chicago 7 film.

Variety has the acquisition story here.

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