Assessing A24 / Indiewire's Oscar List / French Dispatch News Leaves the Door Open

 ASSESSING A24

Continuing my look at film distributors who have had a significant presence at TFF over the last half decade my attention today is on A24.

Here's their footprint at TFF over the past few years:

2012: Ginger and Rosa

2013: Under the Skin

2015: Room

2016: Moonlight

2017: First Reformed, Lady Bird, Lean on Pete

2019: Uncut Gems, Waves, First Cow

And A24's stockpile is large for the end of 2020.  The most likely films to play Telluride are probably:

C'mon C'mon

The Humans

The Tragedy of Macbeth

But there are others that could be in the TFF convo:

The Eternal Daughter

When You Finish Saving the World

Red Rocket

And actually, A24 still has others in the pipeline that could be selected.

INDIEWIRE'S OSCAR LIST

Indiewire's Zack Sharf has taken a stab at an early look at this next year's potential Oscar Best Picture contenders with a list of 30 films.  Indiewire posted the list last Thursday.  Looking it over it crosses my mind that I could make some sort of case for a Telluride bow for about half of them.  Let's give it a whirl in the order that the Indiewire article lists them and with a note or two about why they might be a T-ride player.

Spencer: Because it's directed by Pablo Larrain who doesn't have every project at Telluride but he's no stranger either.  Also, it's from NEON...which doesn't hurt.

C'mon C'mon: Because it's from A24 (see above).

Last Night in Soho: Because it's from Focus Features.  Also, I have a hunch it will be announced as a Cannes selection later this week which could be a sign of a Cannes-Telluride double play.  Also, the Oct. 22nd release date gives the film space to play T-ride, TIFF and/or New York.

The Humans: Also from A24 (see above).

The Card Counter: Because it's directed by Paul Schrader who has a lengthy relationship with TFF. It's also from Focus and its release date, Sept. 10th, suggests it could play Cannes/Telluride or Venice/Telluirde or Telluride as a stand alone festival appearance.

Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Project (Soggy Bottom):  It's been since 2007 since PTA was in Telluride to aid in feting tribute recipient Daniel Day-Lewis and screen the first few minutes of There Will Be Blood.  Since then PTA has directed: The Master (2012-Venice, TIFF),  Inherent Vice (2014-NYFF, AFI) and Phantom Thread (2017-Palm Springs).  Persistent rumors that it will be announced for Cannes on Thursday and a November release date leave the door open for a number of fall fest scenarios if MGM decides to pursuer them.  Also, does the Amazon acquisition of MGM change any of the festival calculus?  

Nightmare Alley: Because it's directed/produced by Guillermo Del Toro and co-written by Kim Morgan (who co-guest directed the fest in 2014).  The distributor is Searchlight which has a long and fruitful relationship with Telluride.  The Dec. 3rd release date works too.

Dune:  Because it's directed by Denis Villenueve who has a substantial Telluride record.  Being from Warner Brothers doesn't necessarily hurt.  Oct. 1 is the release date which works too.  I won't be surprised if Dune has some spot in Cannes' or Venice's lineup.

The Power of the Dog: Because it's directed by Jane Campion whose last feature, Bright Star, played at TFF back in 2009 and who's best known triumph, The Piano, played T-ride in 1993.  It's from Netflix which likely bolsters its TFF chances.

The French Dispatch:  Because...well...it is from Serachlight.  Also, see below...

The Tragedy of Macbeth:  Director Joel Coen was in Telluride in 2013 with Inside Llewyn Davis and the film is being distributed by A24.  

Don't Look Up: Because it's from Netflix.  Normally, Adam McKay's lack of a Telluride trail over the past decade would keep me from posting the film as a TFF #48 possibility but...Netflix.

Tick, Tick...Boom: Also a Netflix joint and yes, I know that Netflix won't land everything in their larder in Telluride.  And, yes, there's their whole "no festival" approach to last year-though I did hear rumors that had Telluride gone on in 2020 that Mank would have screened there.

The Hand of God: Netflix

The Eyes of Tammy Faye: From Searchlight which is the biggest reason to think it could be in Telluride.  It also has a Telluride friendly release date of Sept. 17th.

The complete Indiewire list is linked here.

FRENCH DISPATCH NEWS LEAVES THE DOOR OPEN

I believe Variety broke the news late this week that Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch will be a part of the Cannes lineup.  Also among the items of interest about the film are its selection for the New York Film Fest and an official theatrical release date for Oct. 22nd.

What's interesting to me is that the Cannes screening is given as the "world premiere" but I couldn't find any premiere designation for the New York Fest in any of the stories that appeared after the initial announcement.  To me that suggests at least the chance that it could also screen at Telluride and/or Toronto.

Here's the story from:

Variety

Indiewire

The Playlist

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Shining a Light on Neon / Odds for the Unannounced Palme d'Or Cannes-idates

SHINING A  LIGHT ON NEON

Distributor Neon's existence has not been terribly long.  The outfit was founded in 2017 and in that short span has landed seven films at Telluride:

2020: Ammonite

2019: Parasite (nominated for six Academy Awards and won four including Best Picture and Director). Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Amazing Grace

2018: Border (Oscar nominated for Best Makeup and Hair), The Biggest Little Farm

2017: The B-Side: Elsa Dorfman's Portrait Photography

Seven films in four years and still basking in then glow of the success that was Parasite, you have to figure that Neon will land a film or two or three at TFF #48.  What might they be?

My guess that the most likely is Celine Sciamma's  Petite Maman, her follow-up to the very well received Portrait of a Lady on Fire (noted above as having played at TFF #46).  Sciamma could actually double-dip at Telluride should the fest chose to screen Jacques Audiard's Paris 13th District as she is a co-writer of that screenplay.

Also possible for TFF #48 from Neon include:

Pablo Larrain's Spencer starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana 

Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Memoria

Michael Sarnoski's Pig starring Nicolas Cage as a man searching for his kidnapped truffle hunting pig

Julia Ducournau's Titane

And a couple of documentaries: The First Wave and Ailey.

ODES FOR THE PALME D'OR

The Film Lounge has set odds for films that are rumored as possible Cannes competition selections.  At the top of the list is Apichatpong Weerasethekul's Memoria. Weerasethekul previously won the Golden Palm at Cannes back in 2010 for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.  Its odds are set at 4-1.  Currently in the 2nd spot is Asghar Farhadi's A Hero at 9-2.  Farhadi's film is on my TFF #48 watch list.  

Films that are also on my watch list and their odds are:

Bergman Island 9-1

Where Is Anne Frank 9-1

The Power of the Dog 20-1

Paris, 13th District 28-1

The Card Counter 33-1

Flag Day 50-1

Mothering Sunday 50-1

  

And from the wish list:

The French Dispatch 22-1

Soggy Bottom 25-1

Check out the complete list of odds here.

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Searching Searchlight / Cannes and Venice This and That

 SEARCHING SEARCHLIGHT

My ongoing look at distributors who have been frequently represented at Telluride over the last five years continues today with Searchlight (Fox Searchlight prior to its acquisition by Disney).  Searchlight is one of four distributors that have had seven films at Telluride in the last half decade and their has been particularly noticeable:

2020: Nomadland (Oscar wins for Best Picture, Director and Actress)

2019: A Hidden Life 

2018: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (3 Oscar nominations), The Favourite (10 Oscar nominations  and 1 win for Best Actress) and The Old Man and the Gun.

2017: The Shape of Water ( 13 Oscar nominations with 4 wins including Best Picture and Director), Battle of the Sexes

Other notable appearances by (Fox) Searchlight at Telluride:  

2008: Slumdog Millionaire (won eight Oscars including Best Picture and Director)

2010: 127 Hours (six Oscar nominations), Black Swan (six Oscar nominations including a win for Best Actress)

2011: The Descendants (five Oscar nominations and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay)

2013: 12 Years a Slave (nine Oscar nominations with wins for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actress)

2014: Birdman (nine Oscar nominations with  four wins including Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay) and Wild (nominated for two Oscars).

That's five Best Picture winners from Searchlight through Telluride in the past 13 years.

So with all that in mind, here's what Searchlight currently has in its larder:

Guillermo Del Toro's Nightmare Alley

Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins

Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch

Michael Showalter's The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Scott Cooper's Antlers

There are another one or two outside shots but these five represent the most likely choices for TFF #48.  Del Toro and Cooper have the actual connections to Telluride with Del Toro's The Shape of Water and The Devil's Backbone having played TFF.  For Cooper it's been Black Mass and Hostiles.

The other three would all be good gets for Telluride based on buzz surrounding them.  Past history suggests one or two Searchlight films will make the lineup.  Three tops.

CANNES AND VENICE THIS AND THAT

I've seen some scuttlebutt over the past few days about films that are be eagerly sought for Cannes and/or Venice.

Buzz has been substantial about both Paul Thomas Anderson's Soggy Bottom (or whatever it is ultimately called) as well as Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog in terms of both Cannes and Venice.

Meanwhile, rumors persist that Denis Villenueve's Dune will be at Venice and have been fairly consistent for some time.  However a bit of rhetoric from Cannes director Thierry Fremaux about the possibility of a "planetary blockbuster" at the French fest has created speculation that Dune might bow in France in July rather than in Italy in September.

None of these scenarios would preclude any or all three of the films from making an appearance at Telluride and wouldn't that blow your mind?

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Cannes Spec heats Up /A Look at SPC

 CANNES SPEC HEATS UP

With the official announcement of the Cannes Film Festival lineup now just two weeks away (June 3), the guessing game about what films make the list is warming up.  As always here, a reminder that, historically, Cannes and Telluride have had a substantial overlap of films in their official selections.

Now, does that continue in this year where we still have Covid concerns, that traditional sharing of titles may be lessened, increased, skewed...

But I'm going to run for awhile on the assumption that there will be that connection between the two fests that has been true for quite some time and that's an average of about 8 or so films that play both.

Just this past week I ran across big "Cannes lists" from Indiewire, Screen Daily and World of Reel and put together a list of TFF possibilities that popped up.

All three publications included: Jacques Audiard's Paris 13th District and Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch.  However, Screen Daily reports that Searchlight has not yet committed to premiering on the Croisette and is still gaming out what it feels would be the best release strategy for the highly anticipated film.

Many films that I feel have a shot at TFF #48's lineup are listed in two of the publications including:

Asghar Farhadi's A Hero (IND, WOR)

Andrea Arnold's Cow (IND, SD)

Michelangelo Frammartino's The Hole (IND, SD)

Eva Husson's Mothering Sunday (IND, SD)

Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth (IND, WOR)

Todd Haynes' The Velvet Underground (IND, SD)

Ari Folman's Where Is Anne Frank (IND, WOR)

Mia Hansen Love's Bergman Island (WOR, SD)

Francois Ozon's Everything Went Fine (WOR, SD)

Sean Penn's Flag Day (WOR, SD)

{IND= Indiewire  WOR = World of Reel  SD= Screen Daily}

The complete articles from each publication are linked below:

Indiewire

Screen Daily

World of Reel

Check them out and see what other titles you think might screen at Cannes before coming to Colorado on Labor Day weekend.

A LOOK AT SPC 

Today we continue our stroll through film distributors that have had strong presences over the last five years at Telluride,.  Last Monday I got that started with a look at Netflix which has had 16 (maybe 17) films play at TFF in that time span.  Matching it (or nearly matching it ) has been Sony Pictures Classics with 16 films in five years.  

Beyond the five year limitation I placed on looking at recent TFFs and distributors, SPC and Telluride's relationship has been much longer than that.  So, unless the world stops spinning, you can expect to see some SPC titles this year as in many others.

SPC is coming off a very successful one-two punch with last year's The Father picking up two Oscars among six nominations (Anthony Hopkins for Best Actor and Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton for Best Adapted Screenplay) and The Truffle Hunters, which didn't make the Oscar final list of five nominated documentary feature films but won a number of critics' awards and was universally beloved.

Currently in SPC's hands and with what seems to be Telluride potential:

Clint Bentley's Jockey

Ty Roberts 12 Mighty Orphans

Andreas Koefoed's The Lost Leonardo

Julie Cohen and Betsy West's Julia

Eva Husson's Mothering Sunday 

Benjamin Millepied's Carmen

And then there's a couple of real wild cards:

Zachary Fuhrer's John Prine: Hello in There which I really thought was going to play TFF #47 last year and then it was not on the announced list.  I swear I saw someplace that it was going to be released or pop-up at some other fest virtually...but I can't find any evidence that happened. SPC acquired the doc in February of 2019.  So???

And then there's Pedro Almodovar's latest Madres Paralelas (Parallel Mothers).  Its IMDb Pro entry says it's a 2022 release and that it's "filming" as of March 10th.  But after Almodovar's triumphant return to Telluride screenings with Pain and Glory at TFF #46...who knows?  OK, it's much more likely that it screens at next year's Cannes and then maybe TFF #49.

At this point I have no strong intell or intuitions about any of these SPC films.   If you made me I might point at Julia, Mothering Sunday and Jockey and I'd likely throw in the Prine doc because I'm stubborn.

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The Netflix List / News on Dune and The Card Counter / Cannes News A Week Later

THE NETFLIX LIST

As promised in the last edition of MTFB, today I'm beginning to look distributors who have the most presence at the festival over the past five years.  I'm starting with Netflix.  They have had 17 films at the last five TTFs. 

Netflix has two films as part of the announced TFF #47 lineup and those came as acquisitions after the fact as Netflix did not have rights for Concrete Cowboy or Pray Away when the film was named to the TFF 2020 list.

If Netflix continues to be a substantial player at Telluride, what films might that mean for TFF #48?  Navigating the vast number of titles Netflix perpetually is developing or acquiring makes parsing its possibilities a challenge, but let's give it a go.

At the moment, I have landed on five films that, should they be ready, might be part of a Telluride conversation.  In order of what I believe the likelihood of them making the actual TFF #48 lineup:

Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog

Andrew Dominik's Blonde

Paolo Sorrentino's The Hand of God

Lin Manuel Miranda's tick, tick...BOOM

Adam McKay's Don't Look Up

Untitled Nora Fingscheidt Project (with Sandra Bullock)

And who knows what else Netflix might pick up along the way.

NEWS ON DUNE AND THE CARD COUNTER

Denis Villenueve's Dune is reportedly a very likely choice for the Venice Film Festival according to Variety last Friday.  Villeneuve has had an extensive relationship with TFF over the years:

1998-August 32nd on Earth

2010-Incendies

2013-Prisoners

2016-Arrival

The news that his take on the Frank Herbert Sci-Fi classic is likely to play Venice normally would not necessarily be an immediate death knell for a Telluride North American premiere as the Venice to Telluride Two Step has become a fairly common place occurrence over the past several years.  Complicating matters this year include the ongoing pandemic.

Nevertheless, keep Dune in mind as a TFF #48 possibility.

Other films that Variety suggests are being rumored for Venice include Paolo Sorrentino's The Hand of God (see the Netflix list above), Gabriele Mainetti's Freaks Out, Bruno Dumont's On a Half Clear Morning and Xavier Giannoli's Lost Illusions.

Meanwhile Deadline reported over the weekend that Paul Schrader's The Card Counter starring Oscar Isaac has been dated by Focus Features for a Sept. 10th domestic release.  That allows for the chance of bows at Telluride and/or Cannes, Venice.  It essentially rules out a Toronto screening as TIFF opens Sept. 9th.

Schrader has a noticeable Telluride list:

1985-Misima: A Life in Four Chapters

1988-Patty Hearst

1990-The Comfort of Strangers

1997-Affliction

2000-Forever Mine

2002-Auto Focus

2008-Adam Resurrected

2017-First Reformed

CANNES NEWS A WEEK LATER

We found out Friday that we'll have to a week longer to find out what films have been selected to screen at the belated 2021 Cannes Film Festival.  Originally, the announcement had been planned for May 27th.  However, Variety's Elsa Keslassy reported on May 14th that the French film institution has moved the announcement to June 3rd.  

According to Variety:

"The reason for the date change is an abundance of movies that have been submitted to the festival, according to an industry source. The Official Selection, in particular the competition, is expected to be larger than usual."

The article goes on to repeat some things we already know, namely the Annette is opening the fest and Benedetta will play in competition.  Other films speculated as possible within the article include Flag Day, The Power of the Dog and Bergman Island.

The complete article is linked here.

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Looking Ahead / Attention Email Followers / Odds and Ends: The Gaze, Berlin Fest, Flower Moon Photo

LOOKING AHEAD

I'm just a week and a day from closing out my academic year at the real job and only a couple of weeks away from an announcement from the Cannes folks about what films will play their July dated fest for 2021...which usually gives us some Telluride clues.  So... I'm starting to think about serious examination of what we know about which films are coming from what distributors and who has a serious track record in as far as playing TFF is concerned.

To that end, I did a quick canvas of distributors and films from the last five years of Tellurides (that included the announced list from last summer for what would have been TFF #47).  Over those fests both Netflix and SPC have been represented by 16 selections for a 5.2 film per year average.  This included that occasional film that was actually picked up after the fest was complete.  

Several outlets have had seven films across the five years: Searchlight (including Oscar Best Picture winners: The Shape of Water and Nomadland), A24, Neon and Amazon Studios.

The rest of list of distributors which have had multiple selections over the last five years are:

Kino Lorber-6

Cohen Media Group-5

HBO-4

Focus Features-3

IFC-3

Magnolia-3

Several outlets have shown up twice including: Warner Bros. Paramount, Roadside Attractions and Sundance.

So over the next few weeks, I'll start to look at what films these outlets have in the pipeline and assess the chances of those films making the Telluride lineup.  

ATTENTION EMAIL FOLLOWERS

For those of you who get your twice weekly dose of MTFB through email subscription: The automatic email service provider associated with Blogspot is discontinuing that service in July.  If you'd like to continue to receive MTFB as an email subscription when that happens drop me a line with the email address you'd prefer to use and I'll try to put together a mailing list to continue your ability to get the blog delivered to you.

ODDS AND ENDS

***THE GAZE

TFF favorite Barry Jenkins' The Underground Railroad arrives tomorrow on Amazon Prime.  This week Jenkins released a companion short film called The Gaze along with an essay about gthe experience of making the 10 part series.  You can access the Vimeo video of  The Gaze and the essay here from The Film Stage.

***BERLIN FEST

The Berlin International Film Festival will stage an in-person open-air Summer Special iteration of this year's festival on June 9-20 using 16 venues throughout the city.  The lineup for the Summer version of the fest will be announced May 20th.  Details are here from The Hollywood Reporter.

***FLOWER MOON PHOTO

We got a peek online this week of Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone from the set of Martin Scorsese's Killers of the Flower Moon currently filming here in Oklahoma:

Here's a look via Fandango:

I currently am not aware of the film having a projected release date.  TFF #49?

That's all for this Thursday.

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Garfield Talks Mainstream and More / Teaser for The Human Factor

 GARFIELD TALKS MAINSTREAM AND MORE

Gia Coppola's Mainstream opened  this past weekend.  The film stars Andrew Garfield making a return of sorts after a two year break since Under the Silver Lake.  Mainstream appeared on Telluride's list of films that would have played at its 47th edition had it occurred.

Garfield has been in a number of TFF films over the past decade and a half : Red Riding, Never Let Me Go and 99 Homes.

Recently he was interviewed by David Ehrlich for Indiewire as Mainstream was about to open.  

That interview is linked here.

TEASER FOR THE HUMAN FACTOR

Dror Moreh's The Human Factor opened in the United States this weekend.  The documentarian's film is described at IMDb as:

"The epic behind-the-scenes story of the United States' 30-year effort to secure peace in the Middle East. Recounted from the unique perspective of the American mediators on the frontlines."

The film played as a part of the program of TFF #46.

With its release this weekend Sony Pictures Classics tweeted a new teaser.  That is linked here.

Moreh previously screened The Gatekeepers at Telluirde in 2012 at TFF #39.  The Gatekeepers was nominated for the Best Documentary Academy Award.

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One More Early Look at Oscar 2022 / Soggy Bottom's Future / Amazing Grace Legal Saga Continues

 ONE MORE EARLY LOOK AT OSCAR 2022

This time around it's Erik Anderson of Awards Watch taking his stab at early Oscar predicting.  Among his Best Picture possibilities, the films that seem to me to be to be worth keeping an eye over the summer for clues about the possibility that they could play TFF #48 are:

Dune

The French Dispatch

The Harder They Fall

A Hero

The Humans

Nightmare Alley

Mothering Sunday

The Power of the Dog

The Tragedy of Macbeth

The complete Awards Watch story and set of predictions is linked here.

SOGGY BOTTOM'S FUTURE

Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel was up yesterday with a piece about where Paul Thomas Anderson's highly anticipated untitled project (working title Soggy Bottom) might land if it is a aprt of a film festival debut.

There is a good deal of speculation about it screening at Cannes and Ruimy reports that the French fest wants the film badly.  But Ruimy also reports that there is some hesitance to follow that path.  Ruimy cites the possibility of the film needing more time for editing and a general feeling that Cannes may not draw a lot of American film due to ongoing Covid concerns.

Ruimy suggests that there is some feeling within among "distributors behind his latest film" should wait for "wait it out for the fall festivals instead (Toronto, Venice, Telluride, New York)".

That's the first solid inclusion of Telluride in the conversation as a possible landing spot for the film that I have run across.

Ruimy's entire article is here.

AMAZING GRACE LEGAL SAGA CONTINUES

Telluride fans are more than aware that the Aretha Franklin documentary Amazing Grace had a difficult legal path to its ultimate release including three different attempts to schedule it for a Telluride berth. The third time was the proverbial charm as it played as a part of the program for TFF #46.

Now new legal hubbub surrounds the film as director Allan Elliot pursues a law suit against Sydney Pollack's attorney for causing damage to the film's value upon its eventual release.  A judge in California ruled earlier this week that the suit could continue.

Full details of where the legal dram is currently situated are here from The Hollywood Reporter.

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Indiewire Looks Ahead to Oscar Contenders for 2022 / Kohn Talks Cannes / New Mainstream Teaser

 INDIEWIRE LOOKS AHEAD TO OSCAR CONTENDERS FOR 2022

The industry turn of the page from the end of Oscar #93's season continued this past week with Indiewire's look forward to potential Oscar players for what we think will be an Oscar ceremony that happens roughly 10 months from now.

As is the custom here at MTFB, I look at their list of possible films to try to sniff out some Telluride possibilities.  This soon after The Academy Awards is always iffy in terms of projecting what might be in play by the time Labor Day comes around.  Compounding the parsing, of course, is the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic and what transpires because of it.  

Nevertheless, here's a list of films from the Indiewire piece that could be Telluride choices (in the order they're presented in the story):

Paul Schrader's The Card Counter

Guillermo Del Toro's Nightmare Alley

Denis Villenueve's Dune

Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog

Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch

Joel Coen's The Tragedy of Macbeth

Michael Showalter's The Eyes of Tammy Faye

The complete Indiewire article is linked here.

KOHN TALKS CANNES

Thierry Fremaux, the Cannes Film Festival director, has been very vocal and adamant about that French fest's intent to be a live event from early to mid July.  Eric Kohn, writing at Indiewire raises some concerns about what films and film distribution outlets would be willing to be on the Croisette in nine weeks.

With announcement date now less than a month away, plans will have to come together very quickly for all involved.  Some titkles are known-Leos Carax's Annette, which is set to open the fest, wes Anderson's The French Dispatch and Paul Verhoeven's Benedatta.  Several other films have serious speculation swirling about them.

That said, Kohn raises some salient points that will surely have to be dealt with by all parties prior to the May 27th announcement.

Check out Kohn's story linked here.

NEW MAINSTREAM TEASER

On Friday The Playlist tweeted a new 17 second teaser for Gia Coppola's Mainstream.  The film stars Andrew Garfield and Maya Hawke.  It's set for release on May 7th.

You can take a peek at the peek by accessing the original tweet from IFC Films linked here.

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