(Photo via World of Reel)
Many of you know that I usually include Oscar winning director/writer Alexander Payne as a "Usual Suspects" that frequently attend the Telluride Film Festival. Payne guest directed the fest in 2009 and is listed as a member of TFF's Board of Governors. But I didn't include Payne this year though I knew he was working on a new film starring his Sideways lead actor Paul Giamatti. The Holdovers is described at IMDb as follows:
"Nobody likes teacher Paul Hunham (Giamatti) -- not his students, not his fellow faculty, not the headmaster, who all find his pomposity and rigidity exasperating. With no family and nowhere to go over Christmas holiday in 1970, Paul remains at school to supervise students unable to journey home. After a few days, only one student holdover remains -- a trouble-making 15-year-old named Angus, a good student whose bad behavior always threatens to get him expelled. Joining Paul and Angus is head cook Mary (Randolph)-an African American woman who caters to sons of privilege and whose own son was recently lost in Vietnam. These three very different shipwrecked people form an unlikely Christmas family sharing comic misadventures during two very snowy weeks in New England. The real journey is how they help one another understand that they are not beholden to their past-they can choose their own futures."
Well...Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel revealed that The Holdovers test screened last week indicating that some semi-complete version of the film does exist. And, as a consequence Jordan has asked (and others have as well) whether or not there is a possibility that it could play at Telluride in less than three weeks.
When I was asked if it could play at TFF #49 my response was if anyone could make that happen it would be Alexander Payne. Do I think it WILL happen? No. Do I think it COULD happen? Sure...it's Payne. There's a chance and I, for one, would welcome it.
SCREEN TALK, SHE SAID AND NYFF
Maria Schrader's She Said has been something of a badminton birdie for me this summer-back and forth, back and forth.
The latest salvo was its lack of inclusion on NYFF's Main Slate announcement last week. I had assumed that the film's supposed World Premiere at NYFF would mean its inclusion as a Main Slate selection. So when it was not I thought...hey...maybe it's still in play for TFF.
But a comment posted to my blog by "Unknown" on Thursday suggests:
"NYFF’s press release re: its Main Slate stated “Currents, Revivals, Spotlight, and Talks sections will be announced in the coming weeks.” My best guess is that She Said will be announced w/i the next two weeks as a NYFF Spotlight film accompanied by a Talk with the main cast and the journalists they portray."
Makes a lot of sense.
"I announced awhile ago that She Said was going to have a big event at the New York Film Festival and I believe that that is going to turn out to be true." Which makes me think Anne knows even more than what she's saying. Does it mean it's a World Premiere at New York and nit a TFF selection? Probably.
I also kind of think that Anne might be leading the Q+A after the film at NYFF-pure speculation on my part.
BUT, then Anne goes on to say that Sarah Polley's Women Talking will be announced sometime soon as an addition to NYFF and I feel very confident that its initial bow will be at Telluride.
Sooo...She Said is a "probably not" again for TFF #49. But....
BFI-LONDON CHOOSES EMPIRE OF LIGHT
The BFI-London Film Fest announced on Thursday that Sam Mendes Empire of Light will be this year's American Express Gala Screening at the British Film Institute/London Film Festival as a European Premiere.
The premiere designation underscores the belief that the film will appear first at Telluride.
The film stars Olivia Colman, Colin Firth and Toby Jones.
Variety described the film this way:
"Set in an English seaside town in the early 1980s, the film is about human connection and the magic of cinema."
It's on my list to see during The SHOW.
EMAIL: mpgort@gmail.com
TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2
MTFB's Facebook Page
MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays
No comments:
Post a Comment