IT'S ALL ABUT WHO GOT WHAT
We've entered the Post-Cannes/Pre-Venice phase of the countdown to Telluride. One of the things to look at not that Cannes is over and while we wait for Venice to announce titles and then their schedule is what distributors acquired films that screened at Cannes. Distributors that have had a substantial relationship with Telluride and that do snag new titles during or post-Cannes can spotlight a film that makes the trip to T-ride. The biggest players this year were Neon and Mubi, both of which could position any of their newly acquired films as a TFF #52 offering.
Neon picked up seven films in total. Three of them have been floating around my Telluride radar: A Simple Accident (Palme d'Or winner), Splitsville and Orwell: 2+2+5. Neon also bought Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value in addition to Sirat (Jury Prize), The Secret Agent (Best Director, Best Actor and Alpha.
At this point I don't think its a matter of whether Neon will have films at Telluride, the question instead is how many will it be?
Mubi was almost as active as they acquired five titles. Three of those have been on my screen: Die, My Love, The Mastermind and The History of Sound. In addition to those, Mubi has also picked up Sound of Falling and My Father's Shadow.
Long time Telluride presence Sony Pictures Classics has Eleanor the Great, The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol and The President's Cake. Any or all of these may be on your TFF #52 menu.
Other acquisitions of note include:
Netflix: Nouvelle Vague
Janus: Ressurection
Apple TV+: Bono: Stories of Surrender
A24: Pillion
DOWN THE STRETCH...
As May comes to a close, MTFB really starts to get cranked up in a serious way regarding the potential TFF lineup. The run from June to Labor Day will include weekly looks as distributors that often have films at T-ride and I'll try to assess the TFF chances of some of the titles each outfit has.
Additionally, the weekly list of "Ten Bets" will begin in three weeks. As frequent readers know, I'll start out with 10 guesses and that list will actually expand right up to the day before Telluride announces the TFF #52 lineup (expected Thursday, Aug. 28th.). We also expect Venice to announce its lineup at the end of July and their schedule a couple of weeks into August. And, as has become the norm, Toronto's announcements (last year the first big drop of titles came in the third week of July.
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1 comment:
In Oklahoma classrooms he was once all the rage, A master of drama, debate and stage. Now each Labor Day he ascends to the peak, Where cinephiles gather and the big stars all sneak. With a blog as his weapon, a hunch as his guide, He guesses the films they try hard to hide. Reads gossip like scripture, decodes all the lines.
The SHOW bosses in Berkeley grit teeth in dismay, As his summer "BEST BETS" always steal the day. But Michael just shrugs, lets critics all chatter-- To him it's just the puzzle that truly must matter. So let's raise a toast, with blog posts in hand, To the Teacher who does what few understand.
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