Distributor Monday #3: Neon / SPC and Nuremburg / World of Reel Venice Update / Springsteen on White...Oh, And the Trailer Again

 DISTRIBUTOR MONDAY: NEON

Neon has come on strong over the last decade as a Telluride staple.  Their first appearance at TFF came in 2016 as the distributor of Errol Morris's The B-Side.  In the years since then Neon has placed 18 other films at TFF for an impressive average of 2.4 films per year.  In that time some other notable titles under the Neon banner that have appeared at TFF include: Last year's Best Picture winner Anora, 2020 Oscar Best Picture winner Parasite, Anatomy of a Fall and Flee.

This year, Neon made the biggest splash at Cannes acquiring a bunch of properties.  Consequently they have a deep roster of films that could play at TFF.  I have at least six films (all of which were Cannes selections in various categories) that could come from Neon to Telluride.  Here's what we know about each of them.  They're arranged  from what I feel is most likely to least likely.  Films that are on my most recent "Ten Bets" list are indicated with +.  Individuals that have been past attendees of TFF are indicated with *.

It Was Just an Accident+.  Director Jafar Panahi* (strictly speaking Panahi didn't attend with his film Taxi).  Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari. Won this year's Palme d'Or at Cannes.  Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

A small mishap triggers a chain reaction of ever-growing problems.

I believe that should It Was Just a Simple Accident play Telluride it would be the first time in the festival's history to program the Palme d'Or winner for three years running.

Sentimental Value+.  Director: Joachim Trier.  Stars: Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgard*, Elle Fanning.  Won this year's Grand Prize at Cannes.  Release date: Nov. 7th.  IMD. b description:

An intimate exploration of family, memories, and the reconciliatory power of art.

Sentimental Value finished Cannes with the second best critical rating of any film playing that fest with an 8.04 cumulative rating (out of 10) from Cannes-Ratings.org.  In contrast Plame d'Or winner It Was Just a Simple Accident was 7th best with a cumulative of 7.76.

The Secret Agent+.  Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho.  Stars: Wagner Moura (won Best Actor at Cannes), Maria Fernanda Cândido.  The film won the FIPRESCI Prize at Cannes.  Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

In 1977, a technology expert flees from a mysterious past and returns to his hometown of Recife in search of peace. He soon realizes that the city is far from being the refuge he seeks.

The Secret Agent was also well regarded critically at Cannes with a cumulative rating of 7.00 which was the 30th best among all films that played at that Fest.

Sirat.  Director: Oliver Laxe.  Stars: Sergi López, Bruno Núñez Arjona.  The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes.  Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

A father, accompanied by his son, goes looking for his missing daughter in North Africa.

This is another film with a great critical reception at Cannes.  It had a 7.87 cumulative rating which was the 5th best of the entire fest.  It could well move onto next Thursday's second iteration of MTFB's Ten Bets for TFF #52.

Orwell: 2+2+5.  Director: Raoul Peck. Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

The ultimate and comprehensive documentary film about the exceptional writer George Orwell.

Orwell: 2+2=5 had the 22nd best critical rating from Cannes ratings.org at 7.13.

Alpha.  Director: Julia Ducournau.  Stars: Tahar Rahim*, Emma Mackey.  The film played in Palme d'Or competition at Cannes.  Release date: Sometime in October.  IMDb description:

Alpha, 13, is a troubled teenager who lives alone with her mother. Their world comes crashing down the day she comes home from school with a tattoo on her arm.

Alpha's critical reception at Cannes was tough.  A 47 on Metacritic and a 50 on Rotten Tomatoes.

The assessment of chances for TFF #52:

It Was Just an Accident 70%

Sentimental Value 60%

The Secret Agent 50%

Sirat 50%

Orwell 2+2=5 45%

Alpha 20%

SPC AND NUREMBURG

Sony Pictures Classics might not be done for TFF #52 yet.  SPC announced on Wednesday last week that they had acquired the James Vanderbilt's Nuremburg and plan to release the film on Nov. 7th.  The film stars Russell Crowe as Herman Goring and Rami Malek as the U.S. psychiatrist charged with determining if the Nazi's are mentally competent to stand trial.  Michael Shannon also stars.  In addition to directing Vanderbilt also adapted the screenplay from the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist.

.m not sold on that 

According to the SPC press release the timing of the release coincides with 80th anniversary of the post-war trials held in Nuremburg, Germany,  It also just happens to be in the Awards season sweet spot.

So, retrofit the SPC speculation from last week and add Nuremburg to the list of TFF possibilities.  I'm not sold on the notion that it does play Telluride but I also don't think it's impossible.  Mark at at a current 35% chance to make the TFF cut.

Here's the link to the full SPC PR release.

WORLD OF REEL AND VENICE

Jordan Ruimy has updated his Venice speculation list as of last Thursday.  Of note is his addition of Guillermo Del Toro's Frankenstein and Agnieszka Holland's Franz to the list.  Both could also be potentials for T-ride although Ruimy also writes that:

"I’m also hearing that Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited “Frankenstein” has locked its TIFF premiere..."

Notice that Ruimy doesn't mention what that premiere status is for Toronto but...

Here's Jordan's updated list with what I think has Telluride potential indicated with ***.

After the Hunt (Luca Guadagnino)***

One Battle After Another (PT Anderson)

A House of Dynamite (Kathryn Bigelow)***

Jay Kelly (Noah Baumbach)***

The Way of the Wind (Terrence Malick)

Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos)***

The Smashing Machine (Benny Safdie)

No Other Choice (Park Chan-wook)

Father Mother Brother Sister (Jim Jarmusch)

The Ballad of A Small Player (Edward Berger)***

The Cry of the Guards (Claire Denis)***

Chocobar (Lucrecia Martel)

Sacrifice (Romain Gavras)***

In the Hands of Dante (Julian Schnabel)***

Ann Lee (Mona Fastvold)

Bucking Fastard (Werner Herzog)***

La Grazia (Paolo Sorrentino)***

An Affair (Arnaud Desplechin)

Orphan (Laszlo Nemes)***

The Wizard of Kremlin (Olivier Assayas)***

Franz (Agnieszka Holland)***

Below the Clouds (Gianfranco Rosi)***

Duse (Pietro Marcello)

Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro)***

Couture (Alice Wincour)***

The entirety of Ruimy's post with its extensive analysis is linked here.

 

BTW...add Kathryn Bigelow's A House of Dynamite to the Netflix list from a couple of weeks back.  I'm putting its TFF chances at 30%.

SPRINGSTEEN ON WHITE...OH, AND THE TRAILER AGAIN

I have high hopes that Searchlight brings the Bruce Springsteen biopic Deliver Me from Nowhere to TFF #52.  Right now it and Del Toro's Frankenstein are my two big "hope fors". 

That said, we know director Scott Cooper has been at Telluride a number of times both with and without projects.  We know that the film is being distributed by frequent TFF player Searchlight and we know that the film has a fest friendly release date of Oct. 24th.  So, I got that going for me.

This Past week Springsteen talked to The Hollywood Reporter about the film and the actor Jeremy Allen White who plays The Boss in the film.  Here's that interview. 

And, by the by, we had lots of trouble with linking to the trailer for Deliver Me from Nowhere last week...so here we go again:

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The First Ten Bets for TFF #52 / Deliver Me from Nowhere Has a Trailer / Die My Love Has a Date

THE FIRST TEN BETS FOR TFF #52

Welp...here it is.  2025's first "Ten Bets" attempt to suss out films that might make the TFF #52 lineup.  I do a good deal of research and study to come up with these lists and even then...this first one usually does well to have six titles on it that actually make it to Telluride.

This was my first Ten Bets for last year (with the films that actually made it to TFF #51 in Bold):

1) Anora/Sean Baker

2) The Seed of the Scared Fig/Mohammad Rasoulof

3) Emilia Perez/Jacques Audiard

4) The Room Next Door/Pedro Almodovar

5) Bird/Andrea Arnold

6) Maria/Pablo Larrain

7) Oh, Canada/Paul Schrader

8) The End/Joshua Oppenheimer

9) Queer/Luca Guadagnino

10) Conclave/Edward Berger

So seven out of the Ten...a better than average year.

Here's the track record for the first Ten Bets for the last 

2011: 8/10
2012: 5/10
2013: 6/10
2014: 7/10
2015: 4/10
2016: 3/10
2017: 7/10
2018: 5/10

2019: 4/10

2020: No fest

2021: 8/10

2022: 6/10

2023: 6/10

2024: 7/10

The puts the average at 5.8 correct guesses per year.

So, with that caveat, here is your first Ten Bets for TFF #52:

1) It Was Just an Accident/Panahi

2) Blue Moon/Linklater

3) Bugonia/Lanthimos

4) The Love That Remains/Palmason

5) Sentimental Value/Trier

6) The Young Mothers' Home/Dardennes

7) The Secret Agent/Filho

8) Hamnet/Zhao

9) Deliver Me from Nowhere/S. Cooper

10) The Ballad of a Small Player/Berger

Let's see what happens.

DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE HAS A TRAILER AND POSTER

Here's the poster:

Scott Cooper's Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me from Nowhere, dropped a trailer for the film.  Jeremy Allen White plays "The Boss" with Jeremy Strong as Springsteen's manager Jon Landau.  The film reportedly focuses on the period in Springsteen's life when he was working on his Nebraska album.

I have high hopes for the film and also hopes for it to be in Telluride Labor Day.  I hope its appearance at #9 on the first Ten Bets list doesn't jinx its chances.

Here's the trailer from YouTube:

 

DIE MY LOVE HAS A DATE

Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel reports that Lynne Ramsay's Die, My Love will have a wide release on Nov. 7th.  That date puts it in place for possible screenings at Telluride, Toronto, Venice, New York and/or London.  Ruimy suggests Toronto is a real possibility.  

Ramsay was at Telluride in 2011 with We Need to Talk about Kevin.  Prior to that she screened Morvern Callar at T-ride in 2002.  So, chances aren't impossible for a Telluride run.

The film screened at Cannes back in May to mixed reviews but generally universal praise for Jennifer Lawrence's performance.  The Nov. 7th date sets up a reasonable time frame for an awards push for her specifically.

Ruimy's report is here.

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Distributor Monday #2: Sony Pictures Classics / A New Contender for TFF #52

 DISTRIBUTOR MONDAY #2: SONY PICTURES CLASSICS

Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) along with Netflix are the only distributors over the last decade that have averaged more than three films per year at TFF.  Their relationship with TFF has been long and consistent. SPC is the only distributor that has placed a film at T-ride every year for the nine years I looked back on.  They average 2.8 films per year. Last year SPC had two films make the TFF #51 lineup: The Outrun and Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight.

SPC has six films in their basket that seem like possible TFF #52 players.  Here's what we know about each of them.  They're arranged  from what I feel is most likely to least likely.  Individuals have been past attendees of TFF are indicated with *.

Blue Moon.  Director Richard Linklater.  Stars: Ethan Hawke*, Margaret Qualley, Andrew Scott (Best Supporting Performance Berlin Film Festival), Bobby Cannavale.  Played the Berlin International Film Festival.  Release date: Oct. 17th.  IMDb description:

Tells the story of Lorenz Hart's struggles with alcoholism and mental health as he tries to save face during the opening of "Oklahoma!".

Ethan Hawke is a semi-fixture at Telluride.  He was last in Telluride in 2023 with both Wildcat and Strange Way of Life.  Despite the fact that director Richard Linklater has never taken a film to Telluride, this feels like the year and the film to make that happen.

The President's Cake.  Director: Hasan Hadi.  Stars: Baneen Ahmed Nayyef, Waheeda Thabet.  Played at Cannes in the Director's Fortnight section.  It won the Camera d'Or and the Directors Fortnight Audience Award.  Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

In 1990s Iraq, 9-year-old Lamia must bake the President's birthday cake. She scrambles to find ingredients for this compulsory task while facing potential punishment if she fails.

SPC picked this film up after a very good reception at Cannes critically as well as picking up a couple of awards.  I just have a feeling about this film.

Eleanor the Great.  Director: Scarlett Johansson (directing debut). Stars: June Squibb, Chiwetel Ejiofor*.  Played Cannes Un Certain Regard.  Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

In Eleanor The Great, June Squibb brings to vivid life the witty and proudly troublesome 94-year-old Eleanor Morgenstein, who after a devastating loss, tells a tale that takes on a dangerous life of its own.

Eleanor the Great played respectably well with critics at Cannes and with the certain push for Squibb for Best Actress in combination with the film being Johansson's directing debut make this an interesting possible choice for TFF.

A Private Life.  Director: Rebecca Zlotowski. Stars: Jodie Foster*, Mathieu Amalric, Daniel Auteuil, Virginia Efira. Played at Cannes Out of Competition.  Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

The renowned psychiatrist Lilian Steiner mounts a private investigation into the death of one of her patients, whom she is convinced has been murdered.

Jodie Foster was a TFF Tribute recipient back in 1991 when she presented the World Premiere of her directorial debut Little Man Tate.  This film is in French which Foster speaks fluently after have attended school in France when she was younger.

A Magnificent Life.  Director: Sylvain Chomet. Animated.  Played at Cannes Out of Competition.  Release date: TBD.  IMDb description:

It follows the life of (Marcel) Pagnol, a playwright, novelist, and filmmaker who grew up in a middle-class household in Marseille and became one of the world's most inventive and prolific artists from the 1930's to the 1950's.

Chomet has previously screened The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist at Telluride. 

Unidentified.  Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour*.  Stars: Mila Al Zahrani, Abdullah Al-Qahtani.  Release date: TBD.  Played the Venice Fest and won the "Interfilm" award (per IMDB). IMDb description: 

A grieving mother, fueled by her passion for true crime, seeks answers when a teenage girl is found dead in the desert and the police investigation stalls.

Al-Mansour was in Telluride in 2012 with Wadjda.  Wadjda was a 2014 BAFTA film nominee for Best Film not in the English language.

Honestly, I think you can make a reasonable case for all six films.

Blue Moon 65%

The President's Cake 50%

Eleanor the Great 45%

A Private Life 40%

A Magnificent Life 40%

Unidentified 35%

Next Monday: we take a look at Neon.

A NEW CONTENDER FOR TFF #52

Jordan Ruimy/World of Reel is reporting on an "out of nowhere" film that could be in the running for a slot at TFF #52.  The film is The Drama and stars Robert Pattinson and Zendaya. The film is written and directed directed by Kristoffer Borgli and was produced, in part, by A24.

IMDb does not yet have a description up for the film but Ruimy writes:

“The Drama” is going to light up festival chatting, and think pieces for months. It’s being described to me as a “very uncomfortable” watch, but with a major dose of sardonic humor.

“(It) centers on a couple, played by Pattinson and Zendaya, whose relationship takes an … unexpected turn right before their wedding day. 

Further, and of more interest to Telluride Film Fest watchers, Ruimy contends:

"While a release date has yet to be announced, I wouldn’t be surprised if the film gets positioned for a fall festival debut, with Venice, Telluride, and TIFF among the likely contenders." 

The complete post from WOR is linked here.

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TFF #52 Poster Released / 50 Fall Film Possibilities / Cannes Sales Update /

TFF #52 POSTER RELEASED

It dropped yesterday and here it is:

And the press release from TFF:

We are proud to unveil our 2025 Festival poster, created by celebrated cartoonist and graphic novelist Daniel Clowes.

Daniel Clowes is one of the most influential and acclaimed figures in contemporary graphic storytelling. Best known for his seminal comic-book series Eightball and the cult classic graphic novel Ghost World, Clowes has defined the landscape of alternative comics for over three decades. His body of work includes Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, David Boring, Ice Haven, The Death-Ray, Wilson, and Patience. His most recent book, Monica, was named by Kirkus Reviews as one of the 100 greatest works of fiction of the 21st century.

Clowes received an Academy Award nomination (with Terry Zwigoff) for the screenplay adaptation of Ghost World and has been recognized with a PEN America Literary Award, as well as numerous Eisner and Harvey Awards. His work has been exhibited in a solo retrospective, Modern Cartoonist, at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago and other venues. His illustrations have appeared on movie posters, album covers, multiple covers of The New Yorker, and even a Hermès scarf. He lives in Oakland, California with his wife Erika.

Clowes shared, “I’m thankful to the Telluride Film Festival for giving me the opportunity to focus my energy on something unassailably positive and noble in these dystopic times.”

Festival director Julie Huntsinger adds, “We’ve long admired Dan’s unparalleled ability to tell emotional, layered stories through both image and language. His poster for this year’s festival is a rich and brilliant capsule of that – a perfect reflection of his depth and wit through the lens of cinema and all that it can offer.”

50 FALL FILM POSSIBILITIES

Ezra Cubero writing for Silver Screen Express has posted his annual set of speculation about which films might go where as regards Telluride, Venice, Toronto and New York.  It's an interesting take with some surprise.

I culled the post and began by creating a list of the films that Cubero thinks have some shot at the TFF #52 lineup.  It's a lengthy list which follows below (with director listed to the right).

After the Hunt/Guadagnino

Anemone/Day-Lewis

At the Sea/Mundruczo

Blue Moon/Linklater*

Bugonia/Lanthimos

Christy Martin Biopic/Michod

Deliver Me from Nowhere/S. Cooper

Eleanor the Great/Johansson

Hamnet/Zhao

Hedda/DaCosta

The History of Sound/Hermanus

It Was Just an Accident/Panahi

Jay Kelly/Baumbach

Kiss of the Spiderwoman/Condon*

Late Fame/Jones

A Magnificent Life/Chomet

Marty Supreme/J. Safdie

The Mastermind/Reichardt

Nouvelle Vague/Linklater

Rental Family/Hikari

The Rivals of Amziah King/Patterson**

Roofman/Cianfrance

The Secret Agent/Filho

Sentimental Value/Trier

Sirat/Laxe

The Smashing Machine/B. Safdie

Sound of Falling/Schiliniski

* indicates a premiere at Sundance

** indictaes a premiere at South by Southwest

Notable films that Cubero does not mention as a Telluride possibility at all:

Alpha/Ducournau

The Ballad of a Small Player/Berger

Die My Love/Ramsay

Father Mother Sister Brother/Jarmusch

Frankenstein/Del Toro

One Battle After Another/PT Anderson

And one last note.  Cubero doesn't pick Bradley Cooper's Is This Thing On for Telluride but does write about it saying: "Telluride might not happen."  Which isn't a total rejection of its chances.

Cubero was pretty solid on this last year hitting 13 films he listed as "Yes" or "Maybe" for Telluride that actually made the lineup.  His post last year went up on June 24th.

Cubero's entire fascinating piece is linked here.

CANNES SALES UPDATE

Indiewire has kept track of sales during and after the 78th Cannes Film Fest and I have taken a look at buyers/titles that do not have an announced release date or do have a release date post-Telluride.  I also focused on distributors that have had a fairly serious presence at TFF over the past few years.

Here's the rundown beginning with Neon, which went on a buying spree.

Neon (7): It Was Just an Accident, Sirat, The Secret Agent, Alpha, Orwell 2+2=5, Sentimental Value, Splitsville.

Mubi (5): Sound of Falling, Die My Love, The History of Sound, The Mastermind, My Father's Shadow.

Sony Pictures Classics (3): The President's Cake, Eleanor the Great, A Magnificent Life.

Janus Films (3): Magellan, The Love That Remains, Resurrection.

Netflix (2): Left-Handed Girl, Nouvelle Vague.

A24 (1): Pillion.

Kino Lorber (1): Amrum.

Lots of TFF potential here.

The complete list from Indiewire is here.

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Distributors Monday: Netflix / Animal Farm Clip / Tidbits

DISTRIBUTORS MONDAY: NETFLIX

We start this Monday (and the next several Mondays) by taking a look at the dozen or so distributors that frequently have films in the Telluride Film festival.  Distribution companies are the key connection between a film and where and when it plays.  Taking a look at the films that they have available can, sometimes, give us insight as to what might make the Labor Day weekend fest.

And sometimes not.  In prep to do this nearly annual assessment of distribution companies I looked back at my track record.  It's not that great.  So take these guesses with a big, big grain of salt.  Nevertheless, the list of possible films from each outlet, at a minimum, gives us a pretty extensive group of titles to consider.

So we begin these looks with Netflix and the reason we begin here is that Netflix has placed more films at T-ride over the last decade than any other distributor including Roma, The Irishman, Marriage Story and The Power of the Dog.

At this point it looks like Netflix has five possibilities, although there are likely more which are fairly obscure at this point.  Here's a bit of info on each which are listed in order of what I think the chances are for them to be at TFF #52. (Individuals who have previously attended Telluride are indicated with *).

The Ballad of a Small Player.  Director: Edward Berger*.  Stars: Colin Farrell, Tilda Swinton*.  Release Date: TBD. IMDb description:

When his past and his debts start to catch up with him, a high-stakes gambler laying low in Macau encounters a kindred spirit who might just hold the key to his salvation.

 

Berger's appearance last year with Conclave and its level of success make me think that "Ballad" has a good shot at TFF #52.

Jay Kelly.  Director: Noah Baumbach*.  Stars: George Clooney*, Adam Sandler*, Billy Crudup*, Laura Dern*, Emily Mortimer, Patrick Wilson, Greta Gerwig*.  Release date: Nov. 14th (though IMDb already says it will play the Venice Film Fest).  IMDb description:

Everyone knows Jay Kelly, but he doesn't know himself.

Baumbach at Telluride: Margot at the Wedding, Frances Ha and Marriage Story.

There are so many people involved in Jay Kelly that have been to TFF that you sort of have to believe Jay Kelly is a cinch but plenty of Baumbach's work has not played there including: The Squid and the Whale, Greenburg, While We're Young, Mistress America and White Noise.

Frankenstein.  Director: Guillermo Del Toro*.  Stars: Oscar Isaac*, Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth and Christoph Waltz.  Release date:  IMDb lists its internet release as Nov. 2025.  No news about a theatrical release.  IMDb description:

A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.

Having seen the trailer for this, it's one of my most hoped-for possibilities.  However, despite Del Toro's past at TFF (as well as that of his "amigos" Inarritu and Cuaron) I'm just not sure this makes the trip.

Left-Handed Girl.  Director: Shih-Ching Tsou,  Stars: Janel Tsai. Played Cannes Critics Week section. Release date: TBD.  IMDb description: 

A single mother and her two daughters relocate to Taipei to open a night market stall, each navigating the challenges of adapting to their new environment while striving to maintain family unity.

Netflix picked this up at Cannes after the film was very well received critically.  Additionally Sean Baker, fresh off of winning four Oscars for Anora, is co-writer, producer and editor of the film.    That makes me think it could be a TFF choice.

Nouvelle Vague. Director: Richard Linklater.  Stars: Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deucth, Aubry Dullin. Played Cannes Palme Competition category.   Release date: TBD.  IMDb description: 

Follows the production of Jean-Luc Godards's "Breathless".

Linklater, to the best of my knowledge, has never had a film at TFF.  A few posts back I wrote that this could be the year that changes that with this and his other film, Blue Moon, both coming out.  Blue Moon does have an announced release date of Oct. 17th.

Chances:

The Ballad of a Small Player 50%

Jay Kelly 40%

Frankenstein 35%

Left-Handed Girl 30%

Nouvelle Vague 20%

Next Monday: Sony Pictures Classics

ANIMAL FARM CLIP

In my previous post I passed along the news that Andy Serkis's Animal Farm is ready to roll.  It is headed for the Annecy International Animation Festival which kicked off yesterday.  The film also has a clip up now on YouTube.  Here it is:

TIDBITS

***Neon has announced that Cannes Grand Prix winner Sentimental Value will be released in the U.S. on November 7th.  That would allow a combo of Telluride and/or Toronto and New York.

***World of Reel reports that the Venice Film Fest will screen Jim Jarmusch's Father Mother Sister Brother and Paolo Sorrentino's La Grazia.  Venice won't actually announce its lineup for another month and then it won't be until August until they announce their screening schedule which can point to Telluride titles.

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As We Head Into June / Ken Burns' Next Big Thing / Maybe we Can Join The Serkis?

AS WE HEAD INTO JUNE

As I have mentioned, we're only a few days away from beginning a couple of summer traditions here at MTFB.  Starting Next week I'll begin running down each of the distributors that have been the most common players with films at Telluride.  I'll take a look at the films from each outfit that are the most probable TFF choices and try to assess each film's chances of actually going to TFF #52.

As a way of setting the table for that, here's a quick look at which distributors we're talking about.  First, a little methodology.  I looked at each year going back to 2015 to gather the info.  I did leave out the covid year cancelled TFF despite the fest having released a lineup because it was surely not complete at the time the decision was made to cancel that year.

That said, here are the eight distributors I'll be looking at over the next few weeks based on the number of films they have screened at Telluride since 2015:

Netflix: 34 (3.8/yr.)

Sony Pictures Classics (SPC): 31 (3.4/yr.)

Neon: 19 (2.1/yr.)

A24: 16 (1.8/yr.)

(Fox) Searchlight: 14 (1.6/yr.)

Amazon/MGM: 12 (1.3/yr.)

Focus Features: 10 (1.1/yr.)

Mubi: 5***

***I include Mubi on the list with its small number of five films because it's a late-comer to The SHOW having screened all 5 within the last four fests for an average of 1.25/yr.

Some interesting tidbits...

Obviously, Netflix has screened the most films since 2015 (its first appearance at TFF came that year) but SPC is only three behind and both distribs are the only outfits that have had films screen every year of this survey. 

Searchlight only missed one year in this time frame in 2016.

Three of these distributors only missed two years:

Neon in 2017and 2015.

A24 in 2024 and 2018.

Focus Features in 2019 and 2016.

Monday we'll start with Netflix and look at what films they have and what might play TFF #52.  Subsequently, we'll look at the other distributors each week in the order of which house has played the most at T-ride since 2015.

KEN BURNS' NEXT BIG THING

TFF Board of Governors member Ken Burns has begun promoting his next big project which is a documentary look at American Revolution as the nation begins to hit the 250 year milestones that will lead up to the nation's Semiquincentennial or Bisesquicentennial coming on July 4th, 2026.

The six part 12 hour series will air on PBS beginning on Nov. 16th.  Normally it would be a no-brainer to think that at least some portion of the series, if not all six parts, would play at TFF...but... as a part of the roll out for it they've already begun a nationwide tour which has/will include screenings of at least some of the doc.  Those began last march in Richmond, VA. and will continue through Oct. 9th in Washington D.C.  The press release says that additional dates are forthcoming.

One wonders if those presentations will dissuade TFF from screening any of it.  It is of note that there is a gap between a July 17th presentation in L.A. and sept. 20th presentation in Saratoga, NY.

Here's a link to its PBS landing page including a small clip from the doc.

And here's a link to the official press release.

All things considered, I still think it's likely that at least some segments will be screened at TFF #52.

MAYBE WE CAN JOIN THE SERKIS?

Animal Farm still via World of Reel

Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel reports that Andy Serkis' animated adaptation of George Orwell's classic Animal Farm will premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.  That fest is set to run June 8-14.

I have thought for awhile that this could be a TFF choice and its inclusion for Annecy is in no way a TFF disqualifier.  As a matter of fact I could see it playing along with Raoul Peck's Documentary about Orwell: Orwell: 2+2=5 which just screened at the Cannes fest last month as a kind of TFF double bill.

Just a thought.

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Venice Thoughts / Neglia on Cannes and Telluride / A Look at Del Toro's Frankenstein / Interesting Comment to the Blog

VENICE THOUGHTS

Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel posted a list of  "20 hot festival titles this fall" on Saturday.  The context for the list of films is within Ruimy's discussion of the Venice festival and the number of possible American films that could make that lineup.  Many of them are on my TFF #52 "watch list".  

Here's Ruimy's list with what I think are the most serious Telluride possibilities indicated with ***.

After the Hunt (Luca Guadagnino)***

One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson)

Untitled WH Thriller (Kathryn Bigelow)

Jay Kelly (Noah Baumbach)***

Caught Stealing (Darren Aronofsky)

Bugonia (Yorgos Lanthimos)***

The Smashing Machine (Benny Safdie)

The Way of the Wind (Terrence Malick)

Father Mother Brother Sister (Jim Jarmusch)

The Ballad of A Small Player (Edward Berger)***

Hamnet (Chloe Zhao)***

Frankenstein (Guillermo del Toro)***

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey (Kogonada)

Roofman (Derek Cianfrance)

At the Sea (Kornél Mundruczó)

The Drama (Kristofer Borgli)

The Lost Bus (Paul Greengrass)

Deliver Me From Nowhere (Scott Cooper)***

Huntington (John Patton Ford)

Is This Thing On? (Bradley Cooper)***

Here's the link to Jordan's post.

NEGLIA ON CANNES AND TELLURIDE

Matt Neglia, who heads up Next Best Picture, published via "X" on Friday a list of Cannes films that he thinks could also play Telluride.  It looks like this:

The Chronology Of Water

Die My Love

It Was Just An Accident

Left Handed Girl

The Love That Remains

The Mastermind

My Father’s Shadow

Nouvelle Vague

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Urchin

Young Mothers

 I have frequently mentioned Chronology of Water, Die My Love, It Was Just an Accident (or A Simple Accident), The Love That Remains, The Mastermind, and Young Mothers.  

Post Cannes I have warmed to the notion of Sentimental Value and The Secret Agent for T-ride.

I'm back and forth on Nouvelle Vague.  Linklater has, to the best of my knowledge, never been to The SHOW but with both Nouvelle Vague and Blue Moon...I could see a Linklater double bill and a possible tribute.  

Other films that Matt names, Left Handed Girl, The Father's Shadow and Urchin...we'll see.

I think there could be other Cannes players that make the trip.  Sirat and Eleanor the Great come to mind.  Remember, though, Matt was on the ground in France and probably has a better sense of what's going on as a result.

A LOOK AT DEL TORO'S FRANKENSTEIN

Netflix had what they call TUDUM.  It's their annual sort CinemaCon thing.  Anyway, as a part of that there was a presentation for Guillermo Del Toro's upcoming imagining of Frankenstein.  The film stars Oscar Isaac (as Victor Frankenstein) who was at the TUDUM presentation, as well as Christoph Waltz and Jacob Elordi and Mia Goth.  Netflix dropped a trailer for the film as a part of the event and then very quickly put it up online.  Here it is from YouTube:

I'm thinking Frankenstein could make a visit to TFF owing to Del Toro's success there in 2017 with The Shape of Water and Netflix's usually robust presence at The SHOW.  Del Toro presented The Devil's Backbone at Telluride in 2001.

INTERESTING COMMENT TO THE BLOG

Over the weekend some anonymous person posted a comment to last Thursday's MTFB.  It really caught my attention because it's a poem about me and the blog.  And whoever this is knows their stuff.  I approved the comment and you can find it on the 5/29/25 post.  I've also re-posted it here:

"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."

Thanks to the unknown author.

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It's All About Who Got What / Down the Stretch...

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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Final Cannes Critical Views / Cannes Winners...Anyone Coming to Telluride?

FINAL CANNES CRITICAL VIEWS

Here is a look at the final critical reaction from Cannes regarding 13 films that I have my eye on regarding a possible play at Telluride:

From the Palme Competition category (on a 10 point scale):

The Mastermind: 6.53

Die, My Love: 6.51

Young Mothers: 6.33

The History of Sound: 4.88

A Simple Accident: 7.08

From Un Certain Regard:

Eleanor the Great: 5.58

The Chronology of Water: 6.19

Out of Competition:

Splitsville: 5.65

Orwell: 2+2=5: 7.13

The Disappearance of Joseph Mengele: 5.96

The Wave: 5.88

The Love That Remains (Palmason) 7.72

The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol 6.18

Looking at the Palme competitors, the top five currently are:

1) Sirat (Laxe) 7.90

2) Nouvelle Vague (Linklater) 7.22

3) Sentimental Value (Trier) 7.02

4) The Secret Agent (Filho) 7.01

5) Resurrection (Gan) 7.00

FROM SCREEN DAILY

Palme Competition top five (on a 4 point scale)

1) Two Prosecutors 3.1 (Tie)

1) It Was Just an Accident ( A Simple Accident) 3.1 (Tie)

3) The Secret Agent 2.8 (Tie)

3) Sound of Falling 2.8 (Tie)

And tied with a 2.7: Nouvelle Vague, Romeria, Sentimental Value, Young Mothers and The Mastermind.

FROM IONCINEMA

Palme Competition top five ( on a five point scale):

1) Sirat 3.9

2) The Secret Agent 3.6

3) It Was Just an Accident (A Simple Accident) 3.5

4) Sentimental Value 3.4 (tie)

4) Young Mothers 3.4 (tie)

CANNES WINNERS...ANYONE COMING TO TELLURIDE?

From Erik Anderson and Awards Watch...the big winners from Cannes:

MAIN COMPETITION

Palme d’Or: It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi

Gran Prize: Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier

Jury Prize: Sirât by Oliver Laxe and Sound of Falling by Mascha Schilinski

Best Director: Kleber Mendonça Filho for The Secret Agent

Best Actor: Wagner Moura for The Secret Agent

Best Actress: Nadia Melliti for The Little Sister

Best Screenplay: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for Jeues Mères

Special Prize: Resurrection by Bi Gan

A CERTAIN REGARD

Un Certain Regard Prize: The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo by Diego Céspedes

Jury Prize: A Poet by Simón Mesa Soto

Best Director: Tarzan and Arab Nasser for Once Upon a Time in Gaza

Best Actor: Frank Dillane for Urchin

Best Actress: Cleo Diára for I Only Rest in the Storm

Best Screenplay: Harry Lighton for Pillion

So, if you're looking at what happened at Cannes to predict what might play TFF #52 the awards are important and the critical reaction is important...also important is the distribution deals made at the fest.  The key moves were made by Neon and Mubi.

At the conclusion of Cannes Neon held the distribution rights for: It Was Just an Accident (Palme winner), Sentimental Value (Gran Prix winner), Sirat (Jury Prize), The Secret Agent (Best Direction), Alpha, Splitsville and Orwell 2+2=5.  That's seven films that Neon will be juggling as we head into Fall Film Fest Season.

Mubi post-Cannes has: Die, My Love, The Sound of Falling (Jury Prize), The History of Sound and The Mastermind.

Analysis:  It's tempting to think that Neon might have its biggest presence at Telluride ever.  That actually almost seems inevitable.  All factors taken together would seem to point to Jafar Panahi's Palme winner as the most logical first possibility. The second most likely might be Splitsville.  After that, it's pick 'em.  I'm kind of feeling Sentimental Value, Orwell and Sirat...but that's just a gut feeling.

Mubi's best bets right now seem to be Die, My Love and The Mastermind.  The History of Sound may be off the TFF list of possibilities as a result of a relatively dismal critical reception.

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The Critics at Cannes (Cont.) / And Now...Venice? / An IMDb Thing

 THE CRTICS AT CANNES (CONT.)

We're past the half way mark at the 78th Cannes Film festival and here's the check-in on the latest critical response to the films screening there.  

Here is a look from regarding 13 films at Cannes that I have my eye on regarding a possible play at Telluride:

From the Palme Competition category (on a 10 point scale):

The Mastermind: 6.16

Die, My Love: 6.52

Young Mothers: 5.75

The History of Sound: 5.09

A Simple Accident: 6.91

From Un Certain Regard:

Eleanor the Great: 5.81

The Chronology of Water: 6.17

Out of Competition:

Splitsville: 6.36

Orwell: 2+2=5: 7.13

The Disappearance of Joseph Mengele: 5.68

The Wave: 5.84

The Love That Remains (Palmason) 7.73

The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol 6.22

Looking at the Palme competitors, the top five currently are:

1) Sirat (Laxe) 7.90

2) Nouvelle Vague (Linklater) 7.25

3) The Secret Agent (Filho) 7.02

4) Resurrection (Gan) 7.00

5) Sentimental Value (Trier) 6.94

FROM SCREEN DAILY

Palme Competition top five (on a 4 point scale)

1) Two Prosecutors 3.1 (Tie)

1) It Was Just an Accident ( A Simple Accident) 3.1 (Tie)

3) The Secret Agent 2.8 (Tie)

3) Sound of Falling 2.8 (Tie)

3) Sentimental Value 2.8 (Tie)

FROM IONCINEMA

Palme Competition top five ( on a five point scale):

1) Sirat 3.9

2) The Secret Agent 3.6

3) It Was Just an Accident (A Simple Accident) 3.4

4) Nouvelle Vague 3.3

5) Sound of Falling 3.2

AND NOW...VENICE?

As Cannes gets close to its conclusion, some attention has begun to focus on what films will play Venice.  As frequent readers will recall, inclusion at Venice doesn't necessarily point to a film being selected for Telluride nor does it signal that it won't be.  The key to reading the Venetian tea leaves as they relate to Telluride actually comes when Venice releases its schedule.  Early screenings in Venice leave the door open for a Venice-Telluride double play.  

The point is that paying attention to Venice's choices can still be instructive.  To that end, Screen Daily posted on Monday a piece dedicated to possible Venice choices.  They include (in the order that the film appears in the piece):

The Smashing Machine/B. Safdie

The Ballad of a Small Player/E. Berger

Hamnet/C. Zhao

Bugonia/Y. Lanthimos

After the Hunt/L. Guadagnino

Father, Mother, Sister, Brother/J. Jarmusch

Rosebush Pruning/K. Ainouz

Sacrifice/R. Gavras

Couture/A. Winocour

Orphan/L. Nemes

No Other Choice/P. Chan-wook

Anemone/R. Day-Lewis

Yellow Letters/I. Catak

Call Me Queen/E. Atef

Whitetail/N. Leopold

A Prayer for the Dying/D. Van Dusen

Chocobar/L. Martel

My guess as to the best Telluride possibilities from this list:

The Ballad of a Small Player

Hamnet

Bugoina

After the Hunt

Orphan

What I'd really like to see at Telluride: Anemone

Screen Daily's complete rundown of Venice possibilities is here.

AN IMDB THING

So, I was running down Bradley Cooper's Is This Thing On? on IMDb (the app) a couple of days ago and noticed in the section labeled "Related User Lists" and the first list listed there was labeled "Telluride Possibilities".  Like this:

So naturally, I was intrigued.  I clicked on "pj_withers" list and discovered that MTFB was the reference:

So my next thought was...from this list of 30 films, what others, in addition to Is This Thing On?, does this list come up on?  All of them?

Turns out...no, not all of them.  But it does for 11 of them.

Is This Thing On?

Hamnet

Eleanor the Great

After the Hunt

Anemone

Megadoc

The Love That Remains

It Was Just an Accident

The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol

Bucking Fastard

David Lynch: Hollywood Enigma

I'm not sure why these 11 are linked to this "Related User List" the other 19 are not.  I'm not sure who "pj_withers" is but I think this is kind of cool.

More on Monday including what won the Palme d'Or at Cannes.

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The Critic's Begin to Weigh-in on Cannes / Clip from Die, My Love / Deliver Me from Nowhere Has a Date

THE CRTICS BEGIN TO WEIGH IN ON CANNES

We're not quite a week into Cannes but we do have some critical responses to take a gander at.  Initially, here is a look from Cannes-ratings.org regarding 13 films at Cannes that I have my eye on regarding a possible play at Telluride:

From the Palme Competition category (on a 10 point scale):

The Mastermind: 6.65

Die, My Love: 6.59

Young Mothers: 5.73

The History of Sound: 5.41

A Simple Accident: 6.12

From Un Certain Regard:

Eleanor the Great: 8.83

The Chronology of Water: 6.19

Out of Competition:

Splitsville: 8.67

Orwell: 2+2=5: 7.12

The Disappearance of Joseph Mengele: 6.11

The Wave: 5.88

The Love That Remains (Palmason) 7.79

The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol 6.16

Looking at the Palme competitors, the top five currently are:

1) Sentimental Value (Trier) 9.00

2) Sirat (Laxe) 7.95

3) Nouvelle Vague (Linklater) 7.27

4) Romeria (Simon) 7.20

5) Fuori (Martone (7.00) and Resurrection (Gan) 7.00 (tie)

The complete list is here.

FROM SCREEN DAILY

Plame Competition top five (on a 4 point scale)

1) Two Prosecutors 3.1

2) The Secret Agent 2.8 (Tie)

2) Sound of Falling 2.8 (Tie)

4) Nouvelle Vague 2.7

5) Sirat, Renoir and Die, My Love 2.5 (Tie) 

The complete grid is here.

FROM IONCINEMA

Palme Competition top five ( on a five point scale):

1) Sirat 3.9

2) Sound of Falling 3.2 (Tie)

2) Nouvelle Vague 3.2 (Tie)

4) Renoir 2.9

5) Dossier 137 2.8

The complete grid is here.

CLIP FROM DIE, MY LOVE

In conjunction with its screening in Palme competition at Cannes, we saw the release of a clip from Lynne Ramsay's Die, My Love. Here that is via YouTube and The Upcoming:

DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE HAS A DATE

Jeremy Allen White as Bruce Springsteen in Deliver Me from Nowhere (via IMDb)

20th Century Studios announced this past week that Scott Cooper's Bruce Springsteen biopic, Deliver Me from Nowhere, has been dated for an Oct. 24th release.  The date is very fall fest friendly leaving the door open for the film to screen at TFF #52 as well as Venice, Toronto and/or New York.  As I have mentioned here, Cooper has had a good relationship with Telluride over the years with Black Mass appearing at T-ride in 2015 and Hostiles in 2017. It also doesn't hurt that Searchlight is involved in the film's distribution.

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