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.  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.  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.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

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.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

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.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

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.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

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.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

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.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

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.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

Cannes Has Begun / Four Films on the Edge: Blue Moon, Anemone, Bucking Fastard and Welcome to Lynchland

CANNES HAS BEGUN

The 78th Cannes Film Festival opened last Tuesday and will run though May 24th.  TFF watchers know that it's likely that anywhere from 6-10 films screening there the next few days will probably end up in Telluride over Labor Day.  That's been the trend for some time.  One of the things I'll be doing over the next few posts is checking to see how critics respond.  Several film outlets will be posting composite critical responses and I traditionally keep track some of those and report them but the Big Daddy of all Cannes compilations comes from cannes-ratings.org.  

So this week I took a moment to try to calibrate what that compilation has told us over the years.  What I did was to look for the lowest rated film that played at Cannes that also played Telluride.  My thought was that perhaps by doing that we might establish some critical baseline for where the cutoff is below which it's unlikely a film will be selected for Telluride inclusion.

Thus here are the lowest rated films from Cannes for each year (going back to 2011) that made it to TFF.  Cannes-ratings uses a 1-10 scale.

2024-Santosh-5.97

2023-Strange way of Life-5.58

2022-Tori and Lokita-6.11

2021-Unclenching the Fist-6.08

2019-Family Romance LLC-5.68

2018-The Eyes of Orson Welles-6.11

2017-An Inconvenient Sequel-5.75

2016-Neruda-6.58

2015-Rams-5.10

2014-Wild Tales-5.41

2013-Jororowsky's Dune-5.55

2012-Paradise:Love-5.03

2011-Bonsai-5.00

As you can see, the outliers are Neruda at the top and Bonsai and Paradise: Love at the bottom.  The average rating to claim the last Cannes to T-ride spot is at 5.69.  So, if you want to check what the critical reception at Cannes, that might be a spot to think that anything below that has a lesser chance to get to Telluride.

One other point, since it's still so early in the Cannes fest most of the films only have a very few reviews as yet. As Cannes rolls on those films will gather more and more critical responses and you can get a better idea for where a film may end up.  For example, the film at the top of the list right now is Love Me Tender with a 9.12 cumulative rating but it's only been reviewed by four critics...so grain of salt.

Monday's MTFB will have my first real look.

FOUR FILMS ON THE EDGE:

Four films on the periphery of my analysis of what goes to Telluride had moments this week that, at the very least, didn't hurt their chances of playing Telluride.

Richard Linklater's Blue Moon- The film's release dates were announced this week.  It will have a limited release on Oct. 17th followed by a wider release on Oct. 24th.  Linklater has never been to TFF as far as I can discern which works against the notion that it will play Telluride.  However, it does have some things working in its favor.  These release dates for one.  Also, a good critical response from Berlin where it also picked up for Andrew Scott for Best Supporting Performance. It's from Sony Pictures Classics and it stars Ethan Hawke who is often a TFF attendee.

Ronan Day-Lewis's Anemone- Like Blue Moon, Anemone's release dates were also announced this week and leave open the possibility for T-ride.  Anemone will open limited on Oct. 3rd and wide on Oct. 10th.  The film stars past TFF tribute recipient Daniel Day-Lewis who also co-wrote the screenplay.  Day-Lewis first attended TFF in 1989 with My Left Foot and returned for his tribute in 2007 with some scenes from There Will Be Blood.  He won Best Actor Oscars for both of those performances.  Another factor working in favor of a TFF play is that the distributor is Focus Features which has been a reliable Telluride player for years.

Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard-  Herzog has possibly been the most screened director at Telluride over the years and The Playlist reports:

"Production took place in Ireland (hence the “Irish landscape”) and Slovenia, having wrapped filming last month, as the film is now heading to the Cannes Film Market with the aim of sharing footage with potential buyers."

So it may be ready for a San Juan screening.

Stephane Ghez's Welcome to Lynchland-Played Yesterday at the Cannes Fest with David Lynch's son, Riley introducing it.  The documentary about Lynch's career and films feels like it could be right down TFF's alley given Lynch's stature and his early participation with TFF.

More on Monday.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

Cannes Looms / Clip from Eleanor the Great

CANNES LOOMS

The 78th Cannes Film Festival starts up on Tuesday and runs through May 24th.  As MTFB has done over the past few years, I'll continue to take snapshots of the critical reactions to films and pass those along with each post over the next couple of weeks.

One of  the things that can happen during the course of the festival is that I'll notice some films that I haven't really considered for TFF emerge with a strong critical endorsement.  In other words, a film can move onto my TFF list of possible choices with a strong critical endorsement.

Meanwhile, I took a look at a group of four outlets which have recently posted their "Most Anticipated" Cannes films.  I was looking for a couple of things.  First, what films already seem to be sparking heat and second, a look at the level of interest for films that I have already listed as TFF possibilities.

So, I looked at lists from Harper's Bazaar, W, The Film Stage and Screen Rant.  Five films were on all four lists:

Alpha/J. Ducournau/Neon

The History of Sound/O. Hermanus/Focus-Mubi

Eddington/A. Aster/A24

Die, My Love/L. Ramsay/No U.S. Distributor

Sentimental Value/Joachim Trier/Neon

From this list I have already been pointing at The History of Sound and Die, My Love as TFF #52 potentials.  Eddington is set for a July release here in the U.S. so no TFF play there but I may have to start considering both Alpha and Sentimental Value especially as they're both coming from Neon.

Films with three mentions were Wes Anderson's The Phoenician Scheme (opening in the U.S. on June 6th so no T-ride) and Kristen Stewart's The Chronology of Water which I have had on my pre-Cannes watch list.

Films that made two of the lists included Eleanor the Great and The Mastermind.  Both have popped up here as TFF possibilities.  Michael Angel Covino's Splitsville would have made this list save for its August 22nd U.S. release date.

The Film Stage made mention of three other films that have been on my radar: It Was Just an Accident, The Love That Remains and The Magnificent Life of Marcel Pagnol.

The Film Stage also has an "Honorable Mention" section that includes The Chronology of Water and Eleanor the Great.

Here's the link to the Harper's Bazaar list.

Here's the link to the W list.

Here's the link to The Film Stage list.

Here's the link to The Screen Rant list.

CLIP FROM ELEANOR THE GREAT

Deadline dropped an exclusive clip from Scarlett Johansson's directing debut and Cannes Un Certain Regard selection Eleanor the Great starring June Squibb.  The film is being distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

Take a look at the Deadline post that includes the clip right here.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

New Baumbach Film Has a Date / Awards Watch's First Oscar Picks

NEW BAUMBACH FILM HAS A DATE

Noah Baumbach's latest film, Jay Kelly, has been dated for theatrical release by Netflix.  The film will be released into theaters on Nov. 14th.  Netflex will start streaming it on Dec. 5th. The film stars George Clooney and Adam Sandler. 

Several outlets reported on the announcement earlier this week with a couple making some noise about a possible play at Telluride.  Gregory Ellwood writing for The Playlist commented in his story that:

"It’s possible Netflix could hold “Kelly” to the New York Film Festival, but Clooney’s participation makes a Venice Film Festival bow much more likely. In theory, that means Telluride and TIFF screenings are up for discussion. Whatever the case, the streamer’s release strategy makes it clear they believe it’s a prime awards season contender."

Ellwood's complete story is here.

Additionally, Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel echoed the Telluride possibility writing:

“Jay Kelly” could very well have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September. It will certainly be hitting the fall fests, and that could include Toronto, Telluride and New York."

Ruimy's post is linked here.

The Telluride pedigree is impressive.  Baumbach has had a presence at Telluride having screened Margot at the Wedding (2007), Frances Ha (2012) and Marriage Story (2019) at TFF.

Clooney was in town in 2011 with Alexander Payne's The Descendants.  Sandler was in T-ride in 2019 with the Safdie Brothers' Uncut Gems.  And a couple of members of the supporting cast have had a presence at TFF including Laura Dern (Marriage Story, Trial by Fire and Wild) and Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha and Lady Bird).

Finally, it's Netflix project and they have been well represented at the fest since 2015.

AWARDS WATCH'S FIRST OSCAR PICKS

Erik Anderson who runs Awards Watch has had his first set of predictions for 2025 going up this week.  He's got four categories up so far: Picture, Direction, Actress and Actor.  There are a couple of reasons to look at what Erik has to say.  First, as with other early Oscar picks highlighted here on the blog, I'll run through his picks and post a list below of possible TFF #52 titles.  Secondly, Erik makes a couple of interesting observations about Telluride in his Best actress/Actor predictions.

First, possible TFF #52 films from Erik's Best Picture predictions (in his order of mention):

Bugonia/Lanthimos (Focus)

Jay Kelly/Baumbach (Netflix)

Marty Supreme/J. Safdie (A24)

After the Hunt/Guadagnino (Amazon MGM)

Die, My Love/Ramsay (TBD)

Deliver Me from Nowhere/S. Cooper (20th Century)

The Ballad of a Small Player/Berger (Netflix)

Frankenstein/Del Toro (Netflix)

Hamnet/Zhzo (Focus)

Is This Thing On?/B. Cooper (Searchlight)

Pressure/Maras (Focus)

Anemone/Day-Lewis (Focus)

Eleanor the Great/Johansson (SPC)

The History of Sound/Hermanus (Mubi)

The Mastermind/Reichardt (Mubi)

Rental Family/Hikari (Searchlight)

You can find Erik's full list of Best Picture and Direction predictions here.

Meanwhile in his piece on Best Actress/Actor predictions he makes a couple of interesting statements.  The first relates to Rental Family and Is This Thing On?  From the post:

"I’m also keeping an eye on two Searchlight Pictures men, recent winner Brendan Fraser in Rental Family and Will Arnett in Is This Thing On?, the latter of which just recently wrapped production under Bradley Cooper’s direction. A Telluride or Toronto debut feels likely for one or both, if they’re ready for this year."

Later in the same piece, he writes this concerning Hamnet:

"The Focus Features adaptation of the Maggie O’Farrell fictional story of Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her only son, the titular Hamnet, will likely find its debut at Venice or Telluride (possibly screening at both) and setting the stage for her."

Interesting, eh?

Here's the link to the complete set of Best Actress/Actor predictions.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

I'm Back / New Bugonia Date Keeps TFF Possible / And Who Won't Be at TFF #52 / Views from Cannes

I'M BACK

After a week long art show and five days in NYC, MTFB is back...and tired.  Here's the latest after a week away.

NEW BUGONIA DATE KEEPS TFF POSSIBLE

Focus Features announced this past week that they were bumping the release dates for Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugoina up a bit.  Focus now says a limited release will happen on Oct. 24th and then the nationwide rollout will begin a week later.

Jordan Ruimy at World of Reel writes that a Venice premiere is likely and the question for us becomes does it follow the same path as did The Favourite and Poor Things both of which did the Venice/Telluride two step.  What could make a difference is that Both The Favourite and Poor Things came from (Fox) Searchlight and Bugonia is being distributed by Focus.  It could be said that Searchlight and Focus have had similar presences at Telluride over the years.  Compare the last five years for each:

(Fox) Searchlight:

2024: A Real Pain

2023: All of Us Strangers, Poor Things

2022: Empire of Light

2021: The French Dispatch

2020: No Fest but...would have screened Nomadland

2019: A Hidden Life

Focus Features:

2024: Conclave, Piece by Piece

2023: The Holdovers

2022: TAR, Armageddon Time

2021: Belfast, The Card Counter

2020: No Fest but... would have screened The Way I See It

2019: No film.

So Searchlight has screened six films and would have had a seventh had Covid not interrupted.  Meanwhile, Focus screened seven and would have had an eighth in 2020.

As an additional side note...Emma Stone.  At Telluride for La La Land in 2016, Battle of the Sexes in 2017 and Tributed in 2018 with The Favourite.  

So, you know, maybe.

AND WHO WON'T BE AT TFF #52

That would be Alexander Payne as he will President of the Golden Lion jury for this year's Venice Film Festival.

Payne has been a frequent visitor to Telluride even in years when he doesn't have a film to screen there. He's been a Guest Director (2009) and attended an additional eight years sometimes with a film sometimes not..  Payne last attended for the 50th Festival in 2023.

The Venice Fest runs from August 27th-Sept. 6th.  TFF #52 runs Aug. 29th- Sept. 1st so Payne's duties as Jury President will mean he can't be in Telluride.

VIEWS FROM CANNES

Images from some of the films playing at Cannes that also seem to have some TFF possibility have been showing up online.  Here are some of those:

TRAILER FOR YOUNG MOTHERS

PHOTO FROM THE HISTORY OF SOUND

PHOTO FROM THE MASTERMIND

More on Thursday...

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com

Not Today...In NYC... Back on Monday.

Dates Tell a Story / Cannes Posters for 2025

DATES TELL A STORY

Paul Mescal and Jesse Buckley in Chloe Zhao's Hamnet (via World of Reel)

A couple of films that I have been attention to had their release dates announced the past few days and each announcement tells us a least a little bit about possible Telluride ramifications.

Focus Features announced that Chloe Zhao's Hamnet (starring Paul Mescal and Jesse Buckley) will have a limited release on Nov. 27th followed by a nationwide expansion on Dec. 12th. That report is per Indiewire and is linked here.  Those dates keep open the chance that Zhao returns to Telluride.  It also allows the possibility of Venice, Toronto, New York and/or London.

Zhao's The Rider played T-ride in 2017.  Her Oscar winning Nomadland would have played the 47th TFF but that went away with Covid.  However, the fest was instrumental in arranging a Drive-In screening in Los Angeles.  So I can totally see Hamnet making an appearance at TFF #52.

Nomadland won three Oscars including Best Picture, Actress and Direction.

Meanwhile, Focus also announced that Ethan Coen's Honey Don't, which will world premiere at Cannes next month, will be released in the U.S. on August 22nd, thus taking it off the table for a spot at TFF#52.  I mentioned Honey Don't last week and indicated that it was an unlikely candidate for T-ride and this reporting from The Playlist validates that thinking.

CANNES POSTERS FOR 2025

I posted one of them in last Thursday's edition of MTFB.  The two posters celebrate Claude Lelouch's A Man and a Women.

Here they are:

The 78th Cannes Film Festival opens on May 13th.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays

If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com