TFF #53 In the Books / Rate Those Films!

TFF #53 IN THE BOOKS

Here's your regularly scheduled post for a Thursday from MTFB with TFF #53 still pretty close in the rear view mirror.

***Overall thanks go to Larry and Mitzi Mallard who jumped in and upgraded our accommodations for the fest.  When in Telluride...stay at The River Club.

***Thanks to all you readers of MTFB.  There were a bunch of you and you were all so kind and particularly welcoming to my grandson who was making his first trip to TFF,    You're the reason...

***It seemed like the general conclusion was that TFF #53 was a very strong fest.  I suspect that The People's Poll and The MTFB Pro Poll will likely bare that out.  We'll see over the next ten days or so.

***How'd I do?  MTFB went 25 for 25 on the Final Bets with an additional three films making the lineup that I had listed as "possibilities".  Not bad for a rube from Oklahoma.

***I got really Shakespearian with my two favorite films being Elsinore and Into the Breach.  If Andrew Scott doesn't win the Best Actor Oscar this year, I will have words with someone.  Harsh, scathing words.

***I was shut out for a film at Telluride for the first time ever this year.  It felt like the "shut out discourse' was louder than ever this year, but that could have been that, having experienced it, I was more sensitive to it.

RATE THOSE FILMS!

I reminded folks while standing in lines this past weekend to rate the films for the MTFB People's Poll.  A reminder for how that works:

Report to me your assessment of each film on a 1-5 scale with 1 being "UGH!" and 5 being "GREAT".

Report your ratings to: mpgort@gmail.com 

The deadline for this year to turn in your ratings will be Sept. 15th.

I'll have more in Monday's regular post...but for now...still exhausted!

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

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TFF #53...Comes to a Close...So Rate Those Films

TFF #53...COMES TO A CLOSE...SO RATE THOSE FILMS

The 53rd edition of the Telluride Film Festival is in the midst of its last round of films for the weekend unspooling right now.

Was really a better than average festival for the Pattersons despite being shut out of a film for the first time ever. 

Big thanks to The River Club who became our last minute home for the fest.  It was lovely and the staff was terrific.

Thanks to all of you readers who said such kind words to me this weekend.  It brings an honest smile to my face that so many of you find this space interesting.  Now...RATE THOSE FILMS!

DIRECTIONS:

For the 14th year MTFB is soliciting your input for The People's Telluride.  All you have to do is watch films during the fest and then, when it's all over, report to me your assessment of each film on a 1-5 scale with 1 being "UGH!" and 5 being "GREAT".

Report your ratings to: mpgort@gmail.com 

The deadline for this year to turn in your ratings will be Sept. 15th.

TBAs and More for Monday, Sept. 7th 2026

 Monday TBAs 9/7

Werner Herzog Theater

4:15pm: CLUB KID (122m)

7:00pm: INK (116m)

Sheridan Opera House

5:30pm: BURGUNDY (88m)

7:15pm: THE LIBERATION (124m)

The Marvin

1:30pm: ROSE (94m)

3:45pm: THE ROW (89m)

6:30pm: AVEDON (104m)

Masons Cinema Hall:

3:00pm: ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM (100m)

5:15pm: THE MAN I LOVE (97m)

7:15pm: THE DISCIPLE (105m)

Le Pierre:

3:45pm: PETE TOWNSHEND: BEHIND BLUE EYES (102m)

6:00pm: THE UNKNOWN (141m)

Backlot: (All films free)

1:15pm: MAVERICK (120m)

3:30pm: HOUSE OF CRITICISM (83m)

5:15pm: NATURAL STATE (87m)

_____

Noon Seminar Town Park

Moderated by Annette Insdorf

Sponsored by Apple Original Films

Where Have All the Heroes Gone: Is traditional heroism absent from new independent films? 

Guy Nattiv (THE LIBERATION), Cristian Mungiu (FJORD), Jennifer Peedom (TENZING)

Posted on September 07, 2026

TBAs Tomorrow at The Herzog

TBA'S TOMORROW AT THE HERZOG

6:15  Mystery TBA revealed at Showtime,  174 min.

10:15 Wild Horse Nine

TBA tomorrow is The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.

TBA tomorrow is The Only Living Pickpocket in New York. 

TFF #53 LINEUP DROPS

 Per Variety, the TFF #53 lineup:

Tributes

• Andrew Haigh (writer, director)
• Sandra Hüller (actress)
• John Malkovich (actor)

Main Program (The Show)

• “Act 3” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Christine Molloy & Joe Lawlor
• “Alpha Gang” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. David Zellner & Nathan Zellner — World Premiere
• “Avedon” (Netflix) — dir. Ron Howard — World Premiere
• “Beau Geste” (Rialto Pictures, 1926 restoration) — dir. Herbert Brenon
• “Begotten” (World Artists Home Video) — dir. E. Elias Merhige
• “Bucking Fastard” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Werner Herzog
• “The Buffalo Miracle” and “Witt v. Air Force” — dir. Ben Proudfoot
• “Burgundy” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Michael Dweck & Gregory Kershaw
• “Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Nanette Burstein
• “Club Kid” (A24) — dir. Jordan Firstman
• “The Debut” (A24) — dir. Jesse Eisenberg — World Premiere
• “The Disciple” (Netflix) — dir. Joanna Natasegar — World Premiere
• “Elsinore” (Focus Features) — dir. Simon Stone — World Premiere
• “Everest: The Other Side” (National Geographic Films) — dir. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin
• “Fatherland” (Mubi) — dir. Paweł Pawlikowski
• “Fjord” (Neon) — dir. Cristian Mungiu
• “Gentle Monster” (Netflix) — dir. Marie Kreutzer
• “The Idiot(s)” (The Match Factory) — dir. Małgorzata Szumowska & Michał Englert — World Premiere
• “In Love Rendered” — dir. Liz Garbus
• “Ink” (Netflix) — dir. Danny Boyle
• “La Bola Negra” (Netflix) — dir. Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi
• “The Liberation” (Bleecker Street) — dir. Guy Nattiv — World Premiere
• “A Long Winter” (Mubi) — dir. Andrew Haigh — World Premiere
• “Making Marie Antoinette” (Mubi) — dir. Eleanor Coppola
• “The Man I Love” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Ira Sachs
• “Minotaur” (Mubi) — dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev
• “My Undesirable Friends: Part II — Exile” (Mubi) — dir. Julia Loktev — World Premiere
• “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” (Neon) — dir. William Greaves & David Greaves
• “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” (Sony Pictures Classics) — dir. Noah Segan
• “Pete Townshend: Behind Blue Eyes” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Frank Marshall, Nigel Sinclair & Cassidy Hartmann
• “Rehearsals for a Revolution” (Mongrel Media) — dir. Pegah Ahangarani
• “The Revolution Against Death” — dir. Joshua Oppenheimer
• “Roger Corman at 100” (U.S. distribution TBA)
• “Rose” (Mubi) — dir. Markus Schleinzer
• “The Row” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Bryan Fogel
• “A Song for the Snow Lion” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Pawo Choyning Dorji
• “Stories of Resilience” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Sarah Gavron, Wafa Mustafa & Waad Al-Kateab, Bill Morrison
• “The Story of Documentary Film” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Mark Cousins
• “Sumo: Spirit Weighs Nothing” (ESPN Films) — dir. Erik Shirai
• “Tender Loving Care” (Bleecker Street) — dir. Mike Leigh — World Premiere
• “Tenzing” (Apple Original Films) — dir. Jennifer Peedom — World Premiere
• “The Unknown” (U.S. distribution TBA) — dir. Arthur Harari
• “Wild Horse Nine” (Searchlight Pictures) — dir. Martin McDonagh

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Final Bets for TFF #53 / The People's Telluride

Well, here we are on the cusp of another Telluride Film Festival and as promised hare is a look at my final "bets" to play TFF #53.  As a reminder of where we've been here:

The original Ten Bets from back in June (with what I think is playing designated with***):

***The Black Ball

***Bucking Fastard

Coward-NOPE

***The Debut

***Fatherland

***A Long Winter

***Minotaur

Paper Tiger-NOPE

The Story of Documentary Film-MAYBE

Yellow Letters-MAYBE

AND HERE'S THE FINAL PREDICITION

1) Elsinore

2) The Debut

3) Ink

4) Club Kid

5) Bucking Fastard

6) Wild Horse Nine

7) Fatherland

8) La Bola Negra (The Black Ball)

9) A Long Winter

10) Everest: The Other Side

11) Minotaur

12) Fjord

13) Tender Loving Care

14) Gentle Monster

15) Rose

16) The Man I Love

17)The Alpha Gang

18) My Undesirable Friends Part II

19) Rehearsal for a Revolution

20) The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

21) Tenzing

22) The Idiots

23) The Liberation

24) Making Marie Antoinette

25) One More Time

Other possibilities: 

 

Ancient History

The Basics of Philosophy

Burgundy

Diamond

Primetime

Sense and Sensibility

The Story of Documentary Film

The Unknown

Yellow Letters

I'll post the announced schedule tomorrow morning when it's released.

THE PEOPLE'S TELLURIDE-14TH EDITION

For the 14th year MTFB is soliciting your input for The People's Telluride.  All you have to do is watch films during the fest and then, when it's all over, report to me your assessment of each film on a 1-5 scale with 1 being "UGH!" and 5 being "GREAT".

Report your ratings to: mpgort@gmail.com 

The deadline for this year to turn in your ratings will be Sept. 15th.

Time to Rock 'n Roll...see you in The Ride!

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