Oscar Update: Cinematography, Editing and the Music / The Oscar Inventory / Another Nomad / Latest Gurus: The Golden Globes

 OSCAR UPDATE: CINEMATOGRAPHY, EDITING AND THE MUSIC

Here are my updates predictions for these four categories.  As always, TFF films are in Bold.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY (last predicted on Feb. 8th.  Previous predictions for a film are in parentheses.)

1) Nomadland (1)

2) Mank (2)

3) News of the World (3)

4) Tenet (4)

5) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (7)

6) Judas and the Black Messiah (5)

7) Minari (7)

8) One Night in Miami (8)

9) First Cow (6)

10) Da 5 Bloods (10)

Other Possibles: Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, Midnight Sky

Hot: The Trial of the Chicago 7

Not: Da 5 Bloods

BEST FILM EDITING (last predicted on Feb. 8th.  Previous predictions for a film are in parentheses.)

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (1)

2) News of the World (4)

3) Nomadland (2)

4) Mank (3)

5) Tenet (3)

6) Sound of Metal (-)

7) The Father (6)

8) One Night in Miami (8)

9) Da 5 Bloods (7)

10) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (10)

Other Possibles: Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari

Hot: Sound of Metal, News of the World

Not: Judas and the Black Messiah, Tenet, Da 5 Bloods

ORIGINAL SCORE (last predicted on Feb. 8th.  Previous predictions for a film are in parentheses.)

1) Soul (1)

2) News of the World (2)

3) Mank (4)

4) The Midnight Sky (3)

5) Tenet (5)

6) Minari (6)

7) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (7)

8) Da 5 Bloods (8)

9) The Little Things (10)

10) Blizzard of Souls (-)

Other Possibles: Ammonite, The Invisible Man, The Life Ahead, Mulan, Jingle Jangle-A Christmas Journey

Hot: Blizzard of Souls

Not: Jingle Jangle

BEST ORIGINAL SONG (last predicted on Feb. 8th.  Previous predictions for a film are in parentheses.)

1) Speak Now/One Night in Miami (1)

2) Io Si (Seen)/The Life Ahead (2)

3) Fight for You/Judas and the Black Messiah (8)

4) Hear My Voice/The Trial of the Chicago 7 (5)

5) Husavik/Eurovision (6)

6) Turntables/All In: The Fight for Democracy (-)

7) Never Break/Giving Voice (-)

8) Wuhan Flu/Borat Subsequent Moviefilm (7)

9) See What You've Done/Belly of the Beast (-)

10) Rain Song/Minari (-)

Other Possibles: Green/Sound of Metal, Loyal Brave True/Mulan, Free/The One and Only Ivan, Show Me Your Soul/Mr. Soul, Make It Work/Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Hot: Fight for You/Judas and the Black Messiah, Turntables/All In:The Fight for Democracy

THE OSCAR INVENTORY

This is a look at the total predicted nominations that I have currently for the ten films MTFB has listed as Best Picture nominees as the announcement is just three weeks away (Mar. 15th).

Mank will lead all Best Picture nominees with a total of 13 predicted: Picture, Director, Actor, Supporting Actress, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costumes, Makeup/Hair, Sound, Score, Song.

Three films will have seven nominations:

The Trial of the Chicago 7: Picture, Director, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Song.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom: Picture, Actor, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Production Design, Costumes, Makeup/Hair.

News of the World: Picture, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Sound, Costumes, Score.

Nomadland will land six nominations: Picture, Director, Actress, Adapted Screenplay, Cinelatography, Editing.

Sound of Metal will have five nominations: Picture, Actor, Supporting Actor, Original Screenplay, Sound.

The four nomination club will include:

Minari: Picture, Director, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay.

One Night in Miami: Picture, Supporting Actor, Adapted Screenplay, Song

Promising Young Woman: Picture, Director, Actress, Original Screenplay,

Judas and the Black Messiah will land three nominations, the least of the films I have predicted for Best Picture: Picture, Supporting Actor, Song.

Other films with notable numbers of nominations per my predictions:

Tenet with 5: Cinematography, Editing, Visual Effects, Sound, Score.

The Father with 3: Actor, Supporting Actress, Adapted Screenplay.

The Midnight Sky with 3: Sound, Visual Effects, Score.

Best bets among the above films to add a nomination not currently predicted:

The Father: Picture, Editing

Minari: Steven Yeun/Best Actor, Score

Tenet: Production Design

News of the World: Adapted Screenplay

One Night in Miami: Regina King/Best Director

Judas and the Black Messiah: Cinematography

Sound of Metal: Editing

ANOTHER NOMAD

Bob Wells (via Vulture)

We've seen and heard a lot from Nomadland star (and producer) Frances McDormand and director/writer Chloe Zhao but Vulture this week posted an interview with Nomad lifestyle guru Bob Wells.  Wells is featured prominently in the film and stars as himself.

Wells  hosts the annual Rubber Tramp Rendezvous and is well known for producing videos on YouTube extolling the R.V. lifestyle.

Here's the link to that interview.

LATEST GURUS: THE GOLDEN GLOBES

The latest Gurus of Gold post is up this afternoon and focuses on a number of categories from the Golden Globes.  The Globes are set to be handed out on Sunday evening amidst a controversy over its membership and pay to said to members.

I'll be the first to admit that I am no expert when it comes to the capriciousness of the Globes and who is going to win on Sunday night.  Heck, I barely think I can talk semi-intellgently about the Oscar race that I spend a lot of time and attention on.

Nevertheless, Ray Pride from Movie City News asked us to opine on the Globes and I and most of the other Gurus obliged.  Check out our predictions by using this link.

My big picks: Nomadland, Borat, Zhao, Mulligan, Boseman, Bakalova, Cohen.

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Oscar Update-New Categories: International Feature, Documentary, Cinematography, Film Editing / NYFCC and More / Kershaw Talks Truffles

    OSCAR UPDATE: NEW CATEGORIES!

After several weeks of posting and updating the topline Oscar categories (Picture, Director, Acting and Writing), here's my first stab at additional categories beyond those eight.  As always, TFF films are in Bold.

INTERNATIONAL FEATURE

1) Another Round

2) Quo Vadis Aida

3) Collective

4) I'm No Longer Here

5) The Night of Kings

6) The Two of Us

7) Dear Comrades

8) A Sun

9) My Little Sister

10) Charlatan

Other Possibles: Sun Children, This Is a Burial Not a Resurrection, Notturno

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

Stacey Abrams from All In: The Fight for Democracy

1) Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution

2) Dick Johnson Is Dead

3) Collective

4) Boys State

5) Time

6) All In: The Fight for Democracy

7) Welcome to Chechnya

8) The Truffle Hunters

9) John Lewis: Good Trouble

10) The Dissident

Other Possibles: The Way I See It, MLK/FBI, Totally Under Control, The Social Dilemma

CINEMATOGRAPHY

1) Mank

2) Nomadland

3) News of the World

4) Tenet

5) Judas and the Black Messiah

6) Minari

7) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

8) Da 5 Bloods

9) The Trial of the Chicago 7

10) First Cow

Other Possibles: One Night in Miami, Midnight Sky, I'm Thinking of Ending Things

FILM EDITING

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7

2) Nomadland

3) Mank

4) News of the World

5) Tenet

6) The Father

7) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

8) One Night in Miami

9) Da 5 Bloods

10) Judas and the Black Messiah

Other Possibles: Minari, Sound of Metal

NYFCC AND MORE

The New York Film Critics Circle awarded their superlatives for film in 2020 last night.  The NYFCC announcement kicks off a week that will see a number of major film awards announcements including the American Film Institute, the National Board of Review and The Independent Spirit nominations among others.

From the NYFCC, TFF winners:

Best Picture: First Cow

Best Director: Chloe Zhao/Nomadland

KERSHAW TALKS TRUFFLES

The Truffle Hunters has come on like gangbusters as we have moved through the end of 2020 into the beginning of 2021 as a serious threat in the Oscar race for Best Documentary Feature.  The TFF #47 selection from Sony Pictures Classics sits in my first pass at predicting the nominees for that category just outside the possible nominees at #8 (in an incredibly competitive category).  Meanwhile Variety's Clayton Davis has the film at #3 and Scott Feinberg at The Hollywood Reporter has it at #5.

In light of all of that, Gold Derby featured an interview with co-director Gregory Kershaw this week.

You can take a look at that using this link.

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Oscar Update: Best Original Screenplay / NSFC Names Winners / Feinberg on Docs and International Features

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Original Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 10th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (1)

2) Promising Young Woman (5)

3) Mank (2) 

4) Minari (3)

5) Soul (4)

6) Judas and the Black Messiah (6)

7) Never Rarely Sometimes Always (8)

8) Da 5 Bloods (7)

9) Sound of Metal (-)

10) Palm Springs (9)

Other Possibles: On the Rocks, the 40 Year old Version, Ammonite

Hot: Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal

Not: On the Rocks

Coming on Thursday...a new look at Best Picture.

NSFC NAMES WINNERS

The National Society of Film Critics met this past Saturday and decided on their superlatives for 2020.  TFF #47 selection Nomadland was the big winner as it grabbed four prizes including Best Picture.

Here's the list of winners or runners-up from TFF #47 OR TFF #46:

Best Picture: Winner: Nomadland, Runner-up: First Cow (TFF #46)

Best Direction: Winner: Chloe Zhao/Nomadland, 2nd Runner-up: Kelly Reichardt/First Cow (TFF #46)

Best Actress: Winner: Frances McDormand/Nomadland

Best Screenplay: Runner-up: Kelly Reichardt/First Cow (TFF #46)

Best Cinematography: Winner: Nomadland

Best Foreign Language Film: Runner-up: Beanpole (TFF #46)

Take a look at all of the winners and runners-up at Gold Derby using this link.

FEINBERG ON DOCS AND INTERNATIONAL FEATURES

The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg posted an article on Saturday focusing on the race for Oscar nominations in the Documentary Feature and International Feature categories.  Feinberg lists three TFF #47 films, one in both categories in the body of the article:

Docs:

All In: The Fight for Democracy

The Bee Gees: How Do You Men a Broken Heart

Notturno.

Feinberg also puts Notturno in the International Film category as well.

You can catch the rest of the article by clicking here.

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Oscar Update: Best Original Screenplay / DOC NYC Shortlist Features TFF #47 Choices / All In Directors Talk Stacey Abrams and Last Week's Election

 OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Original Screenplay updated since I last posted this category on  Oct. 12th.  A screenplay's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (1)

2) Mank (2)

3) Minari (3)

4) Soul (4)

5) Promising Young Woman (8)

6) Judas and the Black Messiah (5)

7) Palm Springs (10)

8) Never Rarely Sometimes Always (6)

9) Da 5 Bloods (7)

10) Ammonite (9)

DOC NYC SHORTLIST FEATURES TFF #47 CHOICES

Indiewire's Anne Thompson reported this week on the 15 film shortlist for DOC NYC.  The fest itself opened yesterday with over 100 feature documentaries programmed.

Thompson points out the influence/predictive power of the fest writing:

"Historically, most of the DOC NYC short list titles overlap with the Academy’s official 15-film Oscar Short List. For the last nine years, DOC NYC has screened the documentary that went on to win the Academy Award, including “American Factory,” “Free Solo,” “Icarus,” “O.J.: Made in America,” “Amy,” “Citizenfour,” “20 Feet From Stardom,” “Searching for Sugar Man,” and “Undefeated.” The festival has screened 24 of the last 25 Oscar-nominated documentary features. In 2019, DOC NYC screened 13 of 15 titles that were named to the subsequent Academy Award Documentary Shortlist."

This year's shortlist includes TFF #47 selections Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI (IFC Films)  and Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters (Sony Pictures Classics).

The complete Indiewire article is linked here.

ALL IN DIRECTORS TALK STACEY ABRAMS AND LAST WEEK'S ELECTION

Eric Kohn of Indiewire published an interview earlier this week with the directors, Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes, of All In: The Fight for Democracy, a documentary focused on the fight to protect voting rights spearheaded by former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.  Abrams is widely credited with what appears to be Joe Biden's win in that state.

The film was a selection of the 47th Telluride Film  Festival zand is currently in release on Amazon Prime.

That interview is linked here.

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Oscar Update: Best Actress / Oscar Experts Predict-Matt Neglia-Next Best Picture / New Trailer for Mank

 OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ACTRESS

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Actress updated since I last posted this category on  Sept. 24th.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Viola Davis/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2)

2) Frances McDormand/Nomadland (1)

3) Vanessa Kirby/Pieces of a Woman (4)

4) Jennifer Hudson/Respect (7)

5) Carey Mulligan/Promising Young Woman (8)

6) Amy Adams/Hillbilly Elegy (6)

7) Kate Winslet/Ammonite (3)

8) Michelle Pfeiffer/French Exit (5)

9) Sophia Loren/The Life Ahead (-)

10) Andra Day/The U.S. vs. Billie Holiday (10)

Others: Meryl Streep/The Prom, Rashida Jones/On the Rocks, Jessica Chastain/The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Elizabeth Moss/Shirley

OSCAR EXPERTS PREDICT/MATT NEGLIA-NEXT BEST PICTURE

Today we turn to Matt Neglia of Next Best Picture to get a sense of where he thinks the overall Oscar Race is as of late October of 2020.  Here's Matt's current view of the major players for Oscar 2021:

Among the films selected for what would have been TFF #47 Neglia predicts Oscar nominations as follows:

The Father (6): Picture, Director (Zeller), Actor (Hopkins), Supproting Actress (Colman), Adapted Screenplay and Film Editing.

Nomadland (5): Picture, Director (Ahao), Actress (McDormand), Adapted Screenplay and Cinematography.

Ammonite (1): Best Supporting Actress (Ronan)

All In: The Fight for Democracy (1): Documentary Feature

Other big players per Neglia:

Mank (12): Picture, Director (Fincher), Actor (Oldman), Supporting Actress (Seyfried), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Costumes, Film Editing, Makeup/Hair, Production Design, Sound, Score.

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (7): Picture, Supporting Actor (Rylance), Supporting Actor (Cohen), Original Screenplay, Film Editing, Production Design and Song.

News of the World (7): Picture, Director (Greengrass), Supporting Actress (Zengal), Cinematography, Production Design, Sound and Score.

Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (6): Picture, Actress (Davis), Actor (Boseman), Adapted Screenplay, Costume and Makeup/Hair.

Soul (4): Picture, Original Screenplay, Sound and Score.

Judas and the Black Messiah (4): Picture, Director (S. King), Supporting Actor (Kaluuya) and Film Editing.

One Night in Miami (4): Picture, Supporting Actor (Kingsley-Adir), Adapted Screenplay and Song.

Hillbilly Elegy (4): Actress (Adams), Supporting Actress (Close), Adapted Screenplay and Makeup/Hair.

Minari (2): Picture and Original Screenplay.

NEW TRAILER FOR MANK

Yes, I know, Mank was not an announced TFF #47 film but, as I have written here before...good sources have indicated to me that had TFF #47 gone forward as scheduled, Mank likely would have screened in Telluride.  So, with that note in mind...

Mank has a new trailer up this week and I thought I'd share it with you.  Here it is from YouTube:

Mank is set to debut in theaters in November and then will bow on Netflix on Dec. 4th.

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Oscar 2021 First Attempt-Best Original Screenplay / TFF #47 Running Totals / Variety's Davis Looks at Documentary Oscar Chances / Indiewire Talks with Nomadland's Chloe Zhao

 OSCAR 2021 FIRST ATTEMPT-BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

MTFB continues its first pass at predicting Oscar nominees for 2020-21 in various major categories.  Today we're looking at Best Original Screenplay with, as always, a focus on those performances that were a part of the list of 29 films that TFF released that would have been screened as a part of TFF #47.  Performers designated with *** are in films that may not be released prior to the Feb, 28, 2021 Oscar eligibility deadline.   TFF#47 performers are in Bold:

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7

2) Mank

3) Minari

4) Soul

5) Judas and the Black Messiah

6) Never Rarely Sometimes Always

7) Da 5 Bloods

8) Promising Young Woman

9) Ammonite

10) Palm Springs

TFF #47 RUNNING TOTALS

Nomadland: Best Picture, Director (Zhao), Actress (McDormand), Supporting Actor (Stratharin), Adapted Screenplay. Total of 5 in these categories.

Ammonite: Best Picture, Actress (Winslet), Supporting Actress (Ronan).  Maybe: Director (F. Lee) Best Original Screenplay.  Total: 2.

The Father: Actor (Hopkins), Supporting Actress (Colman)., Adapted Screenplay Maybe: Best Picture, Director (Zeller).  Total: 3

VARIETY'S DAVIS LOOKS AT DOCUMENTARY OSCAR CHANCES

Newly minted Variety Oscarologist Clayton Davis is a busy man as he has Oscar nomination predictions up at the venerable website/publication for 19 categories at this early stage of the now elongated Oscar season. 

The most recent category addition to his Oscar analysis is for Best Documentary Feature.  Among his Top 20 are a number of titles that were on the TFF #47 "Would Have Played" list.  They are:

1) All In:The Fight for Democracy

8) MLK/FBI

9) The Truffle Hunters

12) The Way I See It

Take a look at Davis' complete list of possible Oscar candidates linked here.

INDIEWIRE TALKS WITH NOMADLAND'S CHLOE ZHAO

Recently, Indiewire chief critic Eric Kohn talked to director/writer Chloe Zhao whose Nomadland has made big waves over the last month.  The film won both the Golden Lion at Venice and the People's Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Zhao talks about the process that she used in collaboration with star Frances McDormand in order to make one of the most critically lauded films of 2020.

Here's that interview/article from Indiewire.

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Nomadland Tops TIFF / Oscar 2021-First Attempt-Best Director / At the Drive-In

 NOMADLAND TOPS TIFF

TFF #47 selection Nomadland won the Toronto International Film Festival's People's Choice Award as that festival came to a conclusion over the weekend.  The film, directed and written by Chloe Zhao and starring two time Oscar winner Frances McDormand, has been a significant critical success as it was also this year's Golden Lion winner for the Venice Film Festival.

Past TIFF People's Choice Award winners have gone on to be serious players during Oscar season and often times have included films from The SHOW,  Here's a rundown of the past few years of TIFF People's winners and runners-up with TFF films in BOLD:

2007: Winner: Eastern Promises, RU: JUNO 

2008: Winner: SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, RU: More Than a Game

2009: Winner: Precious, RU: Mao's Last Dancer

2010: Winner: THE KING'S SPEECH, RU: THE FIRST GRADER

2011: Winner: Where Do We Go now, RU: Starbuck

2012: Winner: Silver Linings Playbook, RU: ARGO

2013: Winner: 12 YEARS A SLAVE, RU: Philomena

2014: Winner: THE IMITATION GAME, RU: Learning to Drive

2015: Winner: ROOM, RU: Angry Indian Goddesses

2016: Winner: LA LA LAND, RU: Lion

2017: Winner: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, RU: I. Tonya

2018: Winner: Green Book, RU: If Beale Street Could Talk

2019: Winner: Jojo Rabbit, RU: MARRIAGE STORY

2020: Winner: NOMADLAND, RU: One Night in Miami

I have linked coverage of the TIFF awards here from Next Best Picture as well as The Hollywood News.

OSCAR 2021-FIRST ATTEMPT-BEST DIRECTOR

Last week, I started aiming this boat toward Oscar season with my first take on predicting films for Best Picture nominations.  Today we move to the Best Direction category with a reminder that it's a weird year and no one is entirely certain which films will actually screen before the deadline that The Academy moved to-Feb, 28, 2021.  Consequently, this first list will have some film's marked with an * meaning that, at least for the moment, I'm thinking that that film could have its release after Feb, 28th. TFF #47 films are in Bold

1) Chloe Zhao/Nomadland

2) David Fincher/Mank

3) Steven Spielberg/West Side Story*

4) Denis Villenueve/Dune*

5) Paul Greengrass/News of the World*

6) Spike Lee/Da 5 Bloods

7) Regina King/One Night in Miami

8) Christopher Nolan/Tenet

9) Aaron Sorkin/The Trial of the Chicago 7

10) Ron Howard/Hillbilly Elegy*

Other possibles: Francis Lee/Ammonite, Elizabeth Hittman/Never Rarely Sometimes Always, Florian Zeller/The Father, Wes ANderson/The French Dispatch*, Tom McCarthy/Stillwater*.

AT THE DRIVE-IN

As you almost certainly know, Telluride #47 appeared, much like Brigadoon, seemingly from out of nowhere to provide drive-in screening s recently of two of its 29 TFF #47 selections.

On Sept. 2nd, partnering with the Mill Valley Film Festival, Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes' voting rights documentary: All In: The Fight for Democracy screened at the West Wind Solano Twin Drive-In in Concord, CA.  One of the patrons who attended is a friend of the blog and shared a photo or two of the evening:

Then on Sept. 11th, TFF screened Chloe Zhao's Nomadland turning the venerable Rose Bowl into a drive-in theater.  Director Zhao and star Frances McDormand were on hand.  Eagle-eyed friend of the blog, Jim Brooks forwarded a YouTube video that was posted by the film's distributor, Searchlight, on Sept. 14.  I have linked that here for your perusal:

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Nomadland Wins a Lion and Plays at the TFF Drive-In / First Clip from MLK/FBI / Truffles Gets a Gala and a Trailer / Focus on All In

NOMADLAND WINS A LION AND PLAYS AT THE TFF DRIVE IN

It was a big weekend for Chloe Zhao's Nomadland.  The film won the Golden Lion as Best Film to screen as a part of this year's Venice Film Festival.  Coverage of the film's win and other Venice awards are linked here in this report from The Hollywood Reporter.

Meanwhile, the second of two special presentations linked to the 47th edition of the Telluride Film Festival occurred on Friday night in Los Angeles as Nomadland was screened at the Rose Bowl.  The venerable sports institution was converted into a drive-in theater for the evening.  Director Zhao and star- two time Oscar winner and one of the film's producers-Frances McDormand both appeared in person at the event.

Nomadland was also screened in Toronto on Friday.  The film has received rapturous reviews and its brewing Oscar narrative seems to be morphing into reality.

The Playlist provided coverage of the L.A. drive in experience on Saturday and that article is linked here.



FIRST CLIP FROM MLK/FBI

We've been treated to s first clip from Sam Pollard's documentary MLK/FBI that was selected as one of the 29 features that would have played at a TFF #47.  Here that clip is from YouTube:

MLK/FBI is described on IMDb as follows:

Based on newly declassified files, Sam Pollard's resonant film explores the US government's surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The film will be bowing at both the Toronto and New York Fests in the next two weeks.



TRUFFLES GET A GALA AND A TRAILER

The Zurich Film Fest has announced its first ten galas and that includes TFF #47 selection Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters.

Variety covered the announcement.  That's linked here.

The very well received documentary also had a trailer release this past weekend.

FOCUS ON ALL IN

Stacey Abrams in All In

Liz Garbus and Lisa Cortes' All In: The Fight for Democracy  is about the fight to make casting a ballot easier in this country and fighting those that would disenfranchise potential voters.  Just this week the filmmakers were highlighted by The Southern Poverty Law Center.

That interview is linked here.

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Telluride at Home-Take One / Ammonite Has a Trailer / The Truffles Hunt Up More Festing / TFF Will Present All In

TELLURIDE AT HOME-TAKE ONE

Last Monday I suggested that those of us that will be missing being at the 47th Telluride Film Festival might curate our own TFF's right at home.  

That's what the Mrs. and I will be doing in about a week.  We'll be choosing 10 or so films that we've either seen at TFF in our 14 years of attending or films that played at TFFs during those fests but that we missed and have never caught up with.  I'll be posting our list a week from today.  We're even going so far as to trying to replicate meals from some of our favorite places to eat in Telluride and Mountain Village.

I also invited you readers to join the party and program your own TFF #47 using the same guidelines I listed above and then drop me a note about what films you included.  My plan is to post and maybe even tweet the TFF #47 lists I get.  So send those to me in any of the variety of contact methods listed at the bottom of this post.

I also reached out specifically to some acquaintances to see what they might program.  I already have some responses from that quarter.

Eric Kohn from Indiewire was the first to respond with this list:

The Act of Killing

12 Years a Slave

Moonlight

Uncut Gems

Can You Ever Forgive Me?

Anomalisa

Lady Bird

Starred Up

Stories We Tell

Heart of a Dog

Scott Feinberg from The Hollywood Reporter says:

Here are my 10 most memorable Telluride screenings — not necessarily the greatest movies that played at Telluride, but the ones that I most enjoyed seeing for the first time at that fest, which I began attending in 2011

1.Gravity (2013) 

2.45 Years (2015)

3.The Artist (2011)

4.Argo (2012)

5.12 Years a Slave (2013)

6.Spotlight (2015)

7.Moonlight (2016)

http://8.Free Solo (2018)

http://9.Red Army (2014)

10.Toni Erdmann (2016)

Kris Tapley, formerly of InContention and Variety was very enthusiastic:

My first year was 2009. Keeping it to 30:

AMOUR (Michael Haneke, 2012)

ANOMALISA (Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman, 2015)

ANOTHER YEAR (Mike Leigh, 2010)

ARGO (Ben Affleck, 2012)

BIRDMAN (Alejandro G. Iñárritu, 2014)

BLACK SWAN (Darren Aronofsky, 2010)

FIRST MAN (Damien Chazelle, 2018)

FOXCATCHER (Bennett Miller, 2014)

GRAVITY (Alfonso Cuarón, 2013)

HOSTILES (Scott Cooper, 2017)

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (Joel and Ethan Coen, 2013)

LADY BIRD (Greta Gerwig, 2017)

LA LA LAND (Damien Chazelle, 2016)

MARRIAGE STORY (Noah Baumbach, 2019)

MOONLIGHT (Barry Jenkins, 2016)

THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND (Orson Welles, 2018)

PARASITE (Bong Joon-ho, 2019)

A PROPHET (Jacques Audiard, 2009)

ROMA (Alfonso Cuarón, 2018)

A SEPARATION (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)

'71 (Yann Demange, 2014)

SHAME (Steve McQueen, 2011)

SON OF SAUL (László Nemes, 2015)*

SPOTLIGHT (Tom McCarthy, 2015)

STEVE JOBS (Danny Boyle, 2015)

UNCUT GEMS (Josh and Benny Safdie, 2019)

UP IN THE AIR (Jason Reitman, 2009)

WAVES (Trey Edward Shults, 2019)

THE WAY BACK (Peter Weir, 2010)

WILD TALES (Damián Szifron, 2014)

And some special screenings I adored:

AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (Herzog Theater Christening)

APOCALYPSE NOW (40th Anniversary)

BARAKA (Guest Director Selection)

A TRIP TO THE MOON AND BEYOND (Serge Bromberg Restoration)

More to come as we get closer to what would have been TFF #47 weekend.  SEND ME your "Telluride at Home" list of 10 films!

AMMONITE HAS A TRAILER

One of the buzziest of titles on Telluride's list of films that would have played had the fest been able to occur is Francis Lee's Ammonite starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.  Neon (who distributed last year's Best Picture Oscar winner-Parasite) released a trailer for the film earlier this week.  Here that is from YouTube:

The Hollywood Reporter, among others, provided coverage of the release of the trailer.  That is linked here.

Ammonite is set to be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival.

THE TRUFFLES HUNT UP MORE FESTING

TFF #47 selected documentary The Truffle Hunters is on a roll as we found out this week that the film had been added to the Toronto lineup and had also been selected for the San Sebastian Film Festival.

Indiewire's Kate Erbland reported the TIFF addition on Tuesday.  Also added were a number of "conversations" including one between Claie Denis and Telluride favorite Barry Jenkins.

That Indiewire story can be found here.

TFF WILL PRESENT ALL IN

There had been hints that Telluride might schedule another "special event" after originally announcing that the fest would screen Chloe Zhao's Nomadland at a drive-in location in Los Angeles on Sept. 11.

That seems to be a special screening of the voting rights documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy.    The film will be screened in conjunction withe the Mill Valley Film Festival on Sept. 2/next Wednesday.

According to the press release:

Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) Director/Founder Mark Fishkin and Telluride Film Festival (TFF) Executive Director Julie Huntsinger announced the World Premiere of the Amazon Original All In: The Fight for Democracy, to be screened Wednesday, September 2 in the SF Bay Area at the West Wind Solano Twin Drive-In located in Concord. 

 “We are delighted to be presenting the World Premiere of All In: The Fight for Democracy, and partnering with our long-time friends at the Telluride Film Festival,” said Mark Fishkin. “All In: The Fight for Democracy is a film for our times and also timeless; the subject matter could not be more important as we enter this election season. The ability of a great film to not only create empathy, but to activate a cause can never be underestimated. It’s also the personal story of Stacey Abrams, who has devoted her life to equity and a democratic society. All In, the Fight for Democracy, is all that, and so much more.”

Julie Huntsinger adds, “How incredible it is to be able to share the important message of a singular woman - the one and only Stacey Abrams! Lisa Cortes and Liz Garbus have created an exhilarating portrait of Stacey and the fight against voter suppression.  This is a film for everyone and we hope our spotlight leads to many others.”

Directed by Oscar® and Emmy®-Award nominated filmmaker Lisa Cortés and Oscar®-nominated and Emmy®-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus, All In: The Fight for Democracy examines the enduring legacy of voter suppression in the US and features Stacey Abrams, the first Black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States.

 Fishkin also announced that the 43rd Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) will take place Thursday, October 8– Sunday, October 18, 2020 online and in drive-in locations.

 The All In: The Fight for Democracy screening kicks off the Mill Valley Film Festival’s 2020 Contenders Season. MVFF will celebrate this exceptional and timely work from directors Cortés and Garbus with the first ever Active Cinema Spotlight program, presenting them with the MVFF Award virtually just prior to the screening. 

Staying connected has rarely been more important than now, during this crucial time of social distancing and social turmoil. The Mill Valley Film Festival will continue to provide a beacon of connection, information, and inspiration through the power of visual storytelling. Utilizing digital platforms, virtual cinema, and nightly drive-in events, MVFF43 will offer a selection of film screenings, online conversations, workshops, and panels to our loyal audience here in the Bay Area, as well as new audiences around the nation.

 About All In: The Fight for Democracy

In anticipation of the 2020 presidential election, ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY examines the often overlooked, yet insidious issue of voter suppression in the United States The film interweaves personal experiences with current activism and historical insight to expose a problem that has corrupted our democracy from the very beginning. With the perspective and expertise of Stacey Abrams, the former Minority Leader of the Georgia House of Representatives, the documentary offers an insider’s look into laws and barriers to voting that most people don’t even know are threats to their basic rights as citizens of the United States.

The film will launch globally on Prime Video September 18, 2020. 

About Stacey Abrams

Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, serial entrepreneur, nonprofit CEO and political leader. After serving for eleven years in the Georgia House of Representatives, seven as Minority Leader, in 2018, Abrams became the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia, when she won more votes than any other Democrat in the state’s history. Abrams was the first black woman to become the gubernatorial nominee for a major party in the United States. After witnessing the gross mismanagement of the 2018 election by the Secretary of State’s office, Abrams launched Fair Fight Action to ensure every Georgian has a voice in our election system. Over the course of her career, Abrams has founded multiple organizations devoted to voting rights, training and hiring young people of color, and tackling social issues at both the state and national levels. In 2019, she launched Fair Count to ensure accuracy in the 2020 Census and greater participation in civic engagement, and the Southern Economic Advancement Project, a public policy initiative to broaden economic power and build equity in the South. 

She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the 2012 recipient of the John F. Kennedy New Frontier Award, and a current member of the Board of Directors for the Center for American Progress. Abrams has also written eight romantic suspense novels under the pen name Selena Montgomery, in addition to Lead from the Outside, formerly Minority Leader, a guidebook on making real change.

About Filmmakers

Lisa Cortés is an award-winning film producer and director. The film Precious (2009), which she executive produced, received Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for best drama. Marking the acting debut of Gabourey Sidibe, the film was nominated for six Academy Awards® and won two. 2019’s The Apollo, an HBO documentary, explores African American cultural and political history through the story of the legendary Apollo Theater. Her directorial debut, The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion (2020), traces the impact of street fashion and African American creativity on global cultural trends. Her early career as a music executive was launched at the iconic Def Jam label and Rush Artist Management; she also was VP of A&R at Mercury Records, and founded the Loose Cannon label. Her film productions have received over 70 international awards and nominations.

 Two-time Academy Award®-Nominee, two-time Emmy Winner, Peabody Winner, Grammy Nominee, DGA Nominee, and BAFTA-nominated director Liz Garbus is renowned for creating electrifying archival-driven historical documentaries that retain all the narrative velocity, artistic craft, and conceptual depth of propulsive vérité films, as well as vérité films which take deep dives into today's most hotly debated topics. Garbus’ latest series I'll Be Gone in the Dark premiered on HBO in June 2020.  Her narrative feature debut, Lost Girls, premiered at Sundance Film Festival in 2020 and was released on Netflix and in theatres in March 2020.  The Fourth Estate, for Showtime, was nominated for a 2018 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. Her 2015 feature, Sundance opener, What Happened, Miss Simone?, a Netflix original, was nominated for a 2016 Oscar for Best Documentary Feature and took home the Emmy Award for Best Documentary or Nonfiction Special.  Other credits include:  The Innocence Films (Netflix, 2020), Who Killed Garrett Phillips (HBO 2019), There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane (HBO), The Farm: Angola, USA (AA nominee 1998) and many others.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

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All In for the All In Trailer / Poster for Nomadland / The Kingmaker Gets Banned

ALL IN FOR THE ALL IN TRAILER


Amazon has released the first trailer for the Liz Garbus/Lisa Cortes documentary All In: The Fight for Democracy.  The film was one of the 29 selected to have been a part of the now-canceled TFF #47 lineup.

All In focuses on the work to resist voter suppression initiatives and tactics and features former Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams.

Here's the trailer from YouTube:

All In will be released in select theaters on Sept. 9th and then be available on Amazon Prime beginning Sept. 18th.

Coverage of the trailer drop and further details can be found here:

Indiewire

The Hollywood Reporter

Deadline


POSTER FOR NOMADLAND

We have a look at a poster for Chloe Zhao's Nomadland.  THe film has the distinction of being selected for all four of the major fall fests.  In addition to TFF #47, the film was selected by Toronto, Venice and New York as well.

The Nomadland poster was revealed on the official Nomadland Twitter account on Monday.  Here it is:

IMDb describes Nomadland as follows:

"A woman in her sixties who, after losing everything in the Great Recession, embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling modern-day nomad."

The IMDb link for Nomadland is here.

THE KINGMAKER GETS BANNED

Lauren Greenfield's The Kingmaker, the documentary about former Philippine First Lady and political powerhouse Imelda Marcos which screened as a part of TFF #46, has been banned from screening in parts of Thailand.

The film has apparently played in parts of Thailand but, according to Variety, the film has been prevented from screening in the southern part of that nation.  One official cited by Variety suggests that the objection to the film was primarily related to its title and poster not the film's content.

The Variety story in full can be found here.

EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com

TWITTER @TheMTFB OR @Gort2 

MTFB's Facebook Page

MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays