Searching Searchlight / Cannes and Venice This and That

 SEARCHING SEARCHLIGHT

My ongoing look at distributors who have been frequently represented at Telluride over the last five years continues today with Searchlight (Fox Searchlight prior to its acquisition by Disney).  Searchlight is one of four distributors that have had seven films at Telluride in the last half decade and their has been particularly noticeable:

2020: Nomadland (Oscar wins for Best Picture, Director and Actress)

2019: A Hidden Life 

2018: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (3 Oscar nominations), The Favourite (10 Oscar nominations  and 1 win for Best Actress) and The Old Man and the Gun.

2017: The Shape of Water ( 13 Oscar nominations with 4 wins including Best Picture and Director), Battle of the Sexes

Other notable appearances by (Fox) Searchlight at Telluride:  

2008: Slumdog Millionaire (won eight Oscars including Best Picture and Director)

2010: 127 Hours (six Oscar nominations), Black Swan (six Oscar nominations including a win for Best Actress)

2011: The Descendants (five Oscar nominations and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay)

2013: 12 Years a Slave (nine Oscar nominations with wins for Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay and Supporting Actress)

2014: Birdman (nine Oscar nominations with  four wins including Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay) and Wild (nominated for two Oscars).

That's five Best Picture winners from Searchlight through Telluride in the past 13 years.

So with all that in mind, here's what Searchlight currently has in its larder:

Guillermo Del Toro's Nightmare Alley

Taika Waititi's Next Goal Wins

Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch

Michael Showalter's The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Scott Cooper's Antlers

There are another one or two outside shots but these five represent the most likely choices for TFF #48.  Del Toro and Cooper have the actual connections to Telluride with Del Toro's The Shape of Water and The Devil's Backbone having played TFF.  For Cooper it's been Black Mass and Hostiles.

The other three would all be good gets for Telluride based on buzz surrounding them.  Past history suggests one or two Searchlight films will make the lineup.  Three tops.

CANNES AND VENICE THIS AND THAT

I've seen some scuttlebutt over the past few days about films that are be eagerly sought for Cannes and/or Venice.

Buzz has been substantial about both Paul Thomas Anderson's Soggy Bottom (or whatever it is ultimately called) as well as Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog in terms of both Cannes and Venice.

Meanwhile, rumors persist that Denis Villenueve's Dune will be at Venice and have been fairly consistent for some time.  However a bit of rhetoric from Cannes director Thierry Fremaux about the possibility of a "planetary blockbuster" at the French fest has created speculation that Dune might bow in France in July rather than in Italy in September.

None of these scenarios would preclude any or all three of the films from making an appearance at Telluride and wouldn't that blow your mind?

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Premiere Uncertainty / Multiple Trailers to Consider / New York Doc Reveal / Parasite Already Looking Toward Oscar / Current Ten Bets / The People's Telluride

Thursday...One Week...One Day...

PREMIERE UNCERTAINTY

Reading premiere statuses has become THE tea leaf reading essential to grasping what films are possibly playing at Telluride but it's not a perfect or exact science.  Every year it seems that there are a couple of films which are announced with one status and then it turns out that that designation is incorrect.  When that happens, depending on what was announced,  you can end up including a film for TFF or excluding it from TFF and then find out on announcement morning that you got it wrong.  

This year is no different in terms of the fact that it's happened...it does seem like there is more confusion than the past few years.

You're already probably aware that Malick's A Hidden Life was a focus of some confusion when it was reported by at least one outlet to be a North American premiere at Toronto which would mean no slot for it at Telluride.  Later it was discovered that it is, in fact, a Canadian premiere at TIFF and consequently probably IS playing TFF #46.

If you've been reading along the past two weeks you know that we've had some confusion about Beanpole and The Truth.  We think we have Beanpole back in as probable for Telluride despite its continued designation by Toronto as a North American Premiere.  As far as The Truth...that hasn't become clear yet.  Again, TIFF is listing it as a North American premiere but I still have whispers that it's a Telluride play.

And...now...I'm hearing a bit of scuttlebutt that the list of NA preems at Toronto may include still a couple of other films that I had written off.  I'm going to try to nail some of that down before I post this week's new list of "Bets".

And finally, let me tease you a little that over the past week or so I've heard a couple of really intriguing suggestions about films that I haven't considered seriously making an appearance next week.  I'm hoping to get to a point where I can either confirm confidently or debunk...but if a couple of these things happen...there will be some surprises.

MULTIPLE TRAILERS TO CONSIDER

Since my last post on Tuesday there has been a deluge of teasers and trailers for films that will or could still play on the Telluride screens: Marriage Story, an IMAX trailer for Ad Astra, Antlers and Bombshell (was previously the Untitled Jay Roach Roger Ailes project).  I have downloaded all of them from YouTube.

Additionally, the word is that we're supposed to get a trailer for The Report later today.

MARRIAGE STORY X 2

We're very sure this is already in the lineup for next week

What I Love About Nicole:

:

What I Love About Charlie:

AD ASTRA IMAX

I still am clinging to a slender reed of hope that this screens in Venice and then makes the trip to southwest Colorado.

ANTLERS

Scott Cooper's last two projects screened at Telluride: Black Mass and Hostiles.  The producer is a guy named Guillermo Del Toro...you might remember him for a little thing called The Shape of Water.

BOMBSHELL

Admittedly...an outside shot at best.

NEW YORK DOC REVEAL

The New York Film Fest revealed its documentary choices yesterday and, unusually, they revealed nothing abut what will play at The SHOW only what likely will not as each announced film was labeled by NYFF as a World, North American or U.S. premiere.

Among docs that seem to be off the Telluride plate are:

Tim Robbins' 45 Seconds of Laughter

Michael Apted's 63 Up

Lynn Novick's College Behind Bars

Nanni Moretti's Santiago Italia

Sergei Loznitsa's State Funeral

The complete documentary announcement from the Film Society of Lincoln Center is linked here.

PARASITE ALREADY LOOKING TOWARD OSCAR

Deadline.com reports that South Korea has chosen Palme d'Or winner, Bong Joon-ho's Parasite to be its entrant for Oscar glory in the newly re-named category Best International Film (formerly Best Foreign Language Film).

Deadline's Nancy Tartiglione reported the choice yesterday.

For Bong, it's his second selection to represent South Korea in the Oscar sweepstakes having been selected back in 2006 for his film Mother.

Parasite opens in the U.S. on Oct. 11th.

The complete Deadline story is here.


CURRENT TEN BETS AND BONUS BETS

10) The Aeronauts
9) Ford v. Ferrari
8) The Two Popes
7) Judy
6) Pain and Glory
5) Uncut Gems
4) Portrait of a Lady on Fire
3) Motherless Brooklyn
2) Marriage Story
1) Parasite


Bonus Bets:

Bonus 1) Varda by Agnes
Bonus 2) First Cow
Bonus 3) A Hidden Life
Bonus 4) The Report
Bonus 5) The Kingmaker
Bonus 6) The Climb
Bonus 7) Waves
Bonus 8) Lyrebird
Bonus 9) Verdict

Of course a new Ten Bets and Bonus Bets is coming tomorrow... plus the dwindling list of films that are still possible...


THE PEOPLE'S TELLURIDE

For the eighth consecutive 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 with any of the following contact methods:


EMAIL:  mpgort@gmail.com OR michael_speech@hotmail.com

TWITTER @Gort2 (and follow me there as well)

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