Because my mind works the way it does (or doesn't?), after TFF announced that TFF #47 was not to be but that they had a list of 20 or so films that would have been programmed and that all of the tribute recipients were planning to attend, I got to wondering who those folks might be.
Then with Indiewire's story about some of the titles they thought might make the lineup when it is ultimately revealed, I put together a third new list of films that are my "Bets" to make the TFF list. And from that I began to speculate and extrapolate tribute possibilities.
If you remember last Monday's 3rd Ten Bets:
10) Fireball
9) John Prine: Hello In There
8) There Is No Evil
7) Soul
6) The French Dispatch
5) Lover's Rock (Small Axe)
4) Mangrove (Small Axe)
3) Notturno
2) Nomadland
1) Ammonite
Other possibilities: Undine, Forgotten We'll Be, Untitled Garbus/Cortes Voting Rights Documentary, The Secrets We Keep, American Utopia (probably not now as it has been named Toronto's opening night film) and French Exit.
Soooo...let's look at some of more intriguing possibilities:
From #1 Ammonite: You could see either Kate Winslet or Saoirse Ronan getting named. Rumors have it that Ronan might well have been a possible tributee in 2017 with Lady Bird. Winslet was in T-ride with the cast of Steve Jobs in 2015.
From #2 Nomadland: Two time Oscar winner Frances McDormand (Fargo/Three Billboards, three other nominations) is a no brainer possibility.
From #4 #5 Small Axe films Mangrove and Lover's Rock: Director Steve McQueen. McQueen's feature list isn't lengthy but is impressive including 12 Years a Slave (for which he won an Oscar as a producer of the Best Picture winner), Widows, Hunger, Shame. He's a definite consideration.
From #6 The French Dispatch: Writer/Director Wes Anderson is the most obvious choice. A lengthy and well-loved resume' (including The Royal Tenenbaums, Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel) and seven time Oscar nominee makes that apparent. But the cast is so large and diverse...you'd have a cornucopia of actor type possibilities: Saoirse Ronan (again), Frances McDormand (again), Elizabeth Moss, Edward Norton, Christoph Waltz, Willem Dafoe, Benicio Del Toro, Henry Winkler and, of course, Bill Murray (could he double up with the addition of Sofia Coppola's On the Rocks being programmed as well?)
From #7: I think Pixar's Pete Docter (Up, Inside Out, Monster's Inc.) might be a possibility. MTFB friend Christopher Schiller has suggested perhaps Pixar as an entity gets a tribute. That sounds like a real possibility as well.
From the rest of the "Bets" and the other possibilities:
Undine director/writer Christian Petzold
Documentary producer/director Liz Garbus
Actress Michelle Pfeiffer from French Exit
SNIFFING OUT ANOTHER POSSIBLE
Poster for Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters (from IMDb)
As we await word from TFF organizers what the official TFF #47 lineup is/was I may have sniffed out another possibility. Without going into details, because I can't, I respectfully offer the documentary The Truffle Hunters.
Had some things happen the last day or so that makes me think if could be on the TFF #47 list when it gets announced. Yes, I know, it bowed at Sundance back in late January which is usually means a clear "no" for TFF as it wouldn't be a North American premiere. But...that's a less stringent truth when it comes to docs as, over the years, TFF has programmed docs that had previously screened in the U.S. before screening at Telluride.
Working for the film's possible inclusion is that its distributor is Sony Pictures Classics which often has a substantial TFF profile.
The Truffle Hunters focuses on three elderly Italian men who, wait for it-hunt truffles.
The Truffle Hunters IMDb page is linked here.
The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance for World Cinema-Documentary.
WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN-CHICAGO 7 LOOKS
(from Vanity Fair)
Vanity Fair had a knockout exclusive first look at stills from Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7.
Included in the accompanying article by David Ansen is the revelation that the film will drop on Netflix on Oct. 16th. I've had this film circled as a TFF possibility since learning that it was going forward (first mention in MTFB that I can find is Dec. 2018). The Oct. 16th date feels like what, in the olden times-like last year- would have been a plan to drop the film after completing a run tha could have included TFF, TIFF, Venice and/or NYFF.
Nevertheless, despite Netflix's determination that they wouldn't be festing at all this season, this is one of three films that I'm really, really looking forward to (in addition are Mank and The French Dispatch).
Glad I have that Netflix subscription.
The complete story and many other photos are here at Vanity Fair.
EMAIL: mpgort@gmail.com
