Toronto Apology / "Son of Saul" News / "Macbeth" Arrangements / "Everest" Leaves the Discussion

It's Wednesday and...

TORONTO APOLOGY

I got ahead of myself yesterday and thought/assumed that Toronto would be announcing their Canadian selections.  Not so.  My sincere apology.  It appears that those films could be announced today.  We'll see and we'll also see if the Canada based film titles reveal anything at all about Telluride.


"SON OF SAUL" NEWS

Last week's new #1 on my "Ten Bets" list was Lazslo Nemes Cannes sensation "Son of Saul".  The Holocaust set drama took the Croisette by storm and many thought it might well win the Golden Palm (Jacques Audiard's "Dheepan" actually won).

In the past day or two we've seen a couple of big items come out concerning the film that appears to be a lock for Telluirde.  First, Hungary has named the film as its official entrant for Academy Award Best Foreign Language Film consideration.  It may well have been the first film submitted by any nation and will certainly be considered among the front runners if not a prohibitive favorite.

We also learned the film has been dated for release here in the U.S. for Dec. 18th according to a Twitter  post from The Film Stage.

I'm looking forward to this film a great deal.

Here's the AwardsWatch.com post with the news about the film's Oscar submission:

http://awardswatch.com/news/official-submissions-list-for-2016-foreign-language-film-oscar-updating/


"MACBETH" ARRANGEMENTS

"Macbeth" trailer via YouTube

In this strange and evolving world of  new players in the world of feature films: Netflix, Amazon, etc. it seems we're going to see a good deal of trail and error from those players as they try to make the new frontier of film distribution succeed.

Case in point was this news in the last couple of days that Telluride-possible and Cannes competition entry Justin Kurzel's"MacBeth" which is under The Weinstein's Company tent will be getting an exclusive roll out on Amazon relatively quickly after its theatrical premiere.

The film is set to open in America in December.  Further news was that TWC has shifted the distribution to its Radius-TWC arm.

Neither announcement precludes a possible play at Telluride which seems to already have crossed into this new territory if the strongly-held belief that "Beasts of No Nation" will make the 2015 lineup.  "Beasts" is from Netflix and Bleeker Street.

I have linked stories about the "Macbeth" plans here from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter:

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/weinstein-co-s-macbeth-gets-exclusive-amazon-deal-1201554808/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/michael-fassbender-starrer-macbeth-weinstein-812551



"EVEREST" LEAVES THE DISCUSSION

via YouTube

There had been some glimmer that Baltasar Kormakur's "Everest" might do the same thing that the last two films that opened Venice (as it is set to do).  Both "Gravity" and "Birdman" opened La Biennale and then made the trans-Atlantic hope to Telluride.

As late as July 28th The Hollywood Reporter's Scott Feinberg was suggesting the possibility:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/race/oscars-toronto-lineup-offers-clues-811546

But news yesterday makes that very unlikely.  The Deauville Film Fest has announced that "Everest" will also open their festival on Sept. 4, the same day that Telluride gets under way.  The THR story also reports that "cast and crew" are expected to attend the French fest.

Now, that doesn't make a T-ride play 100% impossible...but very unrealistic.  Here's the THR story on the Deauville selection:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/everest-open-deauville-film-festival-812814


That will do for the time being.  If Toronto adds their Canadian lineup today and if that announcement warrants some Telluride interpretaion, I could well post again later today.  If not, then...till tomorrow, Amigos!




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Distribution: Sundance Selects and IFC Films/Venice Has a Mountainous Opener/The Dissolve Dissolves

It's a Thursday!


DISTRIBUTION AND TELLURIDE: SUNDANCE SELECTS AND IFC

Because Sundance Selects and IFC Films are inter-related film distribution outfits, I am tackling them both together today in my continuing assessment of the films that could play Telluride from those distributors that have a significant presences at the fest in recent years.

Here's Sundance Selects slate over the past few,  Sundance only began their Telluride presence in 2010:

2010: The Princess of Montpensier, Tabloid
2011: The Forgiveness of Blood, The Kid with a Bike, Goodbye First Love and Into the Abyss
2012: The Central Park Five, Everyday

2013: Blue is the Warmest Color
2014: Two Days, One Night, Seymour: An Introduction

So Sundance Selects has had 11 films represented at Telluride over the last five years making for a 2.2 film/year average.

IFC Films has been at Telluride recently as follows:

2003: Touching the Void, Intermission
2004: Nobody Knows
2005: Three Times
2006: Deep Water, Indigenes
2007: Secret Sunshine, 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days, Jar City
2008: Hunger, Gomorrah, Flame and Citron, Everlasting Moments, The Good, the Bad and the Weird
2009: Fish Tank, Red Riding Trilogy, Life During Wartime, Vincere
2010: The Princess of Montpensier, Carlos
2011: Into the Abyss, Pina
2012: Frances Ha
2013: No Show
2014: No Show again

IFC has had 23 films in the last 12 year to average just under 2 films/year, but hasn't been at Telluride since 2012.

This year, Sundance Selects looks to have three films that could play: Jacques Audiard's "Dheepan", Andrew Haigh's "45 Years" and Alice Winocour's "Disorder".

IFC has Frenando de Leon Aranoa's "A Perfect Day" and Matteo Garrone's "Tale of Tales".

None of the five films should be ruled out of the Telluride calculation.

Cannes and Berlin Film Fest appearances boost chances for all five films.  Past Telluride for Audiard and Garrone also argue for their inclusion.

Chances for each film and their current "Ten Bets" position in parenthesis where applicable:

"Dheepan" 90% (#1)
"45 Years" 80% (#4)
"Tale of Tales" 40%
"A Perfect Day" 30%
"Disorder" 30%

Tomorrow a look at inter-connected distributors Roadside Attractions/Lionsgate/Saban Films.



VENICE HAS A MOUNTAINOUS OPENER

"Everest" trailer via YouTube

The official announcement came yesterday that the Venice International Film Festival will open on Sept. 2 with Baltasar Kormakur's "Everest".

The film stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jason Clark and Kiera Knightley among many others. and focuses on an ill fated pair of climbing expeditions that suffered serious casualties in 1997 when weather on the world's highest mountain took a very bad turn.

I have been underwhelmed by the chances for the film to play Telluride as it is being distributed by infrequent Telluride player Universal and it has a Sept. 18 release date.

The Venice announcement, in some ways, argues that "Everest" might make a splash at Telluride as the last two Venice openers have made the trip: "Gravity" in 2013 and "Birdman" last year.  "Black Swan" did the same in 2010.  So, recent history suggests that it is possible.  Also, as I have mentioned in previous posts, Kormankur was at Telluride in 2006 with his "Jar City".

Still, at the end of the day, I remain skeptical about our chances to see "Everest" on Labor Day weekend.  It's possible, but still unlikely.

I have linked a few stories about the Venice announcement here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/mountain-climbing-drama-everest-will-open-the-venice-film-festival-out-of-competition-20150708

http://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/baltasar-kormakurs-everest-to-open-venice-film-festival-1201535860/

http://www.indiewire.com/article/jake-gyllenhaal-and-keira-knightley-survival-thriller-everest-to-open-venice-film-festival-20150708



THE DISSOLVE DISSOLVES

You've seen me link to it here a number of times over the past two years, but that stops with today's link.  Film website The Dissolve has ended publication/posting.

It has been a good site to go to for in depth film stories, but alas, couldn't eke out a spot in a very competitive world of online film.

The final Dissolve post is here:

http://thedissolve.com/news/6187-the-end/

That wraps up the Thursday post for MTFB.  More tomorrow including the third "Ten Bets" list for 2015.

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The Other Universals: "Everest", "Steve Jobs" and "By the Sea"/"A Perfect Day" Perfect for Telluride?

Good Wednesday to All...


THE OTHER UNIVERSALS

I mentioned in yesterday's post the outside possibility of Universal's Guillermo Del Toro's"Crimson Peak" making  an appearance at The SHOW.  Which led to me to think very seriously the past 24 hours about other Universal films that might have the T-ride chops if Universal makes an attempt to get them in

Honestly, the most likely Universal film to break their now-bordering-on seven-year Universal drought is Danny Boyle's "Steve Jobs" biopic starring Michael Fassbender as the Apple co-founder.

"Steve Jobs" First Look via YouTube

Other Universal properties that have some T-ride feel are the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt film "By the Sea" which could get a hand from The Universal Clooney Theory (addressed in a later blog post this summer) and "Everest".

"Everest" is directed by Baltasar Kormakur who previously made the trip to Telluride in 2007 with his "Jar City".  "Everest" is the true story of the disaster that occurred on the world's tallest mountain in 1996.  Jon Krakauer wrote about it in his outstanding "Into Thin Air" which was made into a a television film in 1997.

"Everest" trailer via YouTube

"Everest" does not claim to be based on the Krakauer book but is based on the same incident.  Recently a trailer for the film was released which is included here as a part of a story from The Playlist:


http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-jake-gyllenhaal-josh-brolin-keira-knightley-more-take-on-everest-in-first-trailer-for-mountain-climbing-thriller-20150604


"A PERFECT DAY" PERFECT FOR TELLURIDE?

"A Perfect Day" Trailer via YouTube

It's a film that sounds like a Telluride choice.  International cast, played at Cannes, distributed by IFC Films and it's described as a drama by IMDb and a comedy by The Playlist.  Benicio Del Toro stars in a film about NGO aid workers in a war zone trying to provide clean water.

Stories accompanying the release of the trailer for the film can be found at Variety or The Playlist:

http://variety.com/2015/film/global/first-look-trailer-for-a-perfect-day-starring-benicio-del-toro-tim-robbins-exclusive-1201517142/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-new-trailer-for-a-perfect-day-starring-benicio-del-toro-tim-robbins-olga-kurylenko-and-melanie-thierry-20150611



That's all for now.  More to come on Thursday...

DON'T FORGET...THE FIRST "TEN BETS" LIST FOR TFF #42 IS COMING ON FRIDAY!!!


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