Checking the Distributors: Searchlight / Anatomy of a Fall Trailer and News / A New Film to Consider

 CHECKING THE DISTRIBUTORS: SEARCHLIGHT

The fifth installment of Checking the Distributors looks at Searchlight (which used to be Fox Searchlight until Disney bought them).  Searchlight has had a long and distinguished presence at TFF over the years.  Here's a look back at the films that they have screened at TFF since 2004:

2022: Empire of Light 

2021: The French Dispatch 

2020: Nomadland (Best Picture Oscar) 

2019: A Hidden Life 
2018: The Favourite, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, The Old Man and the Gun 
2017: The Shape of Water (Best Picture Oscar), Battle of the Sexes 
2016: No Show
2015: He Named Me Malala 
2014: Birdman (Best Picture Oscar), Wild 
2013: 12 Years a Slave (Best Picture Oscar) 
2012: No Show
2011: Shame, The Descendants 
2010: Never Let Me Go, 127 Hours, Black Swan 
2009: No Show
2008: Slumdog Millionaire (Best Picture Oscar) 
2007: Juno, The Savages
2006: The Last King of Scotland, The Namesake 
2005: Bee Season 
2004: Kinsey 

That's 25 films over a span of 19 fests.  Five Best Picture Oscar winners:

Slumdog Millionaire 2009

12 Years a Slave 2014

Birdman 2015

The Shape of Water 2018

Nomadland 2021

 Plus a total of  81 other Oscar nominations in that time.

So you have to figure that Searchlight likely lands one or two films at TFF #50.  The question is which ones?

Four films seem to have the best chance:

Poor Things/Yorgos Lanthimos (release date is Sept. 8)

Strangers/Andrew Haigh (release date is TBA)

Nightbitch/Marielle Heller (release date is TBA)

Next Goal Wins/Taika Waititi (release date is Nov. 17)

Three of the four directors have been at Telluride previously.

Haigh twice with 45 Years in 2015 and Lean on Pete in 2017.

Lanthimos with The Favourite in 2018

Heller with Can You Ever Forgive Me? also in 2018.

Next Goal Wins has a really weird history between scrubbing Armie Hammer and replacing him with Will Arnett the film has been shuffled around to a number of different release dates and now Searchlight has landed it smack in awards season on the weekend before Thanksgiving.

Poor Things release date is a little odd as well coming right on the heels of both Venice and Telluride.  Venice closes on Sept. 9th.

Ultimately, here's where I start out rating their chances of playing T-ride:

Strangers 55%

Poor Things 45%

Next Goal Wins 25%

Nightbitch 10%***

***World of Reel's Jordan Ruimy reported this weekend that he has heard that Nightbitch will premiere at Toronto.

ANATOMY OF A FALL TRAILER AND NEWS

The Palme d'Or winning film, Justine Triet's Anatomy of a Fall has a new trailer out that coincides with its premiere in Paris on Wednesday.  The trailer isn't subtitled and has some English and some French spoken in it.  Still, it's a chance to get a sense of the prize winning film.  Here that is via YouTube:

In additional trailer news, apparently a trailer for Ethan Coen's Drive Away Dolls is screening ahead of Wes Anderson's Asteroid City.  I'm assuming its the same trailer screened at CinemaCon.  That should mean that we should see it fairly soon.

Meanwhile a Tweet from Ioncinema from earlier this month that I just ran across a couple of days ago suggests that NEON, which is distributing Anatomy of a Fall in the U.S. is aiming for a Telluride berth:

A NEW FILM TO CONSIDER

Photo via IMDb

Kate Winslet's new biopic about journalist Lee Miller is reportedly set to premiere at Venice.  It's a film that I have been keeping my eye on for some time but about which there has been little conversation as we get closer to lineup announcements for both Venice and Toronto.

A Venice premiere could also mean a play at TFF #50.  "Lee" is currently absent a distributor in the U.S.

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Oscar Updates: Director, Actress, Actor

 OSCAR UPDATES: DRIECTOR, ACTRESS, ACTOR

In this post, I catch up on my latest predictions and, for the first time this Oscar season, I include more than one category in a post.  As we get closer to the announcement nominations, it's time to accelerate predictions to begin to include categories beyond the major eight (picture, director, actress, actor, Supporting actress, supporting actor, adapted and original screenplays).  This week's posts (today's and Thursday's) will update the major eight categories and then next week I'll begin to add in some of the others.

BEST DIRECTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Direction updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 21st.  A director's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) Chloe Zhao/Nomadland (1)

2) David Fincher/Mank (2)

3) Aaron Sorkin/The Trial of the Chicago 7 (3)

4) Regina King/One Night in Miami (5)

5) Lee Isaac Chung/Minari(4)

6) George C. Wolfe/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (6)

7) Paul Greengrass/News of the World (8)

8) Spike Lee/Da 5 Bloods (9)

9) Florian Zeller/The Father (7)

10) Shaka King/Judas and the Black Messiah (10)

Other Possibles: Emerald Fennell/Promising Young Woman, Darius Marder/Sound of Metal, Christopher Nolan/Tenet, Kelly Reichardt/First Cow (TFF #46)

Hot: Emerald Fennell/Promising Young Woman

Not: Florian Zeller/The Father

BEST ACTRESS

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

1) Frances McDormand/Nomadland (1)

2) Venessa Kirby/Pieces of a Woman (2)

3) Viola Davis/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (3)

4) Carey Mulligan/Promising Young Woman (4)

5) Andra Day/The United States vs. Billie Holiday (5)

6) Michelle Pfeiffer/French Exit (7)

7) Sidney Flanigan/Never Rarely Sometimes Always (-)

8) Kate Winslet/Ammonite (9)

9) Meryl Streep/The Prom (6)

10) Sophia Loren/The Life Ahead (8)

Other Possibles: Zendaya/Malcolm and Marie, Amy Adams/Hillbilly Elegy, Meryl Streep/Let Them Talk, Nicole Behaire/Miss Juneteenth

Hot: Sidney Flanigan/Never Rarely Sometimes Always, 

Not: Meryl Streep/The Prom, Sophia Loren/The Life Ahead

BEST ACTOR

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Actor updated since I last posted this category on  Dec. 28th.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Chadwick Boseman/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (1)

2) Anthony Hopkins/The Father (2)

3) Riz Ahmed/Sound of Metal (3)

4) Delroy Londo/Da Five Bloods (4)

5) Steven Yeun/Minari (8)

6) Gary Oldman/Mank (5)

7) Tom Hanks/News of the World (6)

8) Kingsley Ben-Adir/One Night in Miami (7)

9) Ben Affleck/The Way Back (9)

10) LaKeith Stanfield/Judas and the Black Messiah (10)

Other Posssibles: Colin Firth/Supernova, John David Washington/Malcom and Marie

Hot: Steven Yeun/Minari

Not: Gary Oldman/Mank

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Oscar Update: Best Actress / Capri Hollywood Honors Two TFF #47 Films / Where to Watch TFF #47 Films

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ACTRESS

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Actress updated since I last posted this category on  Nov. 23rd.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

1) Frances McDormand/Nomadland (1)

2) Vanessa Kirby/Pieces of a Woman (2)

3) Viola Davis/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom(3)

4) Carrie Mulligan/Promising Young Woman (4)

5) Andra Day/The United States vs. Billie Holiday (8)

6) Meryl Streep/The Prom (10)

7) Michelle Pfeiffer/French Exit (7)

8) Sophia Loren/The Life Ahead (5)

9) Kate Winslet/Ammonite (6)

10) Amy Adams/Hillbilly Elegy (9)

Other possibles: Meryl Streep/Let Them Talk, Carrie Coon/The Nest

Hot: Andra Day, Meryl Streep

Not: Sophia Loren, Amy Adams

 The next Oscar Update will focus on Best Actor.

CAPRI HOLLYWOOD HONORS TWO TFF #47 SELECTIONS

It was announced this week that Capri Hollywood-The International Film Festival will honor Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw's documentary The Truffle Hunters as well as  Gianfranco Rosi's Notturno.  The Hollywood Reporter ran the story on Dec. 19th.  Both films continue to maintain momentum for potential Oscar consideration

Capri Hollywood will be different this year.  Like many fests, it will be virtual this year.

The complete THR article is linked here.

WHERE TO WATCH TFF #47 FILMS

Telluride Film Festival organizers released information this past week about what platforms, festivals and websites would allow access to the films that were selected for the TFF #47 that might have been.  That list of what is available and where was published at tellurideinside.com

Information also includes theatrical release plans for many of the films on the TFF #47 list.

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Oscar Update: Best Actress / Full Trailer for Your (Bee Gees) Broken Heart / Nomadland Odds and Ends / Never Gonna Snow Again Picked Up by Kino Lorber / Berlin Looming

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST ACTRESS

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Actress updated since I last posted this category on  Oct. 26th.  A performer's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 performers are indicated in Bold.

UPDATE: BEST ACTRESS

1) Frances McDormand/Nomdaland (2)

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

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

4) Carey Mulligan/Promising Young Woman (5)

5) Sophia Loren/The Life Ahead (9)

6) Kate Winslet/Ammonite (7)

7) Michelle Pfeiffer/French Exit (8)

8) Andra Day/The People (10)

9) Amy Adams/Hillbilly Elegy (6)

10) Meryl Streep/The Prom (-)

Others: Elizabeth Moss/Invisible Woman, Sienna Miller/ Wander Darkly

Hot: Vanessa Kirby, Sophia Loren, Andra Day, Meryl Streep

Not: Michelle Pfeiffer, Amy Adams

Notes:  Currently the top three candidates are bunched very tightly and are all looking like locks.  The rest of the filed for the final two nominations is also tightly bunched but way, way back of McDormand, Kirby and Davis.

FULL TRAILER FOR YOUR (BEE GEES) BROKEN HEART

HBO Max dropped a new full length trailer for the Frank Marshall documentary The Bee Gees: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart this past weekend.  This follows up a teaser that I had here back on Nov. 2nd.

Here's the look at the new 2 1/2 minute trailer from YouTube:

NOMADLAND ODDS AND ENDS

Chloe Zhao's Nomadland won a big honor this week within the craft of cinematography at the EnergaCamerimage Film Festival Golden Frog Award as well as FIPRESCI Jury Prize honors.  The fest honors the best in international cinematography each year.  Joker won the Golden Frog last year.

I have linked coverage of the full scope of the awards from Variety here.

Meanwhile, Tom Bruggemann, writing for Indiewire, had an interesting article up this week about how Searchlight has taken something of a traditionalist approach (if such a thing is even imaginable in the age of Covid-19) to the Awards campaign for Nomadland.

The film is thought to be strong contender for nominations for Picture, Director (Zhao), Actress (McDormand), Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography and Film Editing with outside shots for Supporting Actress (Swankie) and Supporting Actor (Stratharin).

Here's Bruggemann's article.

NEVER GONNA SNOW AGAIN PICKED UP BY KINO LORBER

Polish feature, Never Gonna Snow Again, a selection for what would have been TFF #47 as well as Poland's submission for consideration for Best International Feature, has been acquired for North American distribution by Kino Lorber.

The film was a Venice premiere where it won the Premio Fondazione Fai Persona Lavoro Ambiente Award.  It was also screened as a pert of the BFI London Film Festival among others.

Never Gonna Snow Again was directed by Małgorzata Szumowska and co-directed by Michał Englert.  It is described by IMDb:

"Zhenia, a Russian-speaking immigrant from the East works as a masseur in Poland and becomes a guru-like figure in a wealthy gated community where his clients live."

I have linked the announcement of acquisition news here from Screen Daily.

BERLIN LOOMING

Organizers of the Berlin Film Festival have announced plans for a stripped down but still physical version of the fest.  Deadline reports that the festival is currently dated for Feb. 11-21, 2021.

From the Andreas Wideman/Deadline article:

"A festival spokesperson told us: “The Berlinale still plans to take place as a physical event in February. Press screenings and public screenings will take place, as always, in the cinemas, but access will be possible only with pre-booked tickets for allocated seats."

Berlin often is the premiere festival for a couple of films that ultimately become choices for Telluride.

The complete Deadline article 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 Update: Best Picture / New Looks at Ammonite / Fireball Trailer and Poster / The Way I See It

OSCAR UPDATE: BEST PICTURE

Here are my latest Oscar nomination predictions for Best Picture updated since I last posted this category on  Sept. 17th.  A film's past position is indicated to the right in parentheses.  TFF #47 films are indicated in Bold.

1) The Trial of the Chicago 7 (3)

2) Nomadland (1)

3) Mank (2)

4) News of the World (6)

5) The Father (11)

6) One Night in Miami (13)

7) Da 5 Bloods (5)

8) Judas and the Black Messiah (-)

9) Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (14)

10) Minari (15)

Others: On the Rocks, Ammonite, Tenet

NEW LOOKS AT AMMONITE

Francis Lee's Ammonite (a TFF #47 pick) has both a new trailer and a new poster as the film heads toward its announced release date of Nov. 13th.  Here, from YouTube, is the latest trailer:

And here's a look at the latest poster for the film as well:

FIREBALL TRAILER AND POSTER

Here's a first trailer for Werner Herzog and Clive Oppenheimer's Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds:

And a poster too:

THE WAY I SEE IT

With its screening this past weekend on MSNBC, there was a good deal of news that was put forth about the documentary The Way I See It which focuses on the career of photographer Pete Souza who photographed both the Reagan and Obama White Houses.

The documentary originally screened last month in theaters.

Check out the following articles:

The Hollywood Reporter

Time.com

Variety

 

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Oscar 2021 First Attempt-Best Supporting Actor / TFF Films Running Totals / Festival Posters for Nomadland

 OSCAR FIRST ATTEMPT 2021-BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

MTFB continues its first pass at predicting Oscar nominees for 2020-21 in various major categories.  Today we're looking at Best Supporting Actor 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) Chadwick Boseman/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom

2) Sasha Baron Cohen/The Trial of the Chicago 7

3) Yahya Abdul-Mateen II/The Trial of the Chicago 7

4) David Strathairn/Nomadland

5) LaKeith Stanfield/Judas and the Black Messiah***

6) Kinglsey Ben-Adir/One Night in Miami

7) Mark Rylance/The Trail of the Chicago 7

8) Bill Murray/On the Rocks

9) Eddie Redmayne/The Trial of the Chicago 7

10) Frank Langella/The Trial of the Chicago 7

11) Leslie Odom Jr./One Night in Miami

TFF FILMS RUNNING TOTALS:

Beginning with today's post, here are the running totals of predicted nominations regarding TFF #47 films.  I'll add to this over the next week as I add the screenplay categories.

Nomadland: Best Picture, Director (Zhao), Actress (McDormand), Supporting Actor (Stratharin)

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

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

FESTIVAL POSTERS FOR NOMADLAND

The Movie Waffler tweeted photos of posters that were created for each of Nomadland's festival appearances this past weekend including one created for the Telluride in L.A. drive-in screening of the film that took place on Sept. 11th:

The others are also cool:

For Venice:

For Toronto:

For New York:

 

The Movie Waffler website is linked here.
 

 

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Oscar 2021 First Attempt-Best Actress / TIFF Critics' Survey and TFF #47 / Talking Truffles / And Finally...The Chicago 7? / Late Breaking

 OSCAR 2021-FIRST ATTEMPT-BEST ACTRESS

MTFB continues its first pass at predicting Oscar nominees for 2020-21 in various major categories.  Today we're looking at Best Actress 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) Frances McDormand/Nomadland

2) Viola Davis/Ma Rainey's Black Bottom***

3) Kate Winslet/Ammonite

4) Vanessa Kirby/Pieces of a Woman

5) Michelle Pfeiffer/French Exit

6) Amy Adams/Hillbilly Elegy***

7) Jennifer Hudson/Respect***

8) Carrie Mulligan/Promising Young Woman

9) Renee Zegler/West Side Story***

10) Angela Day/The U.S. vs. Billie Holiday

11) Jessica Chastain/The Eyes of Tammy Faye***

12) Rashida Jones/On the Rocks

TIFF CRITICS SURVEY AND TFF #47

As has been the habit of Indiewire for many year, that organization polled critics that "attended" the just concluded  Toronto International Film Festival and those results reflect some very nice notice of films that are a part of the TFF 2020 announced lineup.

Chloe Zhao's Nomadland...coming off of winning Toronto's People's Choice Award and the Golden Lion at Venice was named the best film by the poll.

The Best Documentary category saw plaudits for two TFF #47 selections as Michael Dweck and Greg Kershaw's The Truffle Hunters (see linked interview below) was named second best doc and Sam Pollard's MLK/FBI  was named third best doc.  76 Days, the on-the-ground report from Wuhan, China that focuses on the emergence of Covid-19.

Zhao was named Best Director by the survey and Nimadland also was chosen as third best screenplay.  FRances McDormand was runner-up in the Best Performance category.

All in all, a very good representation of TFF #47 films among the Indiewire accolades.

The complete Indiewire Critics' Survey results article is linked here.

TALKING TRUFFLES

One of the most talked about festival docs this season is undoubtedly The Truffle Hunters from directors Michael Dweck and Greg Kershaw.  The pair were recently (Sept. 19) highlighted by Point of View Magazine (POV).

That interview is linked here.

One other quick note (and humblebrag), through the kindness of an anonymous reader of the blog, I was fortunate enough to get a screener link to see The Truffle Hunters last weekend.  It's delightful, joyous, funny, poignant and beautiful to behold.  

AND FINALLY...THE CHICAGO 7?

Honestly, I wouldn't normally be writing about Aaron Sorkin's The Trail of the Chicago 7 much except in the context of the Oscar race since all Netflix films eschewed all of the festival circuit this time around.  But...

1) Early reactions from those who have seen an advanced screening seem to be over the moon and suggest that the film WILL BE a significant Oscar player.

2) World of Reel's Jordan Ruimy reports that the film is getting a theatrical release of some sort THIS WEEKEND...here's the link to Jordan's story.  And...

3) I have a good, reliable source telling me that had Telluride proceeded normally, that the film would have been a part of the The SHOW's lineup.

Cool, cool, cool.

LATE BREAKING

As I have been thinking for quite some time, Steven Spielberg's West Side Story will no longer be a  part of this year's Oscar conversation.   As The Hollywood Reporter published yesterday evening,  Warners has moved West Side Story all the way to Dec. 21, 2021.  Disney has also decided to move Black Widow to May of 2021.

The move means that WSS will not be eligible for this year's Oscars and could open the way for other remaining big films to move their release strategies as well.  

Other films that could follow West Side Story include:  News of the World, Stillwater, The French Dispatch, Dune, Hillbilly Elegy and Ma Rainey's Black Bottom among others.

The THR story is linked here.

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New Trailers for TFF #47 Films / Telluride at Home-Part Two / Kate Winslet Talks Ammonite / Truffles for Christmas

NEW TRAILERS FOR TFF #47

A couple of international films that would have played as a part of the lineup that was announced list for TFF #47 dropped trailers this week.

Christos Nikou's Apples, which will screen as a part of the Venice Film Festival, released the following trailer on Friday (from You Tube):

And from director Malgorzata Szumowska' Never Gonna Snow Again (also a Venice title) had a teaser release on Tuesday:

And also ahead of its debut at bothe Venice and Toronto,  Gianfranco Rosi's documentary, Notturno, also has an international trailer.  Thanks to my buddy Alex Billington at FirstShowing.net who posted this news yesterday.

TELLURIDE AT HOME-PART TWO

I'm passing along a couple more lists that I've gotten for folks that have accepted my challenge to curate their own replacement TFF #47 film fest in their own homes over the upcoming Labor Day weekend.

What I've suggested is for folks to pick 10-12 films from past Telluride Film Fests that are either films they'd like to re-visit or films that screened at Telluride but were missed.

I've completed my list of 11 (actually, a cooperative effort with the wife) and I'll be revealing mine in Thursday's post.  The Mrs. and I have chosen 11 films that we first saw at Telluride and will be seeing again...many being repeated for the first time since seeing them at TFF.

So, if you'd like to play and share your choices, feel free to drop me a line about what films you've curated for your very own TFF #47 at Home.  The deadline to get me your list is Wednesday at 6:00pm EDT.

Here are a couple of more lists that have been sent to me.  First is from my brother Jim who categorized two lists, one for narrative features and another for documentaries:

Top 10 Virtual TFF 48 list – Combining Documentaries & Movies

 Films (Alphabetic)

Black Mass
Darkest Hour
Hostiles
La La Land
Marguerite
Motherless Brooklyn
Spotlight
The Aeronauts
The Last Vermeer
Toni Erdmann


Documentaries (Alphabetic)

California Typewriter
Chasing Train
Eagle Huntress
Filmworker
Free Solo
Inside Bill’s Brain
Jerry Lewis: The Man Behind the Clown
Reversing Row
Spheres VR Experience

 And from friend of the blog Jim Brooks...his list of ten films for his Telluride at Home:

1 La La Land
2 Hostiles
3 Parasite (my wife saved a seat, and when I sat down, on the other side of the seat saved was none other than Mr. Telluride predictor, Michael Patterson, in the back row of the balcony of the Palm!)
4 Free Solo (Incredible!!!!! thanks to Telluride I revisited that in Imax when it was released in the fall.)
5 The Two Popes
6 Moonlight
7 First Man
8 Cold War
9 Toni Erdmann (last film of 2016, took a chance at the Chuck, and really enjoyed it!)
10 Frantz



Jim has also done some serious work as he is tracking down where some TFF films can be streamed:


Dogman (Hulu)
Roma (Netflix)
Angels Are Made of Light (iTunes)
Peterloo (Amazon Prime)
Nonfiction (Amazon Prime)
Graves Without a Name (iTunes)
The Other Side of the Wind  (Netflix)
Border  (Hulu)
Dovlatov (Netflix)
Biggest Little Farm (Amazon)
Girl (Netflix)
Free Solo  (hulu, Amazon)
Ghost Fleet (Amazon)
Shoplifters (Hulu)
The Great Buster (Amazon, YouTube)
Birds of Passage (Amazon)
Neruda (Amazon)
Things to Come (Amazon)
Lost in Paris (Amazon)
Una (Netflix)
Frantz (Amazon)
Chasing Trane (Netflix)
Into the Inferno (Netflix)
The Ivory game (Netflix)
Finding Oscar (Amazon, YouTube, AppleTV)
California Typewriter (Hulu)
Bright Lights (Amazon, HBO)
The Assistant (Amazon)


KATE WINSLET TALKS AMMONITE

Oscar winner Kate Winslet's latest film, the much buzzed about Ammonite, is about to screen as a part of the Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 11).  The film was one of the 29 that was announced as a film that would have played Telluride had the festival happened.  It was also a Cannes choice.

Prior to the film's debut, Winslet talked to Tatiana Siegel writing for The Hollywood Reporter about AMmonite and her career.

That interview/story is linked here.


TRUFFLES FOR CHRISTMAS

Sony Pictures Classics has announced that TFF #47 documentary selection The Truffle Hunters will open on Dec. 25th in the U.S.

Deadline reported the announcement on Friday.

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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.

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