Venice Schedule Revealed / Saturday Night Poster and Trailer / Will Cuaron Return to Telluride? / Grand Tour Like Oh Canada? / Will Rasoulof Make It to Telluride?

VENICE SCHDULE REVEALED

The Venice Film Festival revealed its official screening schedule this morning.  That's of note to Telluride watchers as films scheduled early in that fest could potentially be able to cross the Atlantic and get to the Rockies in time for screenings at TFF.  Films scheduled after the first three days of Venice are essentially off the table.

Scheduled early enough to come to Telluride and that seem likely are:

Separated/Morris (8/29)

Disclaimer/Cuaron (8/29)

Maria/Larrain (8/29)

One to One: John and Yoko/Macdoanld and Rice-Edwards (8/30)

Babygirl/Reijn (8/30)

Notable films that look like they're scheduled too late to make T-ride:

The Order/Kurzel

The Brutalist/Corbet

The Room Next Door/Almodovar

Queer/Guadagnino

Joker: Foile A Deux

The complete Venice schedule is linked here.

SATURDAY NIGHT LOOKS TO PLAY TELLURIDE

Matt Belloni writing in his "What I'm Hearing" newsletter for Puck.com dropped this on Friday:

"...today’s trailer for Jason Reitman’s SNL origin story, Saturday Night, got me unexpectedly excited for fall festival movies. It’s playing Telluride, which I don’t attend, and TIFF..."

There's no sourcing on the statement but it seems pretty definitive.  I'm looking for it to be confirmed as soon as Toronto announces its last set of titles this week.

Reitman's catalogue is replete with films that played T-ride starting with Juno in 2007.  Also at Telluride: Up in the Air (2009), Labor Day (2013) and The Front Runner (2018).  

Here's the poster and trailer:

WILL CUARON RETURN TO TELLURIDE?

Last Friday Toronto announced its Primetime Section devoted to television series that they will feature as a part of TIFF 2024.  Among those listed was Alfonso Cuaron's mini-series for Apple+ titled Disclaimer.  Why we note it here is that the show is listed as a Canadian premiere.  That raised some eyebrows.  Could that mean a play of some of the series at TFF #51?

It's possible.  TFF has programmed television/series in the past famously including Twin Peaks in 1989, Red Riding in 2009 and recently (TFF #49) Russia 1985-1999.  So it's not unprecedented that Telluride might be programming it.  Also, Cuaron having screened both Gravity and Roma at past TFFs doesn't hurt its chances.

Here's the description from IMDb:

"Blanchett plays Catherine Ravenscroft, a successful and respected television documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the concealed transgressions of long-respected institutions. When an intriguing novel written by a widower, played by Kline, appears on her bedside table, she is horrified to realize she is a key character in a story that she had hoped was long buried in the past. A story that reveals her darkest secret. A secret she thought was hers alone."

Disclaimer is set to debut on Apple TV+ on Oct. 11th.  Here's the teaser from YouTube:

GRAND TOUR LIKE OH, CANADA?

It's another one of those.  Grand Tour was announced by New York without a premiere status leading me and others to believe that it would be a TFF selection.  But then, Toronto announced it as a North  American Premiere which indicates no Telluride play.  Paul Schrader's Oh, Canada is also in that same situation and I'm inclined, at least at this point, to think that both play TIFF and neither plays Telluride.

Of course, I could be wrong.

WILL RASOULOF MAKE IT TO TELLURIDE?

We're pretty sure that Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig will be playing at TFF #51.  What we don't know is if its writer/director will be present for the screenings.  Variety reporting on Saturday that the Iranian filmmaker who successfully fled Iran isn't sure that he'll be able to travel outside of Europe.

In the interview (linked here) Rasoulof tells Variety reporter Nick Vivarelli:

"I plan to travel to the United States for film screenings. However, since I still don’t have a passport and have to travel with the documents provided with the help of the city of Hamburg, I wonder if I’ll be able to travel outside of Europe."

I'm no expert at international travel protocols but this sounds like a serious impediment.  Nevertheless, I'll be crossing my fingers that he'll be able to find a way to make it .

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The Critics Past the Cannes Half Way Point / Rasoulof Saga Continues / Deadline Details Film Fest Woes / Interviews and Profiles from Cannes: Gary Oldman

THE CRITICS PAST THE CANNES HALF WAY POINT:

Screen Daily has their top five thus far (on a four point scale):

1) Anora 3.3

2) Grand Tour 3.0

3) The Substance 2.7

4) Caught by the Tides 2.6

5) Emilia Perez 2.5

Link to the Screen Daily chart.

Ioncinema's panel's top five (on a five point scale):

1) Anora 3.5

2) Emilia Perez 3.4

3) Bird 3.0

3) Oh, Canada 3.0

3) Caught by the Tides 3.0

Link to Ioncinema's chart.

The International Cinephile Society's top five (on a four point scale):

1) Anora 3.55

2) Grand Tour 3.50

3) Caught by the Tides 3.28

4) Bird 3.0

5) The Substance 2.79

Link to the ICS chart.

RASOULOF SAGA CONTINUES

The latest wrinkle in the saga of Mohammad Rasoulof, his film, the government of Iran and Cannes is that the film maker will attend the 77th edition of the prestigious fest.

Multiple sources are reporting Rasoulof will be in Cannes in person for the screening of his The Seed of the Scared Fig.  Here's the story from Indiewire and The Hollywood Reporter.

The film is set to premiere tomorrow.

DEADLINE DETAIILS FILM FEST WOES

Deadline's Matthew Carey contributed to an article on Film Fests and their current tribulations that was published on Tuesday, May 21st.  The article focuses on European and North American fests and details some of the challenges facing a number of major festival including Telluride.

In the North American section of the story Carey writes of TFF :

"Both Sundance and the Telluride Film Festival benefit from the allure of their exclusive mountain settings, but the high price of travel and lodging have made it increasingly difficult for industry to attend.

“Telluride is really under pressure for the cost to house their own programmers and just to house the people who work for the festival,” says a senior sales agent and veteran Telluride attendee. “We feel that, just attending the festival alone. It is so high and it’s getting higher.”

The complete Deadline article is here.

INTERVIEWS AND PROFILES FROM CANNES

Gary Oldman on Parthenope from The Hollywood Reporter.

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Cannes Critics for Week One / More on Rasoulof's Seed / Interviews and Profiles for Cannes Films

CANNES CRITICS FOR WEEK ONE

As of this morning here are what some of the critical polls from Cannes are showing from among the Palme d'Or contenders that have already screened:

Screen Daily has their top five thus far (on a four point scale):

1) Caught by the Tides 2.6

2) Emilia Perez 2.5

3) Kinds of Kindness 2.4

4) Bird 2.3

4) Three Kilometers from the End of the World

Link to the Screen Daily chart.

Ioncinema's panel's top five (on a five point scale):

1) Emilia Perez 3.7

2) Caught by the Tides 3.5

3) Oh, Canada 3.1

4) Bird 2.9

5) The Girl with the Needle 2.8

Link to Ioncinema's chart.

The International Cinephile Society's top five (on a four point scale):

1) Caught by the Tides 3.28

2) Bird 3.00

3) Oh, Canada 2.70

4) The Substance 2.69

5) The Girl with the Needle 2.65

5) Three Kilometers from the End of the World 2.65

The link to the ICS chart.

Normally I would have Reini Urban's massive Cannes list accessible but the link to that has been broken for a couple of days now.  Perhaps by Thursday's post it will be available.

MORE ON RASOULOF'S SEED

A new note this week on the continuing journey for Mohammad Rasoulof''s The Seed of the Sacred Fig.  NEON has picked up the film on Friday ahead of its premiere Cannes scheduled as the next to last film to screen in the Palme d'Or competition.  The acquisition probably bolsters the chances that the Rasoulof film makes it into the TFF #51 lineup as their presence at Telluride in recent years has been substantial.

Rasoulof is currently in hiding somewhere in Europe after fleeing Iran to escape from an eight year prison sentence.

The acquisition news is covered here by Indiewire.

PROFILES AND INTERVIEWS

Of Cannes films that might be a TFF contender:

Jeremy Strong for The Apprentice from The Playlist.

Andrea Arnold for Bird from The Hollywood Reporter.

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Megalopolis Teaser / Rasoulof Escapes from Iran / New Bikeriders Trailer for the U.K. / Critics from Cannes

MEGALOPOLIS TEASER

As Francis Ford Coppola nears premiering his latest and self-financed epic at Cannes, he released a teaser trailer on Tuesday.  It looks impressive.  Here it is from YouTube:

RASOULOF ESCAPES FROM IRAN

We've been following the latest travails of Iranian film maker Mohammad Rasoulof for the past few weeks.  Rasoulof has a number of films screen at Telluride (Manuscripts Don't Burn, A Man of Integrity) and has another film set to bow at Cannes on May 24th that could well be a TFF #51 possibility.

We reported recently that Rasoulof had been sentenced to an eight year prison term as well as other punishments as the Iranian regime seeks to silence him and stifle the release of his films.

Now comes word from multiple sources that Rasoulof has managed to get out of Iran and is in hiding somewhere in Europe.

Rasoulof did release a statement regarding the escape:

"I arrived in Europe a few days ago after a long and complicated journey.

About a month ago, my lawyers informed me that my eight-year prison sentence was confirmed in the court of appeal and would be implemented on short notice. Knowing that the news of my new film would be revealed very soon, I knew that without a doubt, a new sentence would be added to these eight years. I didn’t have much time to make a decision. I had to choose between prison and leaving Iran. With a heavy heart, I chose exile. The Islamic Republic confiscated my passport in September 2017. Therefore, I had to leave Iran secretly."

At this point it is not known whether Rasoulof will attempt to make a live appearance for the premiere of his Cannes competition film The Seed of the Sacred Fig. 

NEW BIKERIDERS TRAILER FOR THE U.K.

Late last week Universal and Focus Features released a third trailer for Jeff Nichols The Bikeriders for consumption in the U.K.  Here it is from YouTube:

The Bikeriders opens in the U.S. on June 21st.

CRITICS FROM CANNES

Now that the 77th Cannes Film Festival is underway you can expect to see MTFB's usual compilation of critical responses coming your way beginning with Monday's post.  I'll be following multiple collections of critical response in order to get a sense of what films are capturing the moment in Cannes and as a way to assess TFF potential.  One of those sources will be, again, the massive critical collection from Reini Urban.  Last year TFF films that appeared at Cannes first had these ratings from Urban's list using a ten point scale:

The Zone of Interest 8.16

Perfect Days 7.91

Anatomy of a Fall 7.90

La Chimera 7.46

Fallen Leaves 7.46

The Taste of Things 7.01

Occupied City 6.97

Anselm 6.41

Little Girl Blue 6.21

Room 999 also played Cannes then Telluride last year but is nowhere to be found on Urban's list.

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Is Cannes #77 in Trouble? / Views from The Bikeriders / More on Rasoulof

IS CANNES #77 IN TROUBLE?

And the root of that question stems from a threatened strike by a collective of 200 or so film festival workers who have called for a strike of the fest.  With the festival set to start on May 14th, it seems like there would be some sense of urgency on the part of Cannes organizers.

An open letter to Deadline.com from the collective says, in part:

"Our warnings and demands have been received with polite consideration so far, but no concrete measure has been offered by the CNC or the Ministry of Culture. That is why the upcoming opening of the Cannes Festival is leaving us with a bitter taste.

In a context of extreme vulnerability and absolute emergency to protect our work, and after consultation and vote of the members of the collective, we call for a strike of all employees of the Cannes Film Festival and of its sidebars."

Here's the story from Deadline.

Variety reported yesterday that Cannes officials had responded with a statement of their own:

“We wish to emphasize that they are aware of the difficulties faced by some of their staff who, working on strings of contracts for film festivals, are affected by the reform of the French unemployment insurance scheme, and must grapple with a drop in their benefits.

Faced with this situation, we hope that solutions will be found, and are prepared to set up lasting dialogue conditions to support them.

Aware of the sounding board that the Cannes Festival and its parallel selections represent, we understand the timeliness of these demands. But in order to undertake a constructive reflection aimed at reforming the status of these workers, all the festivals concerned, the institutions and the unions need to come together around the bargaining table. This is the work that must now be undertaken collectively.”

The complete story from Variety is here.

More as it develops...

VIEWS FROM THE BIKERIDERS

As the release date approaches for TFF #50 film The Bikeriders from director Jeff Nichols, we're seeing an increase in P.R. moves.  Including recent releases of a new trailer as well as a new poster.  Now comes two separate posts from Variety and Entertainment Weekly focusing on behind-the-scenes photos from the film.

Take a look at the photos...

From Variety.

From Entertainment Weekly.

The Bikeriders opens June 21st.

MORE ON RASOULOF

We've been following news of Mohammad Rasoulof for a bit now as Iran Has been pressuring him and others to withdraw his film The Seed of the Sacred Fig from the Cannes competition lineup.  Now Indiewire is reporting that the Iranians have sentenced Rasoulof to eight years in prison, flogging as well as confiscation of property and a fine.

Rasoulof;s films have been a frequent selection at Telluride and could possibly be again this year with this new film.

The Indiewire story is here.

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Rasoulof Difficulties / The Bikeriders New Official Poster / Nickel Boys Has a Release Date

RASOULOF DIFFICULTIES

(Rasoulof photo via IMDb)

A week ago I wrote that among the titles that had just been added to the lineup for the 77th Cannes Film Festival that Mohammad Rasoulof's The Seed of the Sacred Fig was  a film worth watching as a possible selection for TFF #51.

Now, Jordan Ruimy/World of Reel reports and not surprisingly, authorities in Iran (Rasoulof's home country) are putting pressure on producers and cast members of the film to keep the film from being screened at the Fest.  A number of people connected to the film have been banned from leaving Iran.  Rasoulof himself has been banned from leaving the country since 2017.

Rasoulof has previously screened a number of films at Telluride including There Is No Evil and Manuscripts Don't Burn but a successful push to keep this new film from screening at Cannes might also portend no play at TFF.  

Ruimy's complete post is here.

THE BIKERIDERS NEW OFFICIAL POSTER

Focus Features has released an official poster for Jeff Nichols The Bikeriders.  The film screened at last year's 50th TFF and though responses seemed mixed at the time I quite enjoyed the film.  Currently the film sits at 73 on Metacritic and 83 on Rotten Tomatoes.

Here's the poster:

The Bikeriders will be in theaters on June 21st.

NICKEL BOYS HAS A RELEASE DATE

Deadline.com and other outlets reported this week that RaMell Rosses Nickel Boys will be released on Oct. 25th.  The adaptation of Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize winning novel is now positioned to be a possible inclusion for Telluride, Venice, Toronto and/or New York.

The film's distributor-Amazon/MGM doesn't hurt its chances at a TFF #51 berth either.  Keep an eye on this one.

The Deadline post is here.

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Cannes Adds Titles

 CANNES ADDS TITLES

We got the announcement Monday that the Cannes Film Festival had, as expected, added some new films to a variety of sections.  In all 13 new films were added including three to the Palme D'or competition lineup.  Of those three, two have some serious chance at a Telluride play, I believe.

Here's the complete list of added films per Variety:

Un Certain Regard

“When the Light Breaks,” Rúnar Rúnarsson

“Niki,” Céline Sallette

“Flow,” Gints Zilbalodis

Cannes Premiere

“Vivre, Mourir, Renaitre,” Gaël Morel

“Maria,” Jessica Palud

Special Screenings

“Spectateurs,” Arnaud Desplechin

“Nasty,” Tudor Giurgiu

“Lula,” Oliver Stone

“An Unfinished Film,” Lou Ye

Out of Competition

“Le Comte de Monte-Cristo,” Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte

Competition

“The Most Precious of Cargoes,” Michel Hazanavicius

“Trois kilomètres jusqu’à la fin du monde,” Emanuel Parvu

“The Seed of the Sacred Fig,” Mohammad Rasoulof

TFF #51 best chances are for Michel Hazanavicius' The Most Precious of Cargoes"  and Mohammed Rasoulof's The Seed of the Scared Fig.

Hazanavicius was in Telluride in 2011 with his Best Picture Oscar winner The Artist. Though he hasn't been back sense, the subject matter of thus new film sounds promising vis-a-vis a possible TFF placement.  Here's a description from Variety:

[It is] "An auteur-driven allegorical feature, “The Most Precious of Cargoes” is adapted from Jean-Claude Grumberg’s bestselling novel of the same name, set during World War II against the backdrop of the Holocaust." 

Rasoulof would have last been represented at Telluride in 2020 with There Is No Evil had the fest not been bagged due to Covid-19.  He was also selected for A Man of Integrity in 2017 and Manuscripts Don't Burn in 2013.

Here's the full Variety post from Monday.

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Two Weeks... / Telluride at Home / First Looks: Fireball and Mainstream / The Usual Suspects-Covid Edition

TWO WEEKS...

Are you like me?

We're two weeks from what would have been the last day of TFF #47.

It's not that I haven't internalized that the fest isn't going to happen this year.  I had been contemplating the possibility for quite a while before the announcement dropped on July 14th.  However, as the dates approach that would have been the 47th edition of the Telluride Film Festival (and my 15th time to attend) I, like I suspect many of you, have a serious pang of longing and regret that our normally glorious weekend of film and fun will come and go more or less as just another weekend in Covid-19 America.

It will be weird and dis-orienting two weeks from today, when I would be winding the weekend down.  My habit over the past few years has been to get up on Labor Day to grab an early screening of something that has become buzzy over the weekend (the last two years that my films on Monday morning have been Cold War and Parasite...not bad, eh?) and then booking to Town Park to grab lunch and ice cream, say goodbye to whomever I could find there that needed saying goodbye to...that's how I met Barry Jenkins four years ago.  And then climb in the mini-van and head south and east.

This year, I'll already be "south and east" when I wake up on Labor Day.  Sooooo....


TELLURIDE AT HOME

I've decided that I'm programming a weekend at home of Telluride films from that past 14 editions that either I have seen or missed when they were in T-ride and that I still haven't visited.  The wife and I started compiling a list yesterday.  We'll whittle it down until we get to 10 or so films.  Then, in the tradition of Telluride, I'll announce my list for "Telluride at Home" on Thursday, Sept. 3rd.  The day before my festival starts.

What about you?  If you were to program a Telluride Fest from the years you've been attending, what would you include?  What would re-visit?  What films did you miss that you still haven't seen but wished you had?  Make a list of ten.

Drop me a line with your list if you feel like it.  I might well publish those here.


FIRST LOOKS: FIREBALL AND MAINSTREAM


As a result of their selections for TIFF and Venice, we have our first glimpses of would-be TFF #$7 films.  Werner Herzog's Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds and Gia Coppola's Mainstream.

From the Toronto PR for Fireball, it's Clive Oppenhiemer and Herzog as they search the world for meteors and stories of meteors.

From Venice, we got a still from her new film, Mainstream via Twitter.  It looks intriguing:

THE USUAL SUSPECTS: COVID-19 EDITION

Helen Mirren and Jim Broadbent in Roger Michell's The Duke 

Looking over the 29 feature film titles that were announced as what would have been selections had TFF #47 taken place, I can't help but notice that a number of folks who have had a presence at TFF in past Telluride Film Festivals were returning.  Some, like Chloe Zhao were returning after a maiden voyage with the fest.  Zhao's The Rider screened at Telluride in 2017.  The lineup also included Werner Herzog who is a mainstay of many, many TFF lineups.

Here's a quick rundown of folks that are or may soon be on my list of TFF"s "Usual Suspects" that are included in the TFF #47 lineup:

*Liz Garbus/All In: The Fight for Democracy  (Love, Marilyn TFF #39)
*Andrey Tarkovsky/Andrey Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer (Tarkovsky's works have often been featured at TFF)
*Frank Marshall/The Bees Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (Marshall is on TFF's Board of Advisors)
*Roger Michell/The Duke (Michell's TFF credits include: Venus, Hyde Park on Hudson and Enduring Love)
*Gia Coppola/Mainstream (Coppola's first and only feature thus far, Palo Alto, was at TFF #40)
*Chloe Zhao/Nomadland (Zhao's The Rider was at TFF #44)
*Gianfranco Rosi/Notturno (Rosi was last at Telluride in 2016 with Fire at Sea)
*Mohammad Rasoulof/There Is No Evil (TFF tribute recipient in 2013, last film at TFF was 2017's A Man of Integrity)
*Lisa Immordino Vreeland/Truman and Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation (multiple TFF appearances: Love, Cecil, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict, Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel)

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No Bluegrass in 2020 / Rasoulof's There Is No Evil Lands at Kino Lorber / Cannes Locked-In?

NO BLUEGRASS IN 2020

As we keep track of major events that might affect TFF #47 or could act as harbingers for what might be to come, I noted that organizers for Telluride's Bluegrass Festival (mentioned here back on Apr. 2nd) have decided to cancel the 2020 edition.

Bluegrass reportedly is the most attended of T-ride's summer fests and had approached the Telluride Town Council about moving its dates from its originally scheduled June 18-21 to Aug. 27-30.  The council did not make any decision regarding Bluegrass at that time.

Several locals reportedly had expressed the difficulty that the new date would have caused as it would have been a matter of a week prior to TFF #47.

Bluegrass organizer Craig Ferguson was quoted this week in The Telluride Daily Planet about the near inevitability of the decision:

“Oh, I think all of us have known for quite awhile (that Bluegrass would be canceled), we just gave ourselves ample opportunity to talk each other out of it and no one could.  I think we learned that Bluegrass doesn’t really get postponed from solstice, then it becomes something else.  When gatherings are legal again, we’d love nothing more than to produce more shows in the greatest venue on Earth.”

The decision takes some pressure off the community and allows the pre-fest work for TFF #47 to occur without having Bluegrass going on simultaneously.

Here's the story from The Telluride Daily Planet.



RASOULOF'S THERE IS NO EVIL LANDS AT KINO LORBER

Variety reported this week that Mohammad Rsoulof's Berlin Golden Bear winner, There Is No Evil, has been acquired for distribution by Kino Lorber. 

Normally that combination of facts would suggest a very real possible TFF #47 slot for the film.  Rasoulof is a former TFF Tribute recipient (2013) and Kino Lorber has a significant history with films landing at TFF: Ixcanul, Sembene!, Taxi, Fire at Sea, Film Worker and Beanpole over the past five years.  

However,the uncertainty swirling currently because of the Covid-19 global pandemic makes handicapping films that might be Telluride bound especially difficult.

Still, I'll be keeping an eye open about this film.

Variety has the story on the acquisition here.


CANNES LOCKED-IN?

Deadline reported this week that Cannes is specifically eye-balling the dates of June 23-July 4.  Deadline also suggests those dates are now expected to be Cannes only option for a live/physical film fest.

Deadline also reports rumors that some of the other sidebar sections of Cannes could play out at other dates but that the Palme d"or competition would not.

The story suggests that the festival wouldn't likely make a hard decision until the beginning of May.  April 16th was the date originally scheduled for the announcement of the fest's lineup and Deadline says that some films have been and continue to be invited as of their story dated last Thursday.

As I have sadi here before, irrespective of Cannes ultimate decision, it will have some ramifications for Telluride as well as other fall film fests.



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The 18th Telluride Film Festival Re-visited / The Season's First FAC / Man of Integrity Director Could Be Sentenced in Iran

Welcome back to MTFB on this Thursday in October...



THE 18TH TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL RE-VISITED

The ongoing (and slowly developing) ramble through Telluride's film festival past continues today with the 18th fest which occurred from Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 1991.

The guest director was Laurie Anderson.

Tributes were for Jodie Foster, Sven Nyquist and "Nature's Filmmakers": Peter Jones, Marion Zunz and Paul Atkins.

SHOWS:

Apocalypse Now
A Captive in the Land
Danzon
Dogfight
The Double Life of Veronique
Empire of the Air
Hearts of Darkness
Hors la Vie
I Want to Fly
Latino Bar
Let Him Have It

Little Man Tate
Lucky Star
Lyrical Nitrate
The Other Eye
The Ox
Prix de Beaute
Prospero's Books
Raise the Red Lanterns

Rambling Rose
The Rapture
Ride the High Country
Scream of Stone
A Tale of the Unextinguished Moon
The Tourist
3:10 to Yuma
The Trails of Life
Wild by Law
A Woman's Tale

Guests:

John Berry
Ken Burns
Martha Coolidge
Laura Dern
Jean Doumanian
Roger Ebert
Glenn Ford
Peter Greenaway
Renny Harlin
Werner Herzog
Dennis Hopper
Elmore Leonard
Bill Plympton
Mimi Rogers
Lili Taylor


THE SEASON'S FIRST FAC




Here's your first look at MTFB's Film Awards Clearinghouse.  I'm going with a stripped down version this year.  Films that played TFF #44 are Bold.


BEST PICTURE

1) Dunkirk
2) The Shape of Water
3) Darkest Hour
4) Three Billboards
5) The Post
6) Call Me By Your Name
7) Get Out
8) The Florida Project

Others: Blade Runner 2049, Mudbound, Lady Bird

BEST DIRECTION

1) Christopher Nolan/Dunkirk
2) Guillermo Del Toro/The Shape of Water
3) Steven Spielberg/The Post
4) Joe Wright/Darkest Hour
5) Martin McDonagh/Three Billboards

Others: Sean Baker/Florida Project, Luca Guagadino/Call Me By Your Name, Dee Rees/Mudbound


BEST ACTRESS

1) Frances McDormand/Three Billboards
2) Sally Hawkins/The Shape of Water
3) Meryl Streep/The Post
4) Margo Robbie/I, Tonya
5) Jessica Chatain/Molly's Game

Others: Kate Winslet/Wonder Wheel, Emma Stone/Battle of the Sexes, Saoirse Ronan/Lady Bird


BEST ACTOR

1) Gary Oldman/Darkest Hour
2) Jake Gyllenhaal/Stronger
3) Daniel Day Lewis/Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Film
4) Tinothee Chalamet/Call Me By Your Name
5) Hugh Jackman/The Greatest Showman

Others: Andrew Garfield/Breathe, Denzel Washington/Roman Israel Esq., Tom Hanks/The Post



MAN OF INTEGRITY DIRECTOR COULD BE SENTENCED IN IRAN

I reported a few weeks back that Iranian director Mohammad Rasouluf had been detained in Iran after returning there from both the Telluride and Toronto Film Fests.  Rasouluf  has been screening his latest film, A Man of Integrity.

News came yesterday that the film maker could be sentenced by an Iranian court to six years in prison for"anti-regime propaganda".  That's according to Al Arabiya.  The complete article is linked here.

Rasoulof was detained on similar charges in 2010.  Al Arabiya reported that Rasoulof was detained on his return to Iran on Sept. 15 and extensively interviewed by authorities on Oct. 3.




That's your MTFB for this Thursday.  Have a great weekend and come back for more on Monday.


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