Michael's Telluride Film Blog : Primetime

Showing posts with label Primetime. Show all posts

Monday, August 10, 2026

What the Venice Screening Schedule Suggests / Provenance for the "Bets" / Primetime Trailer and Poster

WHAT THE VENICE SCREENING SCHEDULE SUGGESTS

The screening schedule for the Venice film Festival popped on Friday and that tells us some possible films that might the jump after a Venetian World Premiere to Telluride. It all depends on what films are scheduled in the first three days in Italy.

Danny Boyle's Ink had already been announced as the Opening Night film for Venice on Sept. 2nd and we've had it as a lock since it was announced for Toronto as a Canadian Premiere there.

Everest: The Other Side fits the same mold as Ink. It's set for Sept. 3rd in Venice

My Undesirable Friends Part II is scheduled for Sept. 4th and its status as a New York Premiere for NYFF seems likely as a Telluride selection.

Other films that are playing the first three days at Venice include:

Bucking Fastard, Wild Horse Nine and Burgundy at Venice on Sept. 3rd.

The Basics of Philosophy at Venice on Sept. 4

And then there's the 5th of September which seems to cut awfully close to being able to get a film from Italy to Colorado. BUT...as best I can tell, four of the last five years have seen a film bow in Venice on it's 4th day of screening and made it to Telluride"

2021: The Lost Daughter

2022: All the Beauty and the Bloodshed

2024: One to One-John and Yoko

2025: Frankenstein.

Soooo...maybe there's a film on 9/5 that fits that bill and I say Yes...that film might be Lance Oppenheim's Primetime.

So, conclusions for a TFF #53 screening are:

Bucking Fastard-99%

Burgundy 80%

Wild Horse Nine 60%

The Basics of Philosophy 60%

Primetime 50/50.

Here's what's still hanging for TFF with Venice titles indicated with ***:

Ancient History

Alpha Gang...TIFF"s Canadian Premiere status indicates a Telluride play but I'm still a little leery that it actually happens TFF #53.

***The Basics of Philosophy

***Burgundy

Company

Diamond

***Primetime

Saturn Return

Sense and Sensibility

***Wild Horse Nine

Yellow Letters

PROVENANCE FOR THE "BETS"

Here's a quick look at info for each film that's already an MFTB "Bet" as well as the current "Maybes". It includes the director, the distribution company, release date if available, the stars of the film and the thing we think pegs it as a TFF player.

The current Bets:

1) Elsinore- dir: Simon Stone, Focus, Nov. 20th Andrew Scott, Olivia Colman, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

2) The Debut-dir: Jesse Eisenberg, A24, Dec. 11th, Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti TIFF International Premiere.

3) Ink-dir: Danny Boyle, Netflix, Dec. 11th, Jack O'Connell, Guy Pearce, Claire Foy, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

4) Club Kid- dir: Jordan Firstman, A24, Nov. 6th, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

5) La Bola Negra (The Black Ball)- dir: Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo, Netflix, Dec. 4th, Penelope Cruz, Glenn Close.

6) A Long Winter- dir: Andrew Haigh, Mubi, TIFF Canadian Premiere, date unknown, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Caitriona Balfe, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

7) Fjord- dir: Cristian Mungiu, Neon, Oct. 9th, Renate Reinsve, Sebastian Stan, Oct. 9th, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

8) Minotaur-dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev, Mubi, Nov. 20th, Dmitriy Mazurov, Nov. 20th, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

9) Everest: The Other Side-dir: Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Nat Geo, Disney, Oct. 30th, Hilaree Nelson, Jim Morrison, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

10) Tender Loving Care- dir: Mike Leigh, Bleecker Street, Dec. 4th, Kate O'Flynn, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

11) Gentle Monster-dir: Marie Kreutzer, Netflix, Nov. 18th, Lea Seydoux, Catherine Deneuve, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

12) Tenzing-dir: Jennifer Peedom, UTA Independent Film Group and Cross City Films, Oct. 16th, Tom Hiddleston, Willem Defoe,Catriona Balfe, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

13) Fatherland- dir: Pawel Palikowski, Mubi, release date unknown, Sandra Huller, August Diehl, NYFF New York Premiere.

14) Rose- dir: Markus Schleinzer, Mubi, release date unknown, Sandra Huller, NYFF New York Premiere.

15) The Man I Love- dir: Ira Sachs, no known distributor, release date unknown, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Rami Malek, Rebecca Hall (TFF #53 Guest Director), NYFF New York Premiere.

16) My Undesirable Friends Part II- dir: Julia Loktev, Mubi, release date unknown, NYFF New York Premiere.

17) Rehearsals for a Revolution- dir: Pegah Ahangarani, Sony Pictures Classics, release date unknown, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

18) The Unknown- dir: Arthur Harari, Neon, release date unknown, Lea Seydoux, TIFF Canadian Premiere.

19) Bucking Fastard- dir: Werner Herzog, no known distributor, release date unknown, Kate Mara, Rooney mara, Orlando Bloom, Domhnall Gleeson, Early slot at Venice.

20) The Story of Documentary Film- dir: Mark Cousins, Kino Lorber, Cousins is a past advisor to TFF and frequent presenter. However, Story of Doc films played Sundance earlier this year and Cousins' spot as a TFF "Esteemed Advisor" seems to have disappeared. I find him last listed as such in the 2024 TFF #51 program.

And some of the other possible players:

Alpha Gang- dir: David Zellner and Nathan Zellner, CAA Media Finance, no known release date, Cate Blanchett, Dave Bautista, Chris Pine, Lea Seydoux, TIFF International Premiere.

The Basics of Philosophy- dir: Paul Schrader, no known distributor, no known release date, Bill Pullman, Dana Delaney, Jack Huston, Early slot at Venice.

Burgundy- dir: Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, no known distributor, no known release date, Early Venice slot.

Primetime- dir: Lance Oppenheim, A24, Sept. 25th, Robert Pattinson, Merritt Weaver, Anna Faris, Early-ish Venice slot.

Saturn Return- dir: Greg Kwedar, Netflix, release date unknown, Will Pouter, Rachel Brosnahan, Charles Melton...

Sense and Sensibility- dir: Georgia Oakley, Focus, Oct. 16th, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Caitriona, Balfe, George McKay...

Wild Horse Nine- dir: Martin McDonagh, Searchlight, Nov. 6th, John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Early Venice Slot.

Yellow Letters- dir: Ilker Catak, distribution unknown, release date unknown, Won the Silver Bear at Berlin

PRIMETIME TRAILER AND POSTER

As I wrote above, Lance Oppenheim's Primetime is probably in the very last time slot in its initial Venice screening to have a chance to then make it to Telluride (likely scheduled at TFF on Sunday and Monday should it happen. I'm hoping that it does make the cut. To tease you a bit here are the poster and the trailer for the film:

And the trailer from a24 and YouTube:

Monday, August 3, 2026

Surveying the Landscape / 2.5 Million Views / La Bola Negra Has a Poster / Tidbits

SURVEYING THE LANDSCAPE

Here's a quick snapshot of films that I believe could still make the Telluride lineup:

Ancient History

The Basics of Philosophy

Bucking Fastard

Company

Diamond

The Dreamed Adventure

Everytime

Fatherland

Musk

Primetime

Rose

Saturn Return

Sense and Sensibility

Wild Horse Nine

Yellow Letters

and if there is a Sundance crossover:

Josephine

The Only Living Pickpocket in New York

The Weight

TWO AND ONE HALF MILLION VIEWS

MTFB swept past 2.5 million views in is 18 year history over the weekend. those views are from 2477 posts that have posted since august of 2008. Average per post 1009.2 views.

Thanks to all the readers!

LA BOLA NEGRA (THE BLACK BALL) HAS A POSTER

TIDBITS

***Gentle Monster to open in the U.S. on Oct. 30th

***Fatherland to open in the U.S. on Oct. 23rd.

EMAIL: mpgort@gmail.com

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Monday, July 13, 2026

Who's Got What? Distributors: A24 / The Artificial Switcheroo / SPC Adds Bunker

WHO'S GOT WHAT? DISTRIBUTORS: A24

Our fifth look at frequent film distribution companies that have been represented at Telluride over the last five years lands today on A24.

Over the last five TFFs, these are the films from A24 that have screened:

2021: Red Rocket, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

2022: Aftersun, Close.

2023: Janet Planet, Occupied City, Tuesday, The Zone of Interest.

2024: No films.

2025: If I had Legs I'd Kick You, Pillion.

As you can see, A24 has had 10 films at TFF over these last fests with 2024 being the anomaly with no A24 films.

I'm tracking three films from A24 that show the most promise for a TFF berth:

The Debut, Club Kid, Primetime and Ancient History.

I honestly could see all four making the TFF #53 lineup.

Their chances:

The Debut 75%

Club Kid 65%

Primetime 50%

Ancient History 40% (added as a possible title on 8/3)

THE ARTIFICIAL SWITCHEROO

Artificial Director Luca Guadagnino

It wasn't more than about an hour after I pinched the button and published last Monday's MTFB, which included the latest "Ten Bets" that Neon messed with me.

I had re-instated Luca Guadagnino's Artificial to the Ten Bets. An hour later news broke that:

"Luca Guadagnino‘s much-talked about Artificial is expected to forgo a traditional fall festival rollout, we understand."

That reporting came from Deadline.com

Now, the story backed off the wholistic claim of "traditional festival rollout" later in the article stating:

"We understand there has been interest from multiple A-list festivals, and while things can change, we hear the film isn’t likely to go down the standard festival route. That doesn’t mean it won’t pop up at a festival in some form (we bet it will), but it won’t have the traditional launch with the bells and whistles of a red carpet, press conference, junkets, etc."

Soooo, does that mean a TFF berth is still in play? Maybe.

The complete Deadline article is linked here.

https://deadline.com/2026/07/artificial-not-getting-traditional-fall-festival-rollout-1236978281/

SPC ADDS BUNKER

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired Florian Zellers' Bunker for North American distribution according to multiple sources. The film stars Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.

Deadline reports that, "An Oscar campaign is being lined up with a qualifying run end of year before release in early 2027."

The IMDb description:

"Follows a married couple of 17 years. The husband is an architect who accepts a controversial project to build a survivalist bunker for a tech billionaire. This decision leads his wife to question their marriage."

Zeller's The Father reportedly would have played Telluride had Covid not nuked the fest in 2020.

The complete Deadline post is linked here.

https://deadline.com/2026/07/javier-bardem-penelope-cruz-bunker-sells-sony-classics-1236978273/

So, in retrospect, I profiled SPC's possible TFF chances on July 6th. Bunker now gets added to he list of SPC possibilities for Telluride with an equal chance as Almodovar's Bitter Christmas to make the list.