The Guardian Predicts / The Euro Producers; The French-Cinecinema/Cine+ / Fences Swings for the Fences

Good Thursday World!


THE GUARDIAN PREDICTS

Britain's The Guardian posted a "40 Films We Predict Will Premiere at Venice, Toronto or Telluride" story yesterday.  The predix offer some surprises.  Breaking it down: the article bresks the 40 films into three categories-Dead Certs, Quite Likely and If It's Ready.

The piece names Telluride as a specific possibility for two films that we already know will play somewhere before the BFI/London Fest owing to their status their as European premieres: A United Kingdom and The Queen of Katwe.  United Kingdom seems to me to be the more likely T-ride player of the two.  Venice is listed as a specific designated fest probability for Planetarium while Toronto is listed for A United Kingdom, The Queen of Katwe, The Girl on the Train, Free Fire and The Seagull.

Among their "Dead Certs" the best Telluride potentials look like: Denial (from Bleeker Street which partnered with Netflix last year on Beats of No Nation), One or the other of TWC's The Founder or Lion and Arrival.  Outside T-ride shots in this category: The Secret Scripture, The Mercy and the Malick double play of Weightless and The Voyage of Time.

Interestingly, The Guardian lists Warren Beatty's Rules Don;t Apply in the Dead Cert category which is very intriguing,

In the Quite Likely category you'll fins Telluride possibilities such as HHhH and Gold (the other two Weinstein fall films...at least for the moment), 20th Century Women, War Machine (from Netflix), Wilson and How to Talk to Girls at Parties.

Among the "If It's Ready" films I don't find anything that's A) likely to be ready and B) if it is, likely to be a Telluride bound...though I'd really like to put in a word for Miss Sloane.

It's worth noting that The Guardian sponsored TFF #42.

Check the complete article here:

https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jul/20/40-films-predict-premiere-venice-toronto-telluride-festivals




THE EURO PRODUCERS: THE FRENCH-CINECINEMA/CINE+

CineCinema changed over to Cine+ within the last few years but it's all the same.  This production company has often been represented at Telluride over the last few years:

2005: Lemming, Live and Become
2006: The Page Turner, Indigenes
2007: The Diving Bell and The Butterfly
2008: With a Little Help from Myself
2009: Farewell, Coco Before Chanel, A Prophet, Inferno
2010: The Illusionist, The Princess of Montpensier, Of Gods and Men
2011: Goodbye First Love, The Kid with a Bike, Le Havre, The Artist
2012: Rust and Bone, Superstar, The Attack, Amour
2013: The Past, Blue is the Warmest Color, Le Maison de la Radio
2014: The Gate. The Price of Fame, Two Days One Night, Diplomacy
2015: Marguerite

The best opportunities for Cine+ to play Telluride this year is Slack Bay.  After that their slate doesn't look, at this point, to offer a lot of other possibilities.


FENCES SWINGS FOR THE FENCES

Fences still from Deadline.com

We missed mentioning this acouple of days ago but Denzel Washington's adaptation of August Wilson's Fences has been dated for an awards season qualifying time frame.  Mutiple reports put the film which Washington both directs and stars in as being released in a limited fashion on Dec. 16 and then going wider on Dec. 25.  Fences is from Paramount which is loaded with titles for this awards season.  In addition to Fences they have Allied, Arrival and Silence.

Admittedly, Fences is an unlikely Telluride film...but you never know...

Coverage of the Fences date announcement:

http://variety.com/2016/film/news/denzel-washington-fences-december-release-1201816381/

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/denzel-washingtons-fences-snags-awards-912004

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/07/18/denzel-washington-fences-release-date

That's it for Thursday.  Come back tomorrow for the latest Telluride Ten Bets.  It's the last one before announcements from Toronto and Venice.

Contact MTFB at:

mpgort@gmail.com

OR on Twitter @Gort2

OR check out Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Michaels-Telluride-Film-Blog-and-The-Film-Awards-Clearinghouse-107846269309712/

OR leave a comment...

Euro Producers: The French-Arte France / Daughter of the Dawn / Birth of a Nation

Welcome back from the weekend and a good Monday to you...

EURO PRODUCERS: THE FRENCH

After a two day respite, MTFB returns to continue our look at European production companies who have had a significant past presence at the Telluride Film Festival.  Today's producer is...


ARTE FRANCE CINEMA

Their track record looks like this:

2003: Dogville
2004: The Weeping Meadow
2005: The Child, Cache, Paradise Now
2006: Day Night Day Night
2008: O'Horten
2011: Le Havre, Goodbye First Love
2012:
2013: Le Maison de la Radio, The Lunchbox

2014: Diplomacy

2015: No films

But 2016 is chock full of TFF #43 possibilities: Salt and Fire, The Salesman, Peshmerga, The Red Turtle, Slack Bay, Things to Come and Fire at Sea.  My bet is that Arte France is in Telluride in 2016 with at least three films and maybe more.

DAUGHTER OF THE DAWN

You may recall from three years ago that I was dead certain that a silent film featuring Native American actors would play T-ride.  That didn't pan out.  But the film, Daughter Before the Dawn is set for Blue Ray release soon.  Ioncinema covers/reviews the release:

http://www.ioncinema.com/news/disc-reviews/the-daughter-of-dawn-norbert-myles-blu-ray-review




BIRTH OF A NATION

Amid buzz that the Sundance hit, Nate Parker's Birth of a Nation could play Telluride came another arresting image for the film over the weekend in the form of a new trailer and poster (above) for the film.  Coverage is here:

http://theplaylist.net/sundance-sensation-birth-nation-wants-rise-revolt-watch-new-trailer-20160621/


Here's the new trailer via YouTube:

That's going to do it for this Monday.  More tomorrow...

Contact MTFB at:

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OR on Twitter @Gort2

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OR leave a comment...

The Playlist Looks at 25 Cannes Films / The Pre-Cannes Peep Show Continues

Welcome back from the weekend and Welcome to Monday...


THE PLAYLIST'S LOOK AT 25 CANNES FILMS

The Playlist (at their new web address www.theplaylist.net) put up a lengthy piece this weekend examining 25 films playing Cannes in various segments of the festival.  They are:

American Honey
The BFG
Cafe Society
Dog Eat Dog
Elle
Graduation (was Family Photos)
The Handmaiden
It's Only the End of the World
Julieta
The Last Face
Loving
Money Monster
The Neon Demon
Neruda
The Nice Guys
Paterson
Personal Shopper
Risk
The Salesman
Sieranevada
Slack Bay
Staying Vertical
Toni Erdmann
Two Lovers and a Bear
The Unknown Girl

On The Playlist's Honorable Mention list are:

I, Daniel Blake
Blood Father
Hell or High Water
Sweet Dreams
Endless Poetry
After the Storm
From the Land of the Moon
Ma Rosa
Gimme Danger
The Wailing
Aquarius


What does The Playlist's list mean for Telluride?

Start with the films that you don't/can't consider: Cafe Society, The BFG, The Nice Guys and Money Monster.

One group of films is that which come from film makers that have had a significant presence at Telluride in the past:

The Dardennes (The Unknown Girl) at least three Telluride appearances: The Child (05)...at which they were recipients of a Tribute,  The Kid with a Bike (11), Two Days, One Night (14).

Asghar Farhadi (The Salesman)...two T-ride appearances: A Separation (11) and The Past (13).

Pedro Almodovar (Julieta) has screened multiple films at Telluride: Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown and a tribute in 1988, Talk to Her in 2002, Bad Education in 2004, Volver in 2006.

Paul Schrader (Dog Eat Dog) has been a frequent attendee/presenter at Telluirde: He was a guest in 1980, 1988, 1990, 1997 with Affliction, 2000, was tributed in 2002, 2003 and screened and Adam Resurrected in 2008.

Olivier Assayas (Personal Shopper) who has played T-ride with Irma Vep in 1996 and Carlos in 2010.


Then there are the Telluride single players:

Sean Penn (The Last Face) who played T-ride in 2007 with Into the Wild

Andrea Arnold (American Honey) Telluride in 2009 with Fish Tank (and has guested before as well)

David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water) his Starred Up was at Telluride in 2013)

Xavier Dolan (It's Only the End of the World) TFF #41 with Mommy in 2014

Pablo Larrain (Neruda) No at Telluride in 2012

Cristian Mungiu (Graduation/Family Photos) who was at TFF #34 in 2007 with 4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days


That's a bunch (10) of directors from the Playlist 25 (plus Honorable Mentions) that have played Cannes/Telluride before.

If recency indicates anything that would point the finger at The Dardennes, Farhadi, Dolan and Mackenzie have the best shot at coming back.  I'm feeling bullish about Farhadi and The Dardennes Brothers.

Check the complete Playlist article here:

http://theplaylist.net/25-anticipated-films-2016-cannes-film-festival-20160505/



THE PRE-CANNES PEEP SHOW CONTINUES


As we count down the days to the opening of Cannes #69...we continue to get views/stills. teasers/trailers for films playing in France and, as a result, looks at films that could end up in southwest Colorado over Labor Day weekend.

I have collected more of those for your pleasure here.

It's Only the End of the World (clips):

https://thefilmstage.com/news/watch-first-clips-from-xavier-dolans-cannes-bound-its-only-the-end-of-the-world/


Personal Shopper (stills):

http://www.indiewire.com/article/kristen-stewart-cafe-society-personal-shopper-new-images-20160503


Multiple posters including: American Honey, Slack Bay, Julieta:

https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/movie-poster-of-the-week-the-posters-of-the-2016-cannes-competition/

Stills and poster for Hell or High Water:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/hell-or-high-water-first-look-chris-pine-jeff-bridges-cannes-2016


Stills from Neruda, Dog Eat Dog, Endless Poetry and more:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/cannes-film-festival-2016-preview-directors-fortnight-risk-sweet-dreams-neruda-dog-eat-dog

Contact me at:

michael_speech@hotmail.com OR

mpgort@gmail.com OR

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Pre-Cannes PR Lets Us Look at Telluride Possibilities / Will There Be Moonlight in Telluride?

Welcome to Monday...

PRE-CANNES P.R. LET'S US LOOK AT TELLURIDE POSSIBILITIES

Many of the films that are set to play at the 69th Cannes Film Fest, set to start in under two weeks-May 11, are rolling out various levels of publicity prior to their screenings in France.  The last MTFB post highlighted a perfect example of this with the release of a teaser/trailer and poster for Oliver Stone's Snowden.

Several other Cannes choices that have some chance of making the Atlantic crossing in September to Telluride have also begun sharing stories, stills, clips and more as they seek to entice prior to their bow on the Croisette.

Consequently, I've snagged some of those and am passing them along to you today...

Christain Mungiu's Graduation poster, trailer and teasers and news that the film has U.S. distribution via Sundance Selects (which doesn't hurt and probably boosts its T-ride chances) via The Film Stage:

The official trailer from YouTube:

Here's the link to The Film Stage post which has more:

https://thefilmstage.com/trailer/first-trailer-for-cristian-mungius-cannes-bound-drama-graduation/



The Film Stage also posted a multi-film article with stills and posters from a number of Cannes films including Xavier Dolan's It's Only the End of the World and Bruno Dumont's Slack Bay among several (Elle, The Red Turtle, Sieranevada, Make Beautiful Dreams and The Handmaiden).

Poster for Dolan's It's Only the End of the World from The Film Stage

Check all of this here:

https://thefilmstage.com/news/new-images-from-cannes-titles-by-paul-verhoeven-bruno-dumont-park-chan-wook-cristian-mungiu-more/

WILL THERE BE MOONLIGHT IN TELLURIDE?

Barry Jenkins leading the Q and A after 12 Years a Slave at Telluride in 2012. (Getty Images)

Friend of MTFB, and recently Kino Lorber intern invitee (congrats!) Jason Osaison  (JASON (metalmeatwad) @MichaelNot Cera on Twitter) shared that he felt very strongly that Barry Jenkins Moonlight would make the lineup for TFF #43.

Now remember, Jason won The Gold Derby's Oscar prediction contest this year...he does his research.

Jason points out that Jenkins has been a part of the TFF staff for more than a decade and has often curated the Calling Card, Student Prints and Great Expectations as well as serving as the Ringmaster at The Zog since it opened.  Jenkins has also been a frequent contributor to the TFF program.

Additionally, Moonlight's distributor is A24, which also doesn't hurt its chances.  

A24 at Telluride recently: Room (Oscar winner Brie Larson and additional Oscar nominations  for Best Picture, screenplay and direction), Under the Skin and Ginger and Rosa.

Additionally, among the film's producers are Brad Pitt and his Plan B Entertainment, which also doesn't hurt the film's TFF chances.

Plan B at Telluride: 12 Years a Slave.  I also think Plan B's The Lost City of Z and War Machine might be TFF possibilities this year.

Osiason's points are well taken...Moonlight moves right up the list of possible/probable Telluride films for 2016.

Thanks Jason!

Here's Moonlight's  IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4975722/

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