New Toronto Titles/Tale of Toronto and "Leviathan" Part 2/New York Times Post Kills Big Titles for TFF

Good Wednesday everyone...


NEW TORONTO TITLES


The Toronto International Film Festival announced its final titles this yesterday and there, again, are conclusions that we can reach.  We can't guarantee that these conclusions are 100% correct but we're probably pretty close.  Takeaways:

The announcement of " '71" and "The New York Review of Books: The 50 Year Argument" as Canadian Premieres is a good indication that both of those titles are headed to Telluride.  We've been thinking that was probably the case the last couple of weeks.  I'm particularly excited about " '71" which has a trailer that was associated with its play at the Berlin Film Fest back in February.  Here's that trailer:

" '71" trailer via YouTube

Here's the story that The Playlist ran yesterday with the release of the trailer:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-trailer-for-berlin-sensation-71-led-by-rising-star-jack-oconnell-20140819

We also found that three films that we had continued to think might be Telluride possibilities will NOT be as they are either World or North American premieres.  As reported earlier, "St. Vincent" starring Bill Murray is a World premiere and so will not be in T-ride.  TIFF has announced that Sept. 5th will be Bill Murray Day.

Announced as North American premieres were the Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Winter Sleep" and another Cannes standout, "The Tribe".  That means neither of those will play in the San Juans.  Too bad, especially about "The Tribe" which I have been really intrigued by.

Finally, four titles were announced as International premieres that we may need to consider for Telluride. There is limited screening history information about each of the four which, at least at the moment, leaves them as theoretical Telluride possibilities.

The most intriguing is the filmed version of Julie Taymor's stage production of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

Also in play: "Life in a Fishbowl", "The Little Death" and "Senza Nessuna Pieta".

Here's the Variety report on yesterday's Toronto announcement:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/toronto-film-festival-completes-lineup-1201285802/

TALE OF TORONTO AND LEVIATHAN PART TWO

Over the weekend, I mentioned that a reader had alertly noticed that the TIFF website had listed "Leviathan" as a North American premiere and was asking if that meant no Telluride play.  It was a reasonable question. I did some research and source work and couldn't find any explanation for why a film that I was pretty sure had been announced as a Canadian premiere was listed as North American.

I contacted an acquaintance or two that have a way better knowledge of Toronto's workings than I do and they suggested that the "Canadian" designation was probably correct.

Yesterday, I checked back in to the TIFF.net website and someone had changed the designation.  So, suffice to say that "Leviathan" IS a Canadian premiere for Toronto and a very likely film for Telluride.

Check this link to "Leviathan's" TIFF page:

http://www.tiff.net/festivals/thefestival/programmes/masters/leviathan-1


NEW YORK TIMES POST KILLS BIG TITLES FOR TFF

The New York Times put up a lengthy post yesterday that dissected the Telluride/Toronto situation.  In the course of the story, the Times nukes the notion of three major films making their appearance at Telluride:

David  Ayers' "Fury"
Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken" and
Christopher Nolan's "Interstellar"

The Times story says that the three films are, "sitting out the season's opening festivals, according to people briefed on the films, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of confidentiality rules."

The Times says the reasons range from not being ready to differing marketing and awards season strategies.

Makes me sad to mark them off the prospective list though "Fury" was really gone already and I was always dubious about "Interstellar".

That leaves "Big Eyes" and "Exodus: Gods and Kings" as the biggest fish out there without an announced festival.

Here's the story from the Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/20/movies/in-the-race-for-oscars-toronto-puts-up-a-hurdle.html

 More tomorrow...

Follow me on Twitter @Gort2

Another TIFF Announcement- Maybe "Mommy"/Turkey Nominates "Sleep"/Son of a Gun?

Hello on a Thursday in August!

ANOTHER TORONTO ANNOUNCEMENT-MAYBE "MOMMY"

The Toronto International Film Festival announced a slew of Canadian titles yesterday that have been added across many of the different sections that the fest features.  There was a film here and there that piqued my interest in terms of Telluride potential but none to the point that I'm ready to declare any of the films announced yesterday as Telluride likely.

Take a look at the new films announced here via Indie Wire:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/toronto-international-film-festival-reveals-slate-of-canadian-features-and-short-films-20140806

The Playlist looked at the same list yesterday and they claim that Xavier Dolan's "Mommy" (which played well at Cannes in May and is being distributed in the U.S. by Roadside Attractions) by being a "Toronto" premiere "suggests that it'll be going to Telluride to make its North American debut".

The Playlist post is here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/xavier-dolans-mommy-leads-canadian-line-up-of-new-tiff-2014-announcements-20140806

So, "Mommy" is a maybe.


TURKEY NOMINATES "WINTER SLEEP"

Cannes Palme d'Or winner "Winter Sleep" has been chosen by Turkey to be its entrant for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film.  "Winter Sleep" has not been announced for Toronto and may or may not make its way to Telluride.  I'd say it's about a 50/50 shot at this point.

Recent history suggest those odds are about right as five Palme winners since 2004 have not appeared at T-ride.  Adopt Films is distributing the film for the U.S. which may tilt the odds somewhat toward a Telluride play.  Adopt has been at T-ride for two consecutive years with "Bethlehem" and "Barbara"...so perhaps.

Here's the story of its choice for Oscar competition from The Hollywood Reporter:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-turkey-nominates-winter-sleep-723703


SON OF A GUN?

Ewan MacGregor in "Son of a Gun" via The Playlist

Increasingly it seems unlikely that J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year" will make the Telluride lineup.  This would leave distrib A24 without a presence at Telluride after having been there for two straight years with "Ginger and Rosa" and "Under the Skin".  I have been thinking for a few months that "Violent Year" was very, very likely but with the news yesterday from HitFix's Kris Tapley that editing is still going on, it looks like the A24 steak could be done.

Unless...

The Playlist dropped the first images from Julius Avery's "Son of a Gun" starring Ewan MacGregor yesterday.  "Son" is described as "an Aussie crime drama".

So, maybe A24 subs this in for the Chandor...

Here's The Playlist story:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/first-look-ewan-mcgregor-alicia-vikander-in-crime-drama-son-of-a-gun-20140806

Frankly, I'm urging J.C. to get "Violent Year" done and T-ride to slide it in...

Saturday's Blog: New Inarritu Has New Producer/Best of the Week

Welcome to Saturday and a new weekend.  I'm in Indianapolis, IN. on my way back home after a fantastic two and a half week adventure.


SATURDAY'S BLOG: NEW INARRITU HAS A NEW PRODUCER

News broke yesterday that Alejandro Inarritu's next project "The Revenant" starring Leonardo DiCaprio appears to have found additional financial backing from Annapurna Pictures and Megan Ellison.  It was the second straight day that Inarritu has made big news.  The day before yesterday we learned that his "Birdman" will open the Venice Festival.  Assuming he comes to Telluride with "Birdman", and I still think he will, I'll do my level best to find out what's going on with "The Revenant".

Here's coverage of the Annapurna/Revenant story:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/leonardo-dicaprios-survival-drama-the-revenant-attracts-megan-ellisons-annapurna-1201261423/

http://www.thewrap.com/megan-ellison-nearing-deal-to-co-finance-leonardo-dicaprio-thriller-the-revenant/

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-wants-to-shoot-the-revenant-in-sequence-megan-ellison-may-save-financially-troubled-pic-20140711

http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/megan-ellison-may-need-save-inarritus-revenant-starring-dicaprio-hardy/


BEST OF THE WEEK

TEN BETS #3 2014

Here's last week's Ten Bets:

10) Coming Home

9) Winter Sleep

8) Red Army

7) The Roosevelts

6) Queen of the Desert

5) Foxcatcher

4) Leviathan

3) Two Days, One Night

2) Mr. Turner

1) Birdman

And this week's:

10) The Look of Silence
9) Red Army
8) Winter Sleep
7) Foxcatcher
6) The Roosevelts
5) Leviathan
4) Queen of the Desert
3) Mr. Turner
2) Two Days, One Night
1) Birdman


INDIEWIRE'S 40 AND TELLURIDE

IndieWire was up yesterday with their analysis of 40 films that they feel could/will play one of the four major film fests: Telluride, Venice, Toronto or New York.  They specifically mention Telluride half a dozen times, though rarely exclusively and certainly without any definitiveness.  Nevertheless, the films they mention with Telluride possibilities are:

"Far from the Madding Crowd"
"MacBeth"
"St. Vincent"
"Suite Francaise"
"Unbroken"
"Wild"

All of these have been discussed earlier on this blog.  I am still surprised at how consistently "Unbroken" gets bandied about as a Telluride possible.  That would be huge.  I should also hasten to add that the article is about "Premieres" so, necessarily, you have to believe that the films they think will be Toronto and New York  premieres will NOT play Telluride.  Additionally, that means that films they classify as possible for Venice would still be possible for Telluride play.  "Venice" possibles that are picked in their post are:

"Three Hearts"
"La Rancon de la Gloire"***
"99 Homes"
"Phoenix"***
"A Pigeon Sat in a Branch Reflecting on Existence"
"Queen of the Desert"***
"Mangelhorn"
"Miss Julie"
"Inherent Vice"
"Life"
"The Cut"
"Eden"***
"Every Thing Will Be Fine"
"Big Eyes"
"Birdman"***
"Carol"

I have *** next to the films that I feel have the best chance of playing both Venice and then Telluride.

As I have noted previously.  Up until last year, the Venice/Telluride cross-pollination was usually about three films.  Last year, however, there were six that played both places.  They were: "Bethlehem", "Gravity", "Tracks", "Under the Skin", "The Unknown Known" and "The Wind Rises".

Check the entire IndieWire post here:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/fall-festival-preview-40-films-that-could-debut-in-venice-toronto-telluride-or-new-york-20140708?page=1#

SEARCHING FOR THE FOX IN 2014

I am continuing my series of looking at distributors and their connection to Telluride over the past few years as a way of examining the potential film choices for TFF #41,  Today it's Fox Searchlight.  Here's what we have seen from them art Telluride over the past decade:

2004: Kinsey
2005: Bee Season
2006: The Last King of Scotland, The Namesake
2007: Juno, The Savages
2008: Slumdog Millionaire
2009: ZIP
2010: Never Let Me Go, 127 Hours, Black Swan, Millions
2011: Shame, The Descendants
2012: ZIP
2013: 12 Years a Slave

14 films in ten years.  The highwater mark coming in 2010 with 4 films on the SHOW list but  '09 and '12 with no films at all.  But when Fox Search plays, they usually light it up including two Best Picture winners that they had play T-ride including last year's "12 Years a Slave".  Looking at their current lineup of films purportedly ready as per IMDb.com you'll find that they have three films that could show at the SHOW:

Inarritu's "Birdman", Vallee's "Wild" and Vinterberg's "Far from the Madding Crowd"...though it is still unlikely to be ready in time for Labor Day weekend.  Meanwhile, if you read this space with much regularity, you know that I think the "Birdman" is very, very likely to make a Telluride play.  That leaves "Wild" as a question mark.  Currently, I'm not feeling it as a Telluride play (although star Reese Witherspoon won her Oscar for "Walk the Line" which played T-ride in 2005.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS AND MAGNOLIA

Today I'm looking at Roadside Attractions and Magnolia.

Roadside Attractions:  This entity has just become a player at Telluride in the last five years.  Prior to 2010 they didn't have a presence in the previous decade.  Even then, they've been limited to one film in each of the past three years but they've been fairly impressive films:

2010: Biutiful
2011: Albert Nobbs
2012: Stories We Tell
2013: All is Lost, Gloria


So what does Roadside Attractions have as possibles?

It seems to me that they really have only one film that's got a shot and that's the Tommy Lee Jones sophomore effort "The Homesman" and I have to say that I haven't really gotten a great Telluride vibe for it, at least so far.

What could surprise at Telluride is "'71", a film starring Jack O'Connell (who's going to be a big name come Oscar season as he stars as Louis Zamperini in Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken".  "71" played Berlin among other international fests and has generally been well received.  I could see it popping up as a part of the TFF #41 program.


How about Magnolia Films?

Today's other exploration of domestic distributors is Magnolia Pictures.  Their Telluride history for the past decade looks like this:

2004: Keane
2005: The Lost City
2006: Severance
2007: Redacted, The Princess of Nebraska, A Thousand Years of Good Prayers, Terror's Advocate
2008: Nope
2009: Nope
2010: Nope
2011: Nope
2012: The Hunt, A Royal Affair
2013: Nope


Magnolia has a couple of Cannes films in its basket.  Both of them have a reasonable chance of being a part of Telluride's 2014 lineup.  They are:

"Force Majeure" and "White God".  I'd give both films about a 40% chance of playing TFF #41 and maybe a slight edge to "Force Majeure".  It could go any of three ways with both films making the grade, one or the other or neither.  I'm guessing one does.

FOCUS FEATURES

Focus used to have  a presence at Telluride. Then last year, after a lengthy absence, they returned. Here's the list:

2003: Lost in Translation
2004: The Motorcycle Diaries
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Catch a Fire
2012: Hyde Park on Hudson



Focus has a couple of films that look like they could be Telluride possibles.  The Stephen Hawking biopic "The Theory of Everything" with Eddie Redmayne as Hawking and directed by James Marsh.  Marsh was in Telluride in 2009 with a segment of the "Red Riding" trilogy that played as a part of the TFF #36 program.

Poster image via Wikipedia

The other film with a shot is the Jeremy Renner starrer "Kill the Messenger" based on the true story of reporter Gary Webb who reported on CIA shenanigans in Nicaragua in the '90's.  Michael Cuesta directs.

Honestly, I don't have a big feel for either of these films.  I wouldn't be shocked if one or both made the lineup but I won't be shocked when they're absent either.  I might give "Theory" a slight edge because of Marsh's past participation at Telluride.  I'd give both about a 25% chance of playing absent any other factors.

IMDb pages for "The Theory of Everything" and "Kill the Messenger" are here:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2980516/?ref_=nv_sr_1

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1216491/?ref_=nv_sr_1

FILM MOVEMENT

This little known distribution outfit has been in and out as a presenter at Telluride over the past few years.

2004: Aaltra
2005: Be with Me
2009: Gigante
2010: If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle

As you can see, they're presence has been limited and spotty.  Nevertheless, they have one film in their basket that has a chance to make T-ride's lineup.  "Stations of the Cross" directed by Dietrich Bruggemann played well at the Berlin Film Festival where Telluride usually discovers a couple of films to program each year.  "Stations" won two prizes at Berlin for Screenplay and the Ecumenical Jury prize.  To me, that makes it a serious film to consider for Labor Day weekend in southwest Colorado.

ADOPT FILMS

Adopt Films made its Telluride debut two years ago in 2012 with "Barbara".  Than last year the distributor had "Bethlehem" at TFF.  This year they are the U.S. distributors for Cannes' Palme d'Or champion "Winter Sleep" which makes them a better than even bet to make the cut for TFF #41.



STRAND RELEASING

Here's what Strand has had at Telluride in the recent past:

2010: Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2011: Bonsai
2012: Paradise: Love
2013: The Missing Picture

So, Strand has been very consistent recently.  Another common thread is that all four of the above films played in some capacity at Cannes.  So the question becomes, does Strand have a project that fits this profile?  The answer is yes..."Girlhood"...played at Cannes and had a decent critical reaction.  So mark it down as a potential TFF #41 participant.



A24

A24 has not been around terribly long, but in their short existence they have come to play Telluride for the past two years.

2012: "Ginger and Rosa"
2013" "Under the Skin" and "Enemy"

So you have to think that they'll likely have a shot at something playing at T-ride.  What?

There's Atom Egoyan's "Captives" which was not all that well received at Cannes and seems a much more likely Toronto prospect.

Then there's J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year" with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain.  I'd like to believe that this film makes it to the San Juans.  The only other possibility is a virtually unknown flick from Julius Avery entitled "Son of a Gun"

Best chance is "A Most Violent Year"

DARDENNES TRAILER WITH MARION

A new trailer appeared yesterday for the Dardennes Brothers new film "Two Days, One Night" starring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard.  I'm still bullish on its chances of playing T-ride (see above). You'll note that The Playlist agrees in their story.  Links to the trailer and stories here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/marion-cotillard-two-days-one-night-dardenne-brothers

http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-first-trailer-for-the-dardenne-bros-two-days-one-night-starring-marion-cotillard-20140710

UNBROKEN TRAILER TOO

And also dropping a new trailer yesterday was Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken" which continues to get occasional mentions in a number of places that it could play Telluride.  Here's the link to the Variety story that includes the trailer:

http://variety.com/2014/film/news/angelina-jolie-unbroken-first-trailer-1201260261/

CLOUDS VIEW

Olivier Assayas' Cannes entry (and TFF #41 possible) "Clouds of Sils Maria" dropped a trailer yesterday.  Here it is from YouTube:

And accompanying stories from Awards Daily, FirstShowing and Movie City News:

http://www.awardsdaily.com/blog/international-trailer-for-clouds-of-sils-maria/

http://www.firstshowing.net/2014/kristen-stewart-in-new-international-clouds-of-sils-maria-trailer/

http://moviecitynews.com/2014/07/trailering-clouds-of-sils-maria-228/

GONE GIRL APPEARS

Now, understand, I don't really think David Fincher's "Gone Girl" will show at The SHOW...but... you know Fincher was feted as a Tributee in 2008 and that included footage of "Benjamen Button" and a screening of "Zodiac".  So, it's not entirely out of the question.

"Gone Girl" dropped a new trailer yesterday.  Here it is via Film Trailer Zone and YouTube:

And also, the story from HitFix/InContention:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/rosamund-pike-narrates-dark-new-trailer-for-david-finchers-gone-girl

Have a great weekend everyone...more on Monday...

Follow/Like Michael's Telluride Film Blog on Facebook/Twitter (@Gort2)

Adopt Films, Strand Releasing, A24/Count on Cousins/Wild Poster

Hello Wednesday...the Pattersons New York excursion continued yesterday with performances of "A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder" and the revival of "Les Miserables".  Was a pretty good day and just a note: Ramin Karimloo is unbelievable as Jean Valjean in "Les Miz".

"Les Miserables" star Ramin Karimloo and some guy

We continue to look at distributors that have had a serious presence at Telluride with Adopt Films, Strand Releasing and A24.

ADOPT FILMS

Adopt Films made its Telluride debut two years ago in 2012 with "Barbara".  Than last year the distributor had "Bethlehem" at TFF.  This year they are the U.S. distributors for Cannes' Palme d'Or champion "Winter Sleep" which makes them a better than even bet to make the cut for TFF #41.



STRAND RELEASING

Here's what Strand has had at Telluride in the recent past:

2010: Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
2011: Bonsai
2012: Paradise: Love
2013: The Missing Picture

So, Strand has been very consistent recently.  Another common thread is that all four of the above films played in some capacity at Cannes.  So the question becomes, does Strand have a project that fits this profile?  The answer is yes..."Girlhood"...played at Cannes and had a decent critical reaction.  So mark it down as a potential TFF #41 participant.



A24

A24 has not been around terribly long, but in their short existence they have come to play Telluride for the past two years.

2012: "Ginger and Rosa"
2013" "Under the Skin" and "Enemy"

So you have to think that they'll likely have a shot at something playing at T-ride.  What?

There's Atom Egoyan's "Captives" which was not all that well received at Cannes and seems a much more likely Toronto prospect.

Then there's J.C. Chandor's "A Most Violent Year" with Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain.  I'd like to believe that this film makes it to the San Juans.  The only other possibility is a virtually unknown flick from Julius Avery entitled "Son of a Gun"

Best chance is "A Most Violent Year"


COUNT ON COUSINS

Mark Cousins has become a common presence at the Telluride Film Festival 2009: "The First Movie", 2011; "The Story of Film: An Odyssey", 2012: "What is This Film Called Love?" and in 2013: "A Story of Children and Film".

Well, fear not Cousins fans, he's probably going to be back in Colorado on Labor Day weekend with another documentary project entitled "Life May Be" in which he co-directs and has a discussion with Iranian actress and director Mania Akbari.

Here's its IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3592704/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_2


WILD POSTER

Reese Witherspoon's "Wild" directed by Jean-Marc Vallee (Dallas Buyers Club) released a poster for the film yesterday (see above).  The film is being distributed by FOx Searchlight and has some potentail to make this year's Telluride lineup.  I've linked an accompanying story from HitFix:

http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/reese-witherspoon-hits-the-road-alone-in-new-wild-poster

and "Wild's" IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2305051/?ref_=ttco_co_tt


That's it today...more tomorrow including the latest Ten Bets list.

TFF #40 Films Still Winning/Best of the Week: Ten Bets #1; Anne and Eric Talk Telluride and Toronto; More on the Toronto Ultimatum; What's Up Ken's Sleeve: The Roosevelts; Winter's Adopted

Hello on the last Saturday in June from beautiful Grand Haven, MI.  The boss and I are slinging some art in this lakeside community.

TFF #40 FILMS STILL WINNING

HitFix reported yesterday that the Saturn Awards have been announced and TFF #40 films "Gravity" "Prisoners" and "12 Years a Slave" continue to win plaudits.

"Gravity" won five awards including Best Direction while "12 Years" was names Best Independent Film.  "Prisoners" won recognition for Best Makeup.

Take a look at the entire slate of Saturn Award winners and the HitFix story here:


http://www.hitfix.com/in-contention/2014-saturn-awards-winners

BEST OF THE WEEK

TEN BETS #1

Well, I've been teasing it for weeks now and it's finally time to take the plunge.  Here's the first "Ten Bets" list for the 41st Telluride Film Festival.  Here's your disclaimer...if the past is any indicator, only about half of these titles will actually end up on the TFF #41 program in two months.  Last year I my first "Ten Bets" list had six films that ended up playing as apart of TFF #40 ("Nebraska", "The Past", "Aguirre; The Wrath of God", "The Invisible Woman", "Labor Day" and "12 Years a Slave:). That being duly noted, here are your bets:

10) Salt of the Earth (Wenders)
9) Winter Sleep (Ceylan)
8) Red Army (Polsky)
7) Coming Home (Yimou)
6) Foxcatcher (Miller)
5) The Roosevelts (Burns)
4) Leviathan (Zvyagintsev)
3) Birdman (Inarritu)
2) Two Days, One Night (Dardennes)
1) Mr. Turner (Leigh)

Just under the "ten bets": "A Most Violent Year", "National Gallery" and "Queen of the Desert".


ANNE AND ERIC TALK TELLURIDE AND TORONTO

Anne Thompson of Thompson on Hollywood and Eric Kohn of IndieWire (who is Anne's new podcast partner) posted their second edition of  "ScreenTalk".  In it they spend a reasonable amount of time talking about the Toronto ultimatum about North American premieres, which is a direct shot across Telluride's bow. They also talk a bot about Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's "Birdman", which I'm very excited about and which will almost certainly be on the first 2014 TFF "Ten Bets" list (coming Friday).   The discussion of Toronto/Telluride situation and "Birdman" starts at about the 16 minute mark.  You'll find the entire podcast here:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/screen-talk-episode-2-boyhood-jersey-boys-telluride-vs-toronto-clash-more

MORE ON THE TORONTO ULTIMATUM

You've seen me writing about this quite a bit these past few months,  The Toronto International Film Fests demand that they will absolutely not program any film on their first four day weekend that isn't a world or North American premiere.  They've laid down that marker in an effort to prevent a repeat of the "12 Years a Slave" (and others) screenings that occurred in Telluride prior to screening at Toronto.

Well, yesterday the Toronto Star published a lengthy piece about the ultimatum.  What I found intriguing are the comments from Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard in which he states that he thinks Toronto has made a mistake.

That implies (at least to me) a couple of things.  First, even though Bernard declines to talk about SPC's plans and hopes for the fall fest season, you have to think that it's a pretty big signal that SPC is going to play Telluride like they always have and that actually moved the needle on where I placed "Foxcatcher" on the initial "Ten Bets" list above.  I also think that the subtext is there to support the notion that Bernard thinks that other distributors are likely to follow suit.

Of course, the TIFF peeps are all upbeat in the article...but I think they sound just a little too chirpy.

I don't know...look at it and see for yourself:


http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2014/06/26/tiff_vs_telluride_tussle_turns_movie_premieres_into_a_battle_of_wills_peter_howell_column.html

WHAT'S UP KEN'S SLEEVE

Long time Telluride Film mainstay Ken Burns has "The Roosevelts" up his sleeve.  It's a seven hour documentary about the famed American family focusing on Teddy, Franklin and Eleanor.  PBS is set to begin the series on Sept. 14th and it's that 9/14 date that makes me think that there's a good chance that Telluride patrons will be able to see at least some of the doc on Labor Day weekend.  Burns has often premiered parts of his current projects in the TFF forum and this wouldn't be a surprise.  Catch up on some details of this enterprise from The Poughkeepsee Journal (of all places) here:

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/2014/06/12/ken-burns-roosevelt-library/10376967/

The article includes video of Burns talking about the project.

MORE ROOSEVELT/BURNS INFO

Yesterday I reported that Ken Burns latest project, "The Roosevelts" was a seven hour documentary.  That's wrong.  It's a seven PART, 14 hour doc about Teddy, Franklin and Eleanor.  That's according to the National Endowment for the Arts press release/story that came out yesterday afternoon.  I have linked it here:

http://www.neh.gov/events/2014/09/14/the-roosevelts-intimate-history

Despite the length of the project, I still think we're likely to see some portions of the project available for viewing in the San Juans over Labor Day weekend.


WINTER'S ADOPTED

"Winter Sleep" poster via IMDb.com

Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Cannes Palme d'Or winner has just been picked up for U.S. distribution by Adopt Films.  The acquisition probably increases the Telluride profile of the three hour plus film that won the Palme and was a critical darling last month.  Adopt has a rather short pedigree but it does include "Bethlehem" which played T-ride last year and "Barbara" which was a part of the 2012 TFF lineup.

I had been thinking that this might be one of those years where the Palme winner didn't make the Telluride lineup.  The Palme presence at Telluride is about 50/50.  Over the past 11 years T-ride has programmed these Palme winners: "Elephant" (Van Sant) '03, "The Child" (Dardennes Bros.) '05, "4 Months, Three Weeks, Two Days" (Mungiu) '07, "The White Ribbon" (Haneke) '09, "Amour" (Haneke) '12 and "Blue is the Warmest Color" (Kechechie) '13.But during that same span Palme winners "Fahrenheit 9/11", "The Wind that Shakes the Barley", "The Class", "Uncle Boonmee" and "The Tree of Life" did not play Telluride.

Ultimately, the news that Adopt Films has the U.S. distribution probably nudges "Winter Sleep" into the "more than 50% chance of playing Telluride" camp.  But just barely.

Here are a couple of posts about the Adopt acquisition:

Thompson on Hollywood:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/adopt-films-grabs-us-rights-to-palme-dor-winner-winter-sleep

The Dissolve:

http://thedissolve.com/news/2544-palme-dor-winner-winter-sleep-secures-stateside-di/

"Winter Sleep" IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2758880/?ref_=nv_sr_1

More on Monday.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Ten Bets/Variety Looks at the Possible Oscar Field/More on the Toronto Ultimatum

Good Friday to All...


TEN BETS #1

Well, I've been teasing it for weeks now and it's finally time to take the plunge.  Here's the first "Ten Bets" list for the 41st Telluride Film Festival.  Here's your disclaimer...if the past is any indicator, only about half of these titles will actually end up on the TFF #41 program in two months.  Last year I my first "Ten Bets" list had six films that ended up playing as apart of TFF #40 ("Nebraska", "The Past", "Aguirre; The Wrath of God", "The Invisible Woman", "Labor Day" and "12 Years a Slave:). That being duly noted, here are your bets:

10) Salt of the Earth (Wenders)
9) Winter Sleep (Ceylan)
8) Red Army (Polsky)
7) Coming Home (Yimou)
6) Foxcatcher (Miller)
5) The Roosevelts (Burns)
4) Leviathan (Zvyagintsev)
3) Birdman (Inarritu)
2) Two Days, One Night (Dardennes)
1) Mr. Turner (Leigh)

Just under the "ten bets": "A Most Violent Year", "National Gallery" and "Queen of the Desert".

Of course, this could all be wrong.


VARIETY LOOKS AT THE OSCAR FIELD (and I make a few comments)

Variety posted an article yesterday looking at over 40 potential Oscar contenders.  I took a stroll through them all.  Of the films it listed, there are a number (as you might expect) of Telluride possibles including: "Birdman", "Foxcatcher", "A Most Violent Year", "The Imitation Game", "Mr. Turner" and "Men, Women and Children" although I personally still expect that the latter will skip T-ride and go directly to Toronto.

Check out the entire gallery of more than 40 films here:

http://variety.com/gallery/2014-oscars-this-years-potential-contenders/#!41/other-contenders/


MORE ON THE TORONTO ULTIMATUM

You've seen me writing about this quite a bit these past few months,  The Toronto International Film Fests demand that they will absolutely not program any film on their first four day weekend that isn't a world or North American premiere.  They've laid down that marker in an effort to prevent a repeat of the "12 Years a Slave" (and others) screenings that occurred in Telluride prior to screening at Toronto.

Well, yesterday the Toronto Star published a lengthy piece about the ultimatum.  What I found intriguing are the comments from Sony Pictures Classics co-president Tom Bernard in which he states that he thinks Toronto has made a mistake.

That implies (at least to me) a couple of things.  First, even though Bernard declines to talk about SPC's plans and hopes for the fall fest season, you have to think that it's a pretty big signal that SPC is going to play Telluride like they always have and that actually moved the needle on where I placed "Foxcatcher" on the initial "Ten Bets" list above.  I also think that the subtext is there to support the notion that Bernard thinks that other distributors are likely to follow suit.

Of course, the TIFF peeps are all upbeat in the article...but I think they sound just a little too chirpy.

I don't know...look at it and see for yourself:


http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2014/06/26/tiff_vs_telluride_tussle_turns_movie_premieres_into_a_battle_of_wills_peter_howell_column.html


More tomorrow from Grand Haven, Michigan...

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Winter's Adopted/More Roosevelt-Burns Info/McQueen's Casting Call

It's Tuesday!

WINTER'S ADOPTED

"Winter Sleep" poster via IMDb.com

Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Cannes Palme d'Or winner has just been picked up for U.S. distribution by Adopt Films.  The acquisition probably increases the Telluride profile of the three hour plus film that won the Palme and was a critical darling last month.  Adopt has a rather short pedigree but it does include "Bethlehem" which played T-ride last year and "Barbara" which was a part of the 2012 TFF lineup.

I had been thinking that this might be one of those years where the Palme winner didn't make the Telluride lineup.  The Palme presence at Telluride is about 50/50.  Over the past 11 years T-ride has programmed these Palme winners: "Elephant" (Van Sant) '03, "The Child" (Dardennes Bros.) '05, "4 Months, Three Weeks, Two Days" (Mungiu) '07, "The White Ribbon" (Haneke) '09, "Amour" (Haneke) '12 and "Blue is the Warmest Color" (Kechechie) '13.But during that same span Palme winners "Fahrenheit 9/11", "The Wind that Shakes the Barley", "The Class", "Uncle Boonmee" and "The Tree of Life" did not play Telluride.

Ultimately, the news that Adopt Films has the U.S. distribution probably nudges "Winter Sleep" into the "more than 50% chance of playing Telluride" camp.  But just barely.

Here are a couple of posts about the Adopt acquisition:

Thompson on Hollywood:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/adopt-films-grabs-us-rights-to-palme-dor-winner-winter-sleep

The Dissolve:

http://thedissolve.com/news/2544-palme-dor-winner-winter-sleep-secures-stateside-di/

"Winter Sleep" IMDb page:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2758880/?ref_=nv_sr_1


MORE ROOSEVELT/BURNS INFO

Ken Burns (photo via IMDb.com)

Yesterday I reported that Ken Burns latest project, "The Roosevelts" was a seven hour documentary.  That's wrong.  It's a seven PART, 14 hour doc about Teddy, Franklin and Eleanor.  That's according to the National Endowment for the Arts press release/story that came out yesterday afternoon.  I have linked it here:

http://www.neh.gov/events/2014/09/14/the-roosevelts-intimate-history

Despite the length of the project, I still think we're likely to see some portions of the project available for viewing in the San Juans over Labor Day weekend.

MC QUEEN'S CASTING CALL

Photo of Steve McQueen via Shadow and Act

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the work of British film director Steve McQueen.  Further, all three of his feature films have played the Telluride fest : "Hunger", "shame" and "12 Years a Slave".  McQueen is now prepping a project for HBO...which doesn't necessarily mean that we won't see some of it at a future Telluride.  T-ride has shown a willingness to play television projects (i.e. "Red Riding" trilogy, "Carlos").  So it shouldn't be discounted.

Nonetheless, McQueen has apparently set out to cast a newcomer as I saw this casting call announcement/story yesterday from IndieWire blog Shadow and Act:


http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/casting-call-for-lead-role-in-steve-mcqueens-hbo-project

Also noted in the story is the participation of "The King's Speech" producers Ian Canning and Emile Sherman...makes you think a bit...


More tomorrow...

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