By Matt Neglia
The Telluride Film Festival announced its official program selections for the returning 48th edition of the film festival after being forced to cancel last year due to COVID-19. The festival serves as the unofficial kick-off to awards season as 10 of the previous 11 Best Picture winners have screened at the festival along with some of the best films of the year. Despite paying a pretty penny to attend, no one ever knows the lineup until the very last minute (I fly out later today). Despite this, the festival always manages to drum up excitement for its secretive lineup. This year was no exception as the festival promised to come back more prominent than ever, with one extra day added to allow the films to be shown to as many people as possible with COVID-19 restriction protocols in place. The festival will run from September 2nd-6th.
Click below to see how accurate my predictions were and to see who will be receiving tribute awards this year.
THE AUTOMAT (d. Lisa Hurwitz, U.S., 2021) In person: Lisa Hurwitz
BECOMING COUSTEAU (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2021) In person: Liz Garbus
BELFAST (d. Kenneth Branagh, U.K., 2021) In person: Kenneth Branagh, Jamie Dornan
BERGMAN ISLAND (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France/Germany/Sweden, 2021) In person: Mia Hansen-Løve
BITTERBRUSH (d. Emelie Mahdavian, U.S., 2021) In person: Emelie Mahdavian, Colie Moline
C’MON C’MON (d. Mike Mills, U.S., 2021) In person: Mike Mills, Gaby Hoffman, Molly Webster
CITIZEN ASHE (d. Sam Pollard, Rex Miller, U.S./U.K., 2021) In person: Sam Pollard, Rex Miller
COW (d. Andrea Arnold, U.K., 2021) In person: Andrea Arnold
CYRANO (d. Joe Wright, U.K., 2021) In person: Joe Wright, Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Erica Schmidt, Bryce Dessner, Aaron Dessner
THE DUKE (d. Roger Michell, U.K., 2021) In person: Roger Michell, Helen Mirren
THE ELECTRICAL LIFE OF LOUIS WAIN (d. Will Sharpe, U.K., 2021) In person: Will Sharpe, Benedict Cumberbatch
ENCOUNTER (d. Michael Pearce, U.S., 2021) In person: Michael Pearce
FAUCI (d. John Hoffman, Janet Tobias, U.S., 2021) In person: John Hoffman, Janet Tobias, Steven Wakefield, Peter Staley
FLEE (d. Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Denmark, 2021) In person: Jonas Poher Rasmussen
HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG (d. Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller, U.S., 2021) In person: Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine, Sharon Robinson,
THE HAND OF GOD (d. Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, 2021) In person: Paolo Sorrentino, Teresa Saponangelo, Luisa Ranieri, Filippo Scotti
A HERO (d. Asghar Farhadi, Iran/France, 2021) In person: Asghar Farhadi
JULIA (d. Julie Cohen, Betsy West, U.S., 2021) In person: Julie Cohen, Betsy West
KING RICHARD (d. Reinaldo Marcus Green, U.S., 2021) In person: Reinaldo Marcus Green
THE LOST DAUGHTER (d. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Greece/U.S./U.K./Israel, 2021) In person: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard, Ed Harris
MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON (d. Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate, U.S, 2021) In person: Dean Fleischer-Camp, Jenny Slate
MUHAMMAD ALI (d. Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon, U.S., 2021) In person: Sarah Burns, David McMahon, Rasheda Ali, Michael Bentt
NUCLEAR FAMILY (d. Ry Russo-Young, U.S., 2021) In person: Ry Russo-Young, Sandra Russo, Robin Young
PETITE MAMAN (d. Céline Sciamma, France, 2021) In person: Céline Sciamma
THE POWER OF THE DOG (d. Jane Campion, Australia/New Zealand, 2021) In person: Jane Campion, Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons
PROCESSION (d. Robert Greene, U.S., 2021) In person: Robert Greene, Dan Laurine, Ed Gavagan, Mike Foreman, Michael Sandridge, Joe Eldred, Tom Viviano, Terrick Trobough
THE REAL CHARLIE CHAPLIN (d. James Spinney, Peter Middleton, U.S., 2021) In person: James Spinney, Peter Middleton
RED ROCKET (d. Sean Baker, U.S., 2021) In person: Sean Baker, Simon Rex, Bree Elrod, Ethan Darbone, Brittney Rodriguez, Suzanna Son
THE RESCUE (d. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, U.S./U.K., 2021) In person: Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Mitch Torrel, Thanet Natisri
RIVER (d. Jennifer Peedom, Australia, 2021)
THE SAME STORM (d. Peter Hedges, U.S., 2021) In person: Peter Hedges, Noma Dumezweni, Mary-Louise Parker
SPEER GOES TO HOLLYWOOD (d. Vanessa Lapa, Israel/Austria/Germany, 2021) In person: Vanessa Lapa
SPENCER (d. Pablo Larraín, U.K./Germany/Chile, 2021) In person: Pablo Larraín, Kristen Stewart
TORN (d. Max Lowe, U.S., 2021) In person: Max Lowe, Conrad Anker, Jennifer Lowe-Anker, Isaac Lowe-Anker, Sam Lowe-Anker
UNCLENCHING THE FISTS (d. Kira Kovalenko, Russia, 2021) In person: Kira Kovalenko
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (d. Todd Haynes, U.S., 2021) In person: Todd Haynes, Ed Lachman
The 2021 Silver Medallion Awards, given to recognize an artist’s significant contribution to the world of cinema, will be presented to Oscar nominated actor Riz Ahmed (with ENCOUNTER), Oscar winning filmmaker Jane Campion (with THE POWER OF THE DOG), and Emmy Award-winning actor Peter Dinklage (with CYRANO). Tribute programs include a selection of clips, the presentation of the Silver Medallion, and a screening of the aforementioned films.
Barry Jenkins, this year’s Guest Director, serves as a key collaborator in the Festival’s programming decisions. He has curated the following special selections:
WEST INDIES (d. Med Hondo, France/Mauritania/Algeria, 1979)
CHOCOLAT (d. Claire Denis, France, 1988)
LOOKING FOR LANGSTON (d. Isaac Julien, U.K., 1989)
GARDEN (d. Ruthie Shatz, Adi Barash, Israel, 2003) In person: Adi Barash, Ruthie Shatz
KAHLIL JOSEPH: SELECTED WORKS In person: Kahlil Joseph
RUSSIAN ARK (d. Aleksandr Sokurov, Russia, 2003)
Additional film revival programs include THE APACHES OF ATHENS (d. Dimítrios Gaziadis, Greece, 1929), and FRAGMENT OF AN EMPIRE (d. Fridrikh Ermler, USSR, 1929), the latter of which will follow a presentation of the Special Medallion award to film scholar Annette Insdorf. The Special Medallion is given to celebrate a hero of cinema who preserves, honors and presents great movies.
Backlot, Telluride’s intimate screening room featuring behind-the-scenes movies and portraits of artists, musicians, and filmmakers will screen the following programs:
ANDREI TARKOVSKY: A CINEMA PRAYER (d. Andrei Tarkovsky, Italy/Russia/Sweden, 2019)
BERNSTEIN’S WALL (d. Douglas Tirola, U.S., 2021) In person: Douglas Tirola
DARK FRAMES (d. Tom Thurman, U.S., 2021) In person: Tom Thurman
EDNA (d. Eryk Rocha, Brazil, 2021) In person: Eryk Rocha
JOYCE CAROL OATES: A BODY IN THE SERVICE OF MIND (d. Stig Björkman, Sweden, 2021)
LAND OF GOLD (d. Peter Sellars, U.S., 2021) In person: Jon Else, Peter Sellars
SONGS FOR DRELLA (d. Ed Lachman, U.S., 1990) In person: Ed Lachman
STAY PRAYED UP (d. D.L. Anderson, Matt Durning, U.S., 2021) In person: D.L. Anderson, Matt Durning, Phil Cook, Lena Mae Perry
THE STORY OF LOOKING (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2021)
THREE MINUTES – A LENGTHENING (d. Bianca Stigter, Netherlands, U.K., 2021)
THE VILLAGE DETECTIVE: A SONG CYCLE (d. Bill Morrison, U.S., 2021) In person: Bill Morrison
Special Screenings will play throughout the Festival including the short film LEAD ME HOME (d. Jon Shenk, Pedro Kos, U.S., 2021) with both filmmakers in person; a new cut of THE OUTSIDERS (d. Francis Ford Coppola, U.S., 1993) presented by Coppola and Matt Dillon; THE RAIN PEOPLE (d. Francis Ford Coppola, U.S., 1969) with Coppola in person; EL GRAN FELLOVE (d. Matt Dillon, U.S., 2020) presented by Dillon; and MISSISSIPPI MASALA (d. Mira Nair, U.S., 1991) with Nair in person.
Additional Festivities will take place throughout the Festival including THE TOUCH (d. Ingmar Bergman, Sweden, 1971); a gallery of Laurie Anderson’s Covid-19 Zoom lectures entitled: SPENDING THE WAR WITHOUT YOU; and a Poster Signing with previously announced 2021 poster artist Luke Dorman of Meow Wolf.
“We have prepared for just about anything this year,” said executive director Julie Huntsinger. “Attending Telluride is always an adventure: the altitude, the weather, and the travel requirements to get here are not for the faint of heart. But the past two years have led us to a moment where we truly understand the phrase anything is possible, and we are ready. We have heard the incredible excitement from our film community about our ability to reconvene in the beautiful Telluride setting and are just as thrilled to pick up where we left off. We are full of gratitude and anticipation to head back to our favorite activity – sitting in the dark and watching the very best works our cinematic leaders have created – and find ourselves more in love with film than ever.
What do you think of this year’s lineup? Are you excited for the fall film festivals? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below or on our Twitter account.
You can follow Matt and hear more of his thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @NextBestPicture
