The official lineup for the 51st Telluride Film Festival has been announced, unveiling a series of world premieres from awards hopefuls.
Highlights include Edward Berger’s religious thriller “Conclave,” RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys” film adaptation, Jason Reitman’s “Saturday Night,” Joshua Oppenheimer’s apocalyptic musical “The End,” and Malcolm Washington’s film adaptation of the August Wilson play “The Piano Lesson.”
The Colorado-based festival will also honor three distinguished figures in cinema: four-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan, who stars in and produced the drama “The Outrun”; three-time Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker; and French director Jacques Audiard, whose film “Emilia Pérez” will make its U.S. debut after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won best actress for its stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz.
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Among the U.S. debuts are several notable Cannes selections, including Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner “Anora,” Payal Kapadia’s runner-up “All We Imagine as Light,” Andrea Arnold’s “Bird” and Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig.”
The festival will also feature the world premieres of musician biopics “Better Man,” which chronicles Robbie Williams’s life, and “Piece by Piece,” an animated music biopic about Pharrell Williams.
Some other movies will arrive from the Venice Film Festival, such as Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” a biopic about opera singer Maria Callas starring Angelina Jolie, recently acquired by Netflix.
Notable sales titles are on the docket, such as Tim Fehlbaum’s “September 5,” which follows the 1972 Munich Olympic attacks from the broadcaster’s perspective, and Embeth Davidtz’s directorial debut “Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight.”
The festival will showcase nearly 60 feature films, short films and revival programs representing 26 countries. Traditionally, some TBA slots on the schedule include surprise screenings, which will be announced over the weekend.
Read: You can see all Academy Award predictions in all 23 categories on one page on theVarietyAwards Circuit:Oscars.
“There’s a normalcy that’s starting to feel very good again,” said Julie Huntsinger, executive director of the Telluride Film Festival. “People want to feel hopeful. Some movies are so powerful they bring you to tears, but as I always say, we reflect what these great filmmakers want to discuss. We want to find a way to move closer to the light.”
Huntsinger highlighted a few standout films in this year’s lineup, particularly “Nickel Boys.” “I love all the films, but this one has a unique light of admiration that you just can’t ignore. It’s incredibly good.”
She also touted Saldaña’s performance in “Emilia Perez,” whom she calls “unbelievably good” in the film. “I walked out of there going, fuck yeah!”
Additionally, Huntsinger hinted at the ongoing renovation of the Nugget Theater, a key festival venue. The “Nugget Project” is described as a significant step forward for the festival, aimed at preserving the future of theatrical cinema and creating a year-round art cinema center for the Telluride community.
“We are beyond grateful for our treasured long-term relationships and excited to welcome exceptional new partners to our festival environment,” Huntsinger said. “As we embark on the 51st edition of the Telluride Film Festival, our corporate, institutional and philanthropic supporters light the path ahead. Our ambitious $25 million capital campaign welcomes major gifts to take us to the finish line as construction is underway on our new forever home at Telluride’s historic Nugget Building.”
The 51st Telluride Film Festival runs Friday, Aug. 30 to Monday, Sept. 2.
Main Slate (The Show)
Short Films
Silver Medallion Awards
Guest Director Selections — Kenneth Lonergan
Special Medallion Award
Backlot
Special Screenings and Festivities
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