I’m back home after another amazing experience at the Telluride Film Festival.
One of the things I love about the festival is that I feel at home there. It’s a beautiful location, the people tend to be friendly, the movies are always impressive (in one or more ways), the Noon seminars and Conversations are engaging, and I get to be one of the first people to see some great movies.
Here are a few of the moments that stand out for me this year.
On Friday night (8/29), I finally watched Rashomon. I was struck by the loud laughing and crying from the characters on screen. We’re left to wonder exactly what happened.
On Saturday morning (8/30), I rode on the gondola with a mountain biker who gave Stellan Skarsgard a ride to the festival from the airport. Someone else told me that Colin Farrell bought him a cup of coffee after chatting in the line.
I’ve met so many fascinating people while waiting in lines at the festival! Pretty much everyone there enjoys watching good movies. It’s fun hearing what they love, what they don’t recommend, and what they do when they’re not at Telluride.
The Tribute to Ethan Hawke was amazing. After seeing a few clips of his work, Ethan answered several questions before we all watched Blue Moon.
At the Noon Seminar (on 8/30), Alexander Skarsgard appeared with Edward Berger, Riz Ahmed, Claire Foy, and Oliver Hermanus. They talked about Cinematic Adaptations of Obsession.
While I did not see Bruce Springsteen, he was also there, along with George Clooney, Elle Fanning, and Laura Dern.
I attended the 2 PM Conversation with Jodie Foster, Rose Byrne, and their directors. “Genre is like a language that you can inject into any film.”
The 4 PM Conversation considered the similarities and differences between stories by journalists and stories by documentary film makers. My conclusion is that both are vitally important!
On Sunday (8/31), I went to the 10 AM Conversation with Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Scott Cooper, and John Horn. White talked about “… not feeling present in your own life…” Bruce Springsteen was often on set to help them with portraying a difficult time in his life.
Next, I saw The Secret Agent, an excellent movie about Brazil in the year 1977. I really enjoyed the Q&A with the main actor and director. Given the parallels with what’s happening in the USA today, we were encouraged to be true to our values.
At 7 PM, I watched Pillion. Once again, I appreciated hearing from Alexander Skarsgard. As he talked about playing an enigmatic character in this movie, I couldn’t help picturing him as Murderbot!
I wanted to see Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere on Monday (9/1). Unfortunately, I made it to the theatre ten minutes too late. Oh, well!
I don’t worry too much about not seeing every movie playing at the festival. I know that I’ll be able to catch most of them within the next year.
It’s nice to know that the experience of being at a Telluride Film Festival doesn’t end when the festival is over!
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