Telluride Film Festival, Day 1
Ah, the Telluride Film Festival. I attended it in 1987, but have visited the magical mountain town many times since 1978, first as a musician in local clubs and the Telluride Bluegrass Festival (1979 and 1980), then as a spectator accompanying my good friend and former music partner Pat Flynn when he played with the New Grass Revival.
What makes the Telluride Film Festival so special? Jay Fernandez (THR / Risky Business) provides this first-hand report:
It’s Friday afternoon, and the Telluride Film Festival is about to launch with its opening night on the main street of Colorado Ave. The first tide of screenings tonight includes Fernando Trueba’s animated Afro-Cuban jazz film, “Chico and Rita,” which the fest’s co-directors are high on; a tribute to Peter Weir and his work, followed by the screening of his new film, “The Way Back”; and a sneak peek at Mark Romanek’s “Never Let Me Go” at the Palm.
Later tonight, Errol Morris’ new doc, “Tabloid,” will have its first late-night screening, also at the Palm.
The atmosphere is buoyed by a cool mountain breeze and the animated chatter of Telluride cineastes who moon over rare prints and gab about articles they’ve read in the Atlantic Monthly. In the meantime, every time I go back to my hotel I am confronted with the sign: “IT’S BEAR SEASON. PLEASE KEEP OUTSIDE DOORS CLOSED.” It’s that juxtaposition of the brute elements and the passionate enthusiasm of urbane cinema lovers that makes Telluride such a unique seduction.
Local charm and mingling with actors and directors aside, it’s mostly about the movies, of course. The first distribution deal has been announced:
Just 24 hours before his new film “The Way Back” is set to have its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, Peter Weir and Newmarket Films have announced that the indie distributor has acquired rights to the World War II adventure drama for U.S. audiences. Newmarket will release the film Jan. 21.
Produced by Exclusive Films, “The Way Back” features Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Mark Strong and Saoirse Ronan and will screen Friday night at the Galaxy Theatre after a special tribute to Weir and his work. The film, which Weir based on Slavomir Rawicz’s book “The Long Walk: The True Story of a Trek to Freedom,” tells the story of a disparate group of prisoners who escape from a Siberian gulag in 1940 and struggle across hundreds of miles and several countries together until they reach Tibet and India.
The first two reviews are out as well. From SlashFilm (Peter Sciretta), a strong review for Never Let Me Go:
The film is emotionally powerful, a haunting meditation about love, death, humanity and acceptance. The performances are all top notch — fantastic performances across the board, but Carey Mulligan is center stage. Mulligan deserves a nomination, which if it happens, would be the second year in a row.
Another good review (John Horn) for the documentary Precious Life:
Peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas are stalled over settlements, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the negotiations are doomed to fail, and Gaza militant groups are promising to increase Israeli attacks.
It’s hard to find much immediate hope for an end to Middle East hostilities — unless you look toward this weekend’s Telluride Film Festival, which is showing the new documentary “Precious Life.”
At first glance, the nonfiction film is a story about modern medicine: how a bone marrow transplant can save the life of an infant born without a functioning immune system. Yet the circumstances of the specific situation — the patient is an Arab from Gaza, while his doctor and caregivers are Jews in Israel — turn “Precious Life” into a complex human and political drama, where healing isn’t limited to hospital treatments.
More news from Telluride as the weekend proceeds.
UPDATE: Cinematical review of Peter Weir’s new movie The Way Back (Weir wrote the screenplay, adapting the story from a novel by Slavomir Rawicz).
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