Telluride in action (September 4-7, 2009)

Telluride Film Festival (September 4-7, 2009), presented by the National Film Preserve is proud to announce its 2009 Festival program. Twenty-four new feature films will play in the Festival's main program; eleven revivals including six programmed by 2009 Festival Guest Director Alexander Payne; twenty-nine short films; and ten documentaries will screen in the Backlot program.  Celebrating works from over twenty-five countries, Telluride Film Festival opens Friday, September 4 and runs through Monday, September 7, 2009.

Breaking Telluride precedent, the Festival will officially begin at 2:00 pm on Friday afternoon with a marathon screening of the three-part U.K. film trilogy: RED RIDING. The screenings are open to all Passholders and will be held at the Palm Theatre.

THE ‘SHOW'

36th Telluride Film Festival is pleased to present the following new feature films to play in the ‘SHOW':

• A PROPHET (d. Jacques Audiard, Germany/Austria/France, 2009)
• AN EDUCATION (d. Lone Sherfig, U.K., 2009)
• BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS (d. Werner Herzog, U.S., 2009)
• BRIGHT STAR (d. Jane Campion, U.K./Australia/France, 2009)
• COCO BEFORE CHANEL (d. Anne Fontaine, France, 2009)
• FAREWELL (d. Christian Carion, France, 2009)
• FISH TANK (d. Andrea Arnold, U.K., 2009)
• GIGANTE (d. Adrián Biniez, Uruguay, 2009)
• HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOUT'S INFERNO (d. Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea, France, 2009)
• LIFE DURING WARTIME (d. Todd Solondz, U.S., 2009)
• LONDON RIVER (d. Rachid Bouchareb, U.K./France/Algeria, 2009)
• RED RIDING - three-part series: 1974 (d. Julian Jarrold, U.K., 2009); 1980 (d. James Marsh, U.K., 2009); 1983 (d. Anand Tucker, U.K., 2009)
• ROOM AND A HALF (d. Andrey Khrzhanovsky, Russia, 2009)
• SAMSON & DELILAH (d. Warwick Thornton, Australia, 2009)
• SLEEP FURIOUSLY (d. Gideon Koppel, U.K., 2007)
• TERRA MADRE (d. Ermanno Olmi, Italy, 2009)
• THE JAZZ BARONESS (d. Hannah Rothschild, U.K. 2009)
• THE LAST STATION (d. Michael Hoffman, U.K., 2009)
• THE MISCREANTS OF TALIWOOD (d. George Gittoes, Australia/Pakistan, 2009)
• THE ROAD (d. John Hillcoat, U.S., 2009)
• THE WHITE RIBBON (d. Michael Haneke, Germany/Australia/France, 2009)
• VINCERE (d. Marco Bellocchio, Italy, 2009)
• VISION (d. Margarethe von Trotta, Germany, 2009)
• WINDOW (d. Buddhadeb Dasgupta, India, 2009)

In keeping with Festival tradition, additional "Sneak Previews" are expected to surprise attendees over the weekend. Sneaks will be announced on the Telluride Film Festival webpage throughout the weekend at http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/.

MEDALLION AWARDS

The 2009 Silver Medallion awards, given to recognize an artist's significant contribution to the world of cinema, go to:

• ANOUK AIMÉE - French film star Anouk Aimée will receive the Silver Medallion followed by an onstage interview conducted by Scott Foundas (Friday) and Davia Nelson (Saturday). The program will include a screening of Jacques Demy's 1961 film, LOLA, starring Aimée in her iconic role as the lovelorn burlesque dancer.
• VIGGO MORTENSEN - Telluride audiences will be the first to see American actor Viggo Mortensen's performance in John Hillcoat's THE ROAD. The film will be preceded by the presentation of the Silver Medallion and an onstage interview with Ken Burns (Sunday) and Davia Nelson (Monday).
• MARGARETHE VON TROTTA - Historical filmmaker, actress and a key member of New German Cinema, von Trotta will be presented with the Silver Medallion by Barbara Sukowa, followed by an onstage interview conducted by Annette Insdorf (Friday) and Gary Giddens (Saturday). A screening of Von Trotta's latest film, VISION, will follow the program.

Lobster Films' Serge Bromberg will receive this year's Special Medallion award, which honors a "hero" of cinema, at the program "Retour de Flamme," Bromberg's famed live cinema show. Bromberg's new film, HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOUT'S INFERNO plays in main program. Bromberg will also sign Flicker Alley DVD sets featuring works discovered and restored by Lobster Films.

GUEST DIRECTOR PROGRAMS

Previously announced Guest Director Alexander Payne (http://telluridefilmfestival.org/press/releases) presents six forgotten film treasures from the past:

• EL VERDUGO (d. Luís García Berlanga, Spain, 1963)
• DAISAN NO KAGEMUSHA: THE THIRD SHADOW WARRIOR (d. Inoue Umetsugu, Japan, 1963)
• LE RAGAZZE DI PIAZZA DI SPAGNA (d. Luciano Emmer, Italy 1952)
• DAY OF THE OUTLAW (d. André De Tothe, U.S., 1959)
• THE BREAKING POINT (d. Michael Curtiz, U.S., 1950)
• MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (d. Leo McCarey, U.S., 1937)

FILM REVIVALS

• LES NOUVEAUX MESSIEUR (d. Jacques Feyder, France, 1929) - With live music by Stephen Horne, performing his original score
• L'ARGENT (d. Marcel L'Herier, France, 1928) - Featuring the world premiere of a new score written and performed by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra
• LOLA (d. Jacques Demy, France, 1961)
• MIRACLE OF MALACHIAS (d. Bernhard Wicki, Germany, 1961)
• TONI (d. Jean Renoir, France, 1934)

BACKLOT

Backlot, Telluride's intimate screening room with behind-the-scenes films and biographies of musicians and filmmakers, will screen the following documentaries:

• 14-18: THE NOISE AND THE FURY (d. Jean-Francois Delassus, France/Belgium, 2009)
• 1959: THE YEAR THAT CHANGED JAZZ FOREVER (d. Paul Bernays, U.K., 2009)
• AGAINST THE GRAIN: THE FILM LEGEND OF BERNHARD WICKI (d. Elisabeth Endriss-Wicki, Germany, 2007)
• CHARLIE HADEN: RAMBLING BOY (d. Reto Caduff, U.K., 2009)
• COOL (d. Anthony Wall, U.K., 2009)
• DISCO AND ATOMIC WAR (d. Jaak Kilmi, Estonia/Finland, 2009)
• IT CAME FROM KUCHAR (d. Jennifer Kroot, U.S., 2009)
• THE MAKING OF SAMSON & DELILAH (d. Beck Cole, Australia, 2009)
• VIET HARLAN: IN THE SHAD OF JUD SUSS (d. Felix Moeller, Germany, 2009)
• WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY (d. Don Hahn, U.S., 2009)
• WE WHO LIVED "LA DOLCE VITA" (d. Gianfranco Mingozzi, Italy, 2009)

SHORT FILMS

SHOWcase for Shorts features nine short films chosen to precede select feature films. Filmmakers of Tomorrow includes two shorts programs, Great Expectations and Student Prints, from fourteen emerging filmmakers and a special nonfiction program, In the Realms of the Real, screens six short and medium length documentaries.

EDUCATION PROGRAMS

The Student Symposium provides 50 graduate and undergraduate college students a weekend-long immersion in cinema; the City Lights Project brings fifteen high school students and five teachers from three divergent schools the opportunity to participate in a concentrated program of screenings and discussions.

CELEBRATING MANNY FARBER

The previously announced Celebration of Manny Farber (http://telluridefilmfestival.org/press/releases) includes a screening of one of Farber's favorite films, TONI, followed by a panel discussion exploring Farber's work with Greil Marcus, Jean-Pierre Gorin, Kent Jones, Robert Polito, Robert Walsh and Patricia Patterson. Following the panel, editor Robert Polito will sign copies of Farber On Film: The Complete Writings of Manny Farber.

POSTER ARTIST WILLIAM WEGMAN

Previously announced Poster Artist William Wegman (http://telluridefilmfestival.org/press/releases) will present a selection of his short films followed by a conversation with art curator David Ross and the audience. Poster signing to follow. An exhibit of the posters with which Wegman experimented before selecting the final version will be on display at the Wegman Gallery, along with a series of original paintings created for Telluride and the unveiling of a second, limited edition poster. Gallery only open throughout the four-day Festival.

TALKING HEADS

Features six Conversations between Festival guests and the audience about film and culture, and three outdoor Seminars with a panel of Festival guests. These programs are free and open to the public.

ADDITIONAL FESTIVITIES

• Fellini's Book of Dreams - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' exhibition includes reproductions of the 12-time Oscar nominee Federico Fellini's dream-world sketches.
• Russian Master: Animation by Khrzhanovsky - A rare screening of Andrey Khrzhanovsky's animated films. His debut feature ROOM AND A HALF plays in the main program.
• Alice Waters Book signing - Following the screening and intro of TERRA MADRE, Waters, vice president of Slow Foods International, will sign her classic Art of Simple Foods

The Festival's program will be posted in its entirety on Friday, September 4 at 12:00 pm MDT. Please visit http://www.telluridefilmfestival.org/