Thompson on Hollywood

Documentary 'The Act of Killing' Premieres at Telluride, Screens at Toronto

Festivals

By Maggie Lange and Anne Thompson
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August 31, 2012 8:01 AM
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The Telluride Film Festival Debuts Poster Art from Dave Eggers for 39th Edition

Festivals

The Telluride Film Festival chose Dave Eggers as the poster artist for their 39th edition. The writer-editor-publisher-philanthropist will attend the festival (running August 31-September 3), where a reception will be held in his honor...

By Sophia Savage
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July 9, 2012 1:32 PM
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Telluride 's 2012 Guest Director is Geoff Dyer

News

Every year Labor Day Weekend's Telluride Film Festival picks a guest director to select part of the program. Past guests have included Alexander Payne, John Boorman, Buck Henry, Errol Morris, Peter Sellars and Stephen Sondheim. The guest for the 39th Telluride, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is author Geoff Dyer.

By Anne Thompson
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June 11, 2012 3:48 AM
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The 39th Telluride Film Festival Calls for Entries

Festivals

The Telluride Film Festival (August 31 – September 3, 2012) is calling for entries in all categories including student, short and feature length films. Each year the must-attend four-day Telluride Film Festival plays host to an average of 24 feature films and 25 shorts and student films.

By Maggie Lange
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April 19, 2012 6:19 PM
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Ex-'Island President" Nasheed Talks Timely Eco Doc': "It's Not Just Us"

Video

One of the surprise hits to come out of Telluride and Toronto (where it won the People’s Choice Documentary Award) was small political doc "The Island President," which takes the drama of climate change to another level.

By Anne Thompson
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March 28, 2012 3:52 PM
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Werner Herzog Talks 'Into the Abyss,' Looks "deep into the heart of ourselves" (video)

Features

One reason that Werner Herzog's docs are so compelling and entertaining is that his powerful personality is all over them, commenting, narrating, querying. Herzog's docs, as lauded as they are, are often overlooked by the Oscar documentary branch, which nominated while Encounters at the End of the World but did not recognize Grizzly Man, Into the Abyss and Cave of Forgotten Dreams (which was not screened in 3-D). (Michael Moore cites these oversights in his successful quest for changing the Academy rules.) "It's not easy to figure out how the system works," says Herzog. "It doesn't give me sleepless nights. This one is more what they think the documentary is supposed to be. It's so straightforward. No radioactive albino crocodiles. No commentary."

By Anne Thompson
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October 3, 2011 8:18 AM
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Toronto Wrap: Best of Fest, Oscar Boosts, Winners and Losers

The trick with the fall film festivals is to gauge expectations going in vs. what was actually achieved. Various distributors launched their fall slates, and watched with pleasure or horror at how their movies were received by audiences and critics. Oscar contenders either moved forward in the awards race, or were pushed back. Other indies hoped their films would be picked up by the right distributor in time for this year's Oscar race. Some were, some weren't. It's tough for films that have already debuted at other festivals to pick up new momentum, although the press will bank features for release. The biggest noise goes to the new players, always.

By Anne Thompson
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September 21, 2011 7:04 AM
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Oscar Talk: Toronto's Impact on Race, Who's Up, Who's Down

In Contention's Kris Tapley and I had plenty to discuss this week as we compared notes on how various awards hopefuls fared at the Toronto Film Festival, which wraps up this weekend. We agree that The Artist and The Descendants came out way ahead.

By Anne Thompson
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September 16, 2011 4:21 AM
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Tilda Swinton and Lynne Ramsay Need to Talk About Kevin: Demon Seed or Bad Mothering?

One of my favorite Cannes’ competition films, Lynne Ramsay's adaptation of Lionel Shriver's 2003 Brit bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin, debuted to mixed reaction there, failing to land any awards. The film played well at Telluride alongside a Tilda Swinton Tribute and continued to cut a critical swathe through Toronto and beyond.