Prediction: Telluride Film Festival's 2015 Lineup

(Photo credit: Pamela Gentile)

Guest post by Michael Patterson, our favorite cinephile with an uncanny ability to predict Telluride's lineup:

The 42^nd Telluride Film Festival is four weeks away (Sept. 4-7, 2015) and over the past several years, it has become one of the most influential film festivals in the world. Six of the last seven Best Picture Oscar winners started at Telluride on their way through awards season to Oscar glory. The festival has also premiered a number of films that have won Oscars for screenwriting including “Juno”, “The King’s Speech,” “The Imitation Game” and last year’s Best Original Screenplay winner “Birdman”.

Unlike other major film festivals, Telluride's lineup is kept secret until just a day or two before the festival begins. This means that attendees shell out a substantial investment in purchasing passes and securing lodging and travel with faith that the program will be outstanding.

I began attending in 2006 with almost no idea of what it was and fell in love. Before I returned in 2007, I made a point of learning a lot more about the fest and how it works. I was intrigued by the notion that 3,000 or so cinephiles would make the not-so-easy-trip to a remote southwest Colorado town for a four day event. I also thought that if someone worked at it, that it might be possible to peek behind the curtain and get a sense of some of the films that the TFF curators would select before their announcement each year.

So, in 2008, I started a blog (link below) to share my research into Telluride's possible film lineup and report to those who might have an interest. I expanded it in 2009 to include coverage of the films that played Telluride and their effect on the annual awards season.

What films will play in four weeks at the 42nd Telluride Film Festival??

Here are the ten films most likely to make the Telluride's 2015 lineup:

10) “Steve Jobs”-The Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”, “127 Hours”) directed, Aaron Sorkin penned look at the Apple co-founder. The film is already announced as the centerpiece of the New York Film Festival in October and will close the London Fest as well. “Steve Jobs” will open in the U.S. on Oct. 9.

9) “He Named Me Malala”-Documentarian David Guggenheim’s (“Waiting for Superman”) look at 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai. Malala was the target of an assassination attempt by the Taliban in 2012 for daring to want an education. She survived to become a spokesperson and activist for women’s and children’s rights across the world. The film is slated for release on Oct. 2.

8) “I Saw the Light”-Marc Abraham (“Flash of Genius”) directs this biopic of the very brief life of country music legend Hank Williams. Tom Hiddleston stars as the musician who is often claimed to be the father of country music but who died at the age of 29. Elizabeth Olsen also stars as Williams’ wife Audrey. “I Saw the Light” is set for a Nov. 27 release.

7) “Carol”-Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara star in this Todd Haynes directed film of a Patricia Highsmith novel set in the 1950’s and centered on the budding romance between two women at a time when “polite society” condemned the notion. Mara won Best Actress at Cannes. “Carol” opens on Nov. 20.

6) “Suffragette”-Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter fight for their right to vote in early 20^th century England. Meryl Streep makes a cameo appearance as famed suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst. Abi Morgan (“Shame”, “The Iron Lady”) penned the script. Sarah Gavron directs. “Suffragette” is set to open in the U.S. on Oct. 23.

5) “Room”-Director Lenny Abrahamson’s follow-up to his 2014 indie “Frank” is this adaptation by Emma Donaghue of her own novel and stars Brie Larson as a woman who is held captive for years in a single small room. Release is scheduled for Oct. 16.

4) “Anomalisa”-Co-directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman. This stop-motion animated film is described as focused on one man’s attempt to deal with the mundanity of life. Kaufman, who wrote “Adaptation” and “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” also wrote the screenplay for this. No date is currently set for U.S. release but the film has been announced for both the Venice and Toronto festivals.

3) “Beasts of No Nation”-This is what Cary Fukunaga was up to after finishing season one of HBO’s “True Detective”. Idris Elba stars in this story set in a war torn African nation where children are swept into the horrors of the conflict on a daily basis. “Beasts” is set for release on Oct. 16.

2) “Black Mass”-Scott Cooper follows his “Out of the Furnace” with this biopic about notorious Boston mobster/hitman Whitey Bulger with Johnny Depp playing the gangster. It’s already getting attention as Depp’s return to serious acting. Joel Edgerton and Benedict Cumberbatch co-star. “Black Mass” will play Toronto and Venice and is set for domestic release on Sept. 18.

1) “Son of Saul”-This Cannes prize winner (Grand Jury Prize) was a sensation coming out of that festival in May. First time feature director Laszlo Nemes explores the horror of the Auschwitz death camp through the eyes of Saul, a young Jew charged with disposing the bodies of the dead. “Son of Saul” will open in the U.S. on Dec. 18.

That’s my current ten best guesses for Telluride. I update them each week, so check out my blog over the next month to see updates as I continue to try to solve the puzzle that is the Telluride 2015 lineup.

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Michael Patterson is the publisher, editor and head maintenance dude for Michael’s Telluride Film Blog (and The Film Awards Clearinghouse). He’s been writing obsessively about the Telluride Film Festival since 2008. He lives in Guymon, Oklahoma with his wife Kristy. In his real life he teaches high school drama, speech and debate.