Telluride Film Festival Celebrates Forty Years

Hot Off the Press: Bruce Dern and Robert Redford at this Year’s Telluride Film Festival

I’m powering through this post, since I have to head out soon to work at a Telluride Film Festival event for VIPs. No one is especially starstruck in Telluride, including me. But still, Robert Redford is in town (a big first) with other notables such as Francis Ford Coppola, Ralph Fiennes, Joyce Maynard and who knows who else will be a part of this year’s fortieth annual Telluride Film Festival. “Gravity,” a film starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, is set to premiere at The Werner Herzog, film fest’s new theater, so those two biggies just might show up as well. No, I’m not starstruck but it is fun to get up close and personal with these film-world forces, particularly when you see them relaxed and happy in our beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado.

TFF Co Directors at the Historic Sheridan Opera House Where the Festival Debuted Forty Years Ago

I sat down a few weeks ago with Gary Meyer, co director of the Telluride Film Festival (along with Julie Huntsiger and  Tom Luddy), to talk about the Telluride Film Festival in general terms for my Travel Fun radio show. In this half hour chat, Gary talks about the overall festival experience and longstanding traditions such as their guest directors, tributes, student programs, Q & As and even how a young filmmaker can enter his or her work into the festival for consideration. He also shares his thoughts on Telluride as a superlative setting for this world renowned festival that takes place here every Labor Day weekend and tells anecdotes about how Sean Pean reacted to his film, “Into the Wild,” being aired in the Abel Gance open-air theater in the heart of T-ride.

“One of the core things of the festival is the history,” Gary says. “We always look back as we’re looking toward current and future trends.” This year Telluride Film Festival marks forty years-worth of history and the celebration of films with a panoply of happenings including nineteen free screenings for the public (in addition to what is offered at the Backlot, a venue that features documentaries). In our interview, Gary also shares his history with the festival along with his passion for movies. “I presented silent films in a barn during high school,” he says. “I think Tom Luddy was doing something similar at that time.”

One of Many Silent Films Screened and Accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra

As festival attendees have surely experienced, it’s not only possible but also encouraged to chat with filmmakers, writers and actors about their work. “There are many opportunities to meet filmmakers and I think that’s part of what makes this film festival so special,” Gary says as he explains that he doesn’t know of anyone that didn’t stand around afterward and talk with folks about the movies they presented. Telluride is a haven for many reasons and during TFF we see that this paparazzi-free community offers a welcome respite for those that regularly find themselves in the spotlight.

So perhaps Mr. Redford would not mind if I asked him to pose with me for a picture. I’ve been a big fan ever since I first saw him in “The Way We Were.” There’s no doubt that movies create memorable moments that span a lifetime and Telluride Film Festival fosters oh-so many more.

Now I better go style my hair.

The TFF Atmosphere in Telluride, Colorado, a Remote Mountain Town with Movie-Set Good Looks

Read Telluride Film Festival:  A Movie Goer’s Lovefest, Royal Fascination and Silence is Golden on Telluride Film Festival’s Silver Screens for more on what I’ve posted on the Telluride Film Festival at BonjourColorado.com.

For more on this year’s Film Fest program, check out Telluride Film Festival Unveils Lineup from The Hollywood Reporter. Keep in mind that lots of great films are also presented as sneak peeks and put on the program last minute as TBAs (to be announced). Many blockbuster hits such as “Brokeback Mountain” and “The King’s Speech” actually premiered at Telluride. I’m sure The Hollywood Reporter will have a nice wrap up piece come next Tuesday.

Gary’s Tip

Pick up the Film Watch, a publication by The Watch, at any number of locales in and around Telluride during film fest. It’s a real keeper that you’ll want to have on your coffee table year-round. I also feel the same about the festival’s programs.

Thank you to the Telluride Film Festival, Pamela Gentile, Ingrid Lundahl, Ralph Barnie and Vivien Killilea for the images used in this post.

Click on the play button below to listen to Gary Meyer talk about the Telluride Film Festival.

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