39TH TFF: MY FIRST TFF EXPERIENCE

Roughly 360 days until August 29^th, 2013. Yes, the opening night of the scheduled five day 40^th annual Telluride Film Festival.  If my knowledge of next year’s start date isn’t suggestion enough, obviously I had a great time at this year’s, my first, Telluride Film Festival.

Struggling to roll out of bed just shy of 5am this past Saturday, I jumped in the car and headed down 70, six hours down the road was Telluride.  The drive went by extremely fast, my brain’s hardwired for a twelve hour Vegas trip any time I get onto 70 so six hours is cake, and we arrived in Ridgway State Park to set up camp.  My first target film was at 2:45pm so I had some time to kill.  A detour at Telluride Brewing Co. to sample some beers and get the inside scoop on the festival was in order. 

Enjoyed some brews and got the basic intel from a local then headed to Mountain Village and waited in line for the 2:45pm film I was anticipating.  I decided to fest passless to save cash and become familiar with the scene, confident I would still get into most of the films I was interested in.  “Sorry folks all filled up”, grabbed some coffee and watched the Buffs humiliate themselves, then back in line for a 6pm show, “only passholders for this one”, ok just unlucky.  Hopped on the free gondola ride from Mountain Village to Telluride for a 6:45pm viewing, “not looking good for ticket buyers”, I was distraught.

After being shut out on my fist three attempts at a screening, and after panic began to take hold, I made my way to the Palm Theatre (TFF’s largest venue, seating 650). Waiting in line yet again, this time for Marion Cotillard’s TFF tribute and her new film, ‘Rust and Bone’, I was worried I would fail to see a single film in the mountains over Labor Day weekend.  Then buzz spread that most if not all non-passholders had a decent shot of getting into the show.  Finally, ten minutes before the scheduled start, we filtered in; I made it to my first film of the weekend!

Following multiple discussions with fellow festers I learned that this was one of the larger TFF turnouts in recent years and it was tougher for lowly “ticket buyers” to salvage screenings.  The procedure dictates all passholders that arrive for a film at least ten minutes before the show are seated first then, if any seats remain, individual tickets are sold to those waiting in the ticket buyers line (otherwise known as those without passes). 

My first three film attempts: ‘Amour’ (winner of the Cannes Palme d’Or), ‘Argo’ (Affleck’s latest directorial effort and TFF’s most hyped film), and ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ (packing the star power of Billy Murray and Laura Linney), all were passholder heavy.  Apparently I didn’t know how to play the schedule.  This didn’t give me much hope for ‘Rust and Bone’, however from speaking with ticket buyer vets some of the passholders skip the longer tributes because they can catch two films in the same time frame.  This fact coupled with the large crowds still inside other theatres viewing ‘Argo’ and ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ created a window for the Cotillard picture.

Now understanding how to spin the schedule and venues in my favor, the rest of the festival was extremely exciting and relaxed.  After my first three shut outs I waited in line for five more films…I saw five more films, needless to say next year I will be prepared.

Maybe the most interesting aspect of the entire weekend, aside from the films themselves, was the people TFF brings.  I’ve been to the Denver Film Fest, small indie screenings, midnight showings of Harry Potter, small student film premieres, the famous Castro theatre in San Fran, yet I’ve never seen a crowd of people present simply for the love of cinema.  Sure the mountains are amazing and the celebrity appearances don’t hurt but these are people who simply want to see new, challenging, and emotive films, dissect and discuss them, and genuinely want to share their experiences and thoughts with other festival goers.  Leave your Hollywood smugness in Park City, your glitz, glam, and excess in Cannes, your media hyped Oscar barometer in Toronto, this festival is for the love of film, nothing more.

Throw in a hike, some great eats, microbrews, and some beautiful scenery and I couldn’t ask for a better Labor Day weekend.  I will shortly post an entry discussing the films I saw and any Oscar implications.  The list reads:

‘Argo’ (got into a repeat screening on Monday), ‘Rust and Bone’, ‘The Hunt’, ‘Ginger and Rosa’, and ‘Frances Ha’.

Let the Oscar season begin!