Telluride Film Festival Report – The Storm Before the Calm?

I always arrive in Telluride a few days before the festival starts to allow myself to acclimate to the altitude and contemplate just what may be presented in the coming days. Inevitably, the process involves analyzing where the industry as a whole currently stands and what the future may hold. These days, both those outlooks seem bleak, as if a storm cloud hovers over everything. Are we a shell of what we once were? Will we even recognize ourselves after the dust settles from our current renovations and upheavals? We’re used to seeing depressing films by bright, hopeful filmmakers playing in Telluride. Will the filmmakers all be depressed too now?

This is what I am thinking of while I await who knows what the Telluride Film Festival has to offer.

It is hard times in every corner of the film world. The job loss numbers being reported and predicted out of Hollywood are not healthy and don’t indicate any type of quick recovery. The studios leaving Georgia, even after the state put in concerted efforts to establish the support infrastructure, is a telling sign that no matter what we do, it may not be enough to sustain us as we once were able. When a well-established documentarian friend is forced to take on DoorDash runs just to keep the lights on, the future everywhere feels very bleak.

This generalized despair sets the stage for the coming film fest with lights set dimly. The films we think we’ll be seeing here might brighten those prospects. Past Tellurides have often bucked the trend and held out hope when the industry was swaying awry. But can they pull it off again? Could we end up seeing the last deep breaths from the old industry’s deathbed? What comes next is more unforeseeable than usual.

But hopefully, after this weekend, we may get glimpses of what might happen next. Maybe the shell that remains of the old structure will be filled again with new hope and vision. As someone once said, it’s easiest to rebuild when everything has crashed to the ground.

All I know for sure is there’s a lot of construction ahead of us before any changes will start taking a new form. Someone else once said, “When you find yourself going through hell, keep going.” That’s our current mantra. One thing I’ve always said is that the only constant in any industry is change. This is especially true of our industry. We’re used to finding new paths every time we set out on our way. It may be more wilderness out there than we’re used to, but we can find a way through.

How will the Telluride Film Festival offerings impact that search? I’ve always believed that the cream of the crop makes its way to Telluride. And if some of the films I’ve heard whispers of making their way up here are as good as I expect, this year will have similar gems. One thing that will never change, however the industry pans out, great filmmakers will be making great films. We’ll somehow get to see them, encourage them to make more, and there will be filmmakers and audiences out there in the future. We just have to bide our time, keep from getting crushed during construction, and keep an eye out for detour signs. We’ll get there. These next few days will be a great start.

Telluride Film Festival runs August 29 - September 1