Telluride 2024: Literary Adaptations ‘Conclave,’ ‘Piano Lesson’ and Musicals ‘Better Man,’ ‘The End’ Expected for World Premieres

The 51st Telluride Film Festival promises to be a star-studded affair, with several high-profile movies expected to debut at the top of awards season.

As is customary, the full lineup, including screening schedules, isn’t announced until the day before the festival begins. This year’s festivities take place from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2. So longtime attendees, both press and cinephile enthusiasts, now look to the classifications of movies playing at Venice, Toronto and New York Film Festivals to gather clues on what could be shown during the Colorado-set festival.

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The Toronto Film Festival lineup provides reliable clues. The labels for the films as “World,” “International,” “North American,” or “Canadian” premieres offer the most significant hints on what might stop at Telluride during the Labor Day weekend festivities. The timing of TIFF (Sept. 5 to Sept. 15) leaves no other festivals to claim the premiere designations beforehand, making these guesses quite reliable, give or take any last-minute changes.

One of the major entries is Focus Features’ thriller “Conclave” (a Canadian premiere at TIFF), directed by Edward Berger (“All Quiet on the Western Front”). It encompasses an all-star cast including Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and Isabella Rossellini — all beloveds who haven’t won an Oscar. Alongside “Conclave” is another hot Focus title, the animated documentary “Piece by Piece” (TIFF Canadian) from Morgan Neville, chronicling the life of musician and producer Pharrell Williams.

Amazon MGM’s “Nickel Boys,” an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s acclaimed novel by writer and director RaMell Ross, is also expected to have its world premiere in Colorado after being named the opening night film at NYFF without any “premiere” designation in its press release. Surprisingly, director Steve McQueen, who’s brought previous movies such as the best picture winner “12 Years a Slave” to the fest, is having its North American premiere in New York, following its world premiere at BFI London in October.

Neon, which has had great success bringing films like “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Parasite” to the festival, looks to make a splash with Joshua Oppenheimer’s narrative directorial debut “The End” (TIFF Canadian), a musical about the end of the world starring Tilda Swinton and Michael Shannon, along with the funny but touching Palme d’Or winner “Anora” (TIFF Canadian) from writer/director Sean Baker, who previously attended with “Red Rocket.”

A potential “x factor” in the race, Paramount Pictures’ biographical musical “Better Man,” starring British singer Robbie Williams as himself, is expected to stop after receiving the “Canadian” tag in the TIFF lineup.

Netflix has at least two presumed awards juggernauts that will excite attendees: “The Piano Lesson,” the latest adaptation of the August Wilson play from debut director Malcolm Washington and starring John David Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Danielle Deadwyler. Moreover, “Emilia Pérez” (TIFF Canadian), from legendary auteur Jacques Audiard, winner of the best actress Cannes prize for its four stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Salda?a, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz.

Some hot sales titles could also appear on the Telluride slate, notably Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” with Angelina Jolie in the lead role as famed opera singer Maria Callas. Playing early in the Venice schedule (on Aug. 29), Larraín has been a festival favorite of the Telluride programmers with “El Conde” (2023), “Spencer” (2021), “Neruda” (2016), and “No” (2012) all playing there. The auteur received a tribute there in 2016. “Maria” will premiere the same night as A24’s erotic thriller “Babygirl” from writer and director Halina Reijn and starring Nicole Kidman. However, multiple sources tell Variety that the film will not screen at Telluride.

Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s “The Friend” with Naomi Watts, Carla Gugino, and Owen Teague will have its “international” premiere at TIFF, suggesting Telluride as a likely stop as it seeks U.S. distribution. Early murmurs are favorable for the drama.

Telluride doesn’t typically showcase many carryovers from Sundance or Cannes unless there is a significant reason, such as a filmmaker or star receiving one of the festival’s tributes (e.g., Casey Affleck for “Manchester by the Sea”) or a movie that resonates deeply with the programmers. Titles like Payal Kapadia’s Cannes runner-up “All We Imagine as Light” (TIFF Canadian), along with “Anora” seem likely. In addition, Alain Guiraudie’s “Misericordia” (TIFF Canadian), stopping at Venice, seems possible to crossover.

Searchlight Pictures’ Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” directed by James Mangold and starring Timothee Chalamet as the iconic musician, will not be screening at Telluride or any other fall festival. The film is expected to bypass all of them as it works through post-production after wrapping filming in June, aiming for a December release, similar to the timeline of “1917” (2019).

Other movies expected include Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” with strong bets for Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump film “The Apprentice,” still without U.S. distribution and perhaps Francis Ford Coppola’s “Megalopolis.”

Films not making the trek to Telluride: the Amy Adams vehicle “Nightbitch,” Pedro Almodovar’s English-language “The Room Next Door” and cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto’s directorial debut “Pedro Páramo,” which is vying to be Mexico’s official submission for international feature. Don’t expect to hear about Ridley Scott’s epic sequel “Gladiator II,” Robert Zemeckis’ one-room drama “Here” or John Crowley’s love story “We Live in Time.”

With Telluride concluding on Sept. 2, that also removes Brady Corbet’s “The Brutalist” with Adrien Brody, Jon Watts’ “Wolfs” with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, Luca Guadganino’s “Queer” with Daniel Craig and Todd Phillips’ “Joker: Folie à Deux” with Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga. All of them will play between Sept. 1 and Sept. 4 at Venice, not leaving enough time to make the lengthy run from Europe back to the U.S..

Even with these known variables, anything can change. The lineups aren’t finalized. Telluride is well-known for having “TBA” titles popping up on the schedule via the mobile app, which has yielded late-breakers like Charlotte Wells’ “Aftersun” to play later in the fest.

Questions also circle which filmmakers will receive the coveted Silver Medallion, awarded to three distinguished artists. The honorees are feted with a tribute, a reel of their most significant contributions, and a Q&A. Typically, the festival honors a mixture of artisans, directors and actors.

Here are some of the past tributes in the expanded best picture era and how they connected to Oscar attention:

Of the films expected, there are many candidates involved, such as Jacques Audiard, Samuel L. Jackson, Angelina Jolie, Ralph Fiennes and others. From those on Variety’s Oscar charts, Denzel Washington (a producer on “The Piano Lesson” can get an early start for “Gladiator II”), Saoirse Ronan (in two films this year with “Blitz” and “The Outrun”) or Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (with four titles this year with “Nickel Boys,” “Exhibiting Forgiveness,” “The Deliverance” and “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat”) would also be fine candidates for a tribute ceremony.

Last year’s main program featured four eventual best picture nominees: “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Holdovers,” “Poor Things,” and “The Zone of Interest.” A festival stop at Venice, TIFF or Telluride is typically crucial to winning best picture. However, the last three winners, “CODA” (2021), “Everything Everywhere All at Once” (2022), and “Oppenheimer” (2023), managed to do so without attending any of them. Is that the new trend or will the season return to business as usual? With no festival prizes to hand out, a more relaxed atmosphere and the pressure removed of walking a red carpet, Telluride allows movies to speak for themselves.

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