Not only a beautiful destination, the Telluride Film Festival is a cinephile’s paradise; a secluded city in the Colorado mountains that’s hard to get to and then rather exclusive, which is probably partly the draw and the reason so many filmmakers and actors adore Telluride. But it’s also a cinephile’s haven in terms of community, there’s a knowing togetherness, lack of hierarchy and you can easily be in line for a film with a random science teacher from Albuquerque who is also a massive film nerd as you could be next to legendary director Werner Herzog. It’s also the first year without cherished long-running Telluride co-founder Tom Luddy, who died earlier this year at the age of 77.
READ MORE: Fall Film Preview: 60+ Most Anticipated Movies To Watch
And all these elements are likely why Telluride also has so many great line-ups, but particularly this year, a stellar on. In 2023, being the 50th anniversary, the Telluride Film Festival pulled out all the stops—despite the SAG and WGA strikes—and scored their biggest and best line-up ever.
This year, Telluride features at least 17 world premieres (by our hand count, Telluride never boasts a world premiere in their press releases or notices, but clearly, they mean a big deal).
Some of the major titles include Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” follow-up, “Saltburn”; Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” with Andrew Scott, Paul Mescal, Claire Foy and Jamie Bell; Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders” starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy; and Ethan Hawke‘s latest directorial effort, “Wildcat,” co-starring Telluride resident Laura Linney.
Other narrative world premieres include Christy Hall’s “Daddio” starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn; Annie Baker‘s directorial debut “Janet Planet” with Julianne Nicholson; “Free Solo” filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin‘s dive into the non-documentary film space with “Nyad” starring Annette Bening and Jodie Foster; Christos Nikou’s “Fingernails” with Jeremy Allen White, Riz Ahmed, Annie Murphy, and Jessie Buckley;George C. Wolfe‘s “Rustin” featuring Colman Domingo as gay civil rights activist Bayard Rustin; and longtime Telluride attendee Alexander Payne’s reunion with Paul Giamatti, “The Holdovers.”
It’s a pretty outstanding line-up, and we’re not even counting things like new movies by Jonathan Glazer, Yorgos Lanthimos, and more because they will be debuting in Venice or will have already premiered elsewhere. Regardless, those making the trek this year have amazing, much-anticipated movies awaiting them. Check out the full line-up here, but first, let’s take a look at the main highlights.
“All of Us Strangers”
The second film adaption based on the 1987 novel “Strangers” by Taichi Yamada, “All of Us Strangers” follows Adam, who encounters his neighbor and discovers that his long-dead parents are looking the same as they did 30 years ago. The film will star Adam Scott, Claire Foy, Jamie Bell, and Paul Mescal. It was written and directed by Andrew Haigh.
“Rustin”
In 1963, gay civil rights Activist Bayard Rustin helped Martin Luther King J. organize the March on Washington. This biographical drama focused on Rustin’s life is produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Grounds Productions, and directed by George C. Wolfe. The film stars Colman Domingo, Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, CCH Pounder, and Gus Halper.
“The Holdovers”
Paul Giamatti stars as an instructor at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas to watch the students who have nowhere to go when finds himself forming an unlikely bond between himself, the school’s head cook, and one of the trouble-making students. The film is directed by acclaimed director Alexander Payne and stars Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, and Tate Donovan.
