Telluride Film Festival facts for kids
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| Location | Telluride, Colorado, U.S. |
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| Founded | 1974 |
| Language | International |
The Telluride Film Festival (often called TFF) is a special event where new movies are shown. It happens every year in Telluride, Colorado, during the first weekend of September. This festival is known for showing films for the very first time in North America.
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History of the Festival
The Telluride Film Festival began in 1974. It was started by the Telluride Council for the Arts and Humanities, along with Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy, and James Card. The festival is now run by the National Film Preserve.
In 2007, Bill and Stella Pence retired from running the festival. Julie Huntsinger and Gary Meyer took over, working with Tom Luddy. Julie Huntsinger is now the Executive Director.
In 2010, the festival teamed up with the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. They created a program called FilmLab. This program helps ten selected film students from UCLA learn more about making movies. In 2012, they worked together even more, creating a film program at UCLA's Westwood campus.
In 2013, the festival celebrated its 40th birthday! They added a new movie theater called the Werner Herzog Theatre. They also added an extra day of movie showings. The festival did not happen in 2020.
What You See at the Festival
Most of the movies shown at Telluride are brand new. There is a special rule that new films must be shown for the first time in North America to be part of the festival. Telluride is a great place for this because of when it happens. It's after the Cannes Film Festival but just before the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.
This rule about showing new movies first has helped the festival discover many important films and filmmakers. For example, Michael Moore's first film Roger and Me was shown here in 1989. Also, Robert Rodriguez's first movie El Mariachi had its first festival showing here in 1992.
Many other famous films have had their American premiere at Telluride. These include My Dinner With Andre (1981), Blue Velvet (1986), The Civil War (1990), Brokeback Mountain (2005), The Imitation Game (2014), Sully (2016), Moonlight (2016), and Lady Bird (2017).
Since 1995, a special award called a medallion has been given out each year. It usually goes to someone who isn't a filmmaker but has greatly helped movies in America or around the world. Past winners include HBO and the French film magazine Positif.
Silver Medallion Awards
Each year, the festival also honors three people. They each receive the Telluride Film Festival Silver Medallion.
In 1974, the first Silver Medallions went to Francis Ford Coppola, Gloria Swanson, and Leni Riefenstahl. Other famous people who have received this award include Penélope Cruz, Daniel Day-Lewis, Clint Eastwood, Jodie Foster, Jack Nicholson, and Meryl Streep.
How the Festival Works
As of 2015, the festival's program is put together by executive director Julie Huntsinger and founder Tom Luddy. They also work with a special guest director who changes each year. Some past guest directors include Errol Morris, Peter Bogdanovich, and Stephen Sondheim.
Every year, an artist is chosen to create the poster for the festival. Artists like Chuck Jones and Gary Larson have designed these posters. The only rule for the poster is that it must include the word "SHOW." This is a tribute to a large lighted sign that says "Show" outside the Sheridan Opera House. This is where the Silver Medallion awards are given out.
People who have been to the festival often say great things about it. Film critic Kenneth Turan once wrote that Telluride is "more a religion than anything as ordinary as a festival." This shows how much people love movies there.
Festival Archives
The Academy Film Archive keeps a collection of materials from the Telluride Film Festival. This includes talks with famous filmmakers, tribute speeches, and seminars. These records go all the way back to 1978.
See also
In Spanish: Festival de Cine de Telluride para niños
