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As I deplaned in Montreal after returning from the 32nd annual Telluride film festival, I felt nauseous —not the usual disease of three ups and downs, totaling twelve hours of travel time in coach class. This was nausea signaling the end of some wondrous and whimsical parade of films, their makers and fans which, until now, personally existed only within realms of theoretical imagination, passed down from initiates through oral and written traditions. For five days each September, the quiet, liberal enclave of Telluride, Colorado transmogrifies into the Holy Wafer of International film festivals. It is certainly not the easiest festival to gain access: Elevation is 10,000 feet, there are no special press privileges, limited accommodations, and standard passes run diehard cineastes 650$ U.S. Thankfully, I somehow squeaked in under the guise of academia, as a student symposium attendee.
Upon arrival in town, the group of 50 International college and university students gathered to receive the schedule, which would be strictly adhered to for the duration of events. We were advised to arm ourselves with healthy snacks and water, keep alcohol intake to a minimum, be early. Entry into many of the screenings was not ensured by virtue of holding a pass, student or otherwise, and many of the makeshift theatres where small in capacity —converts of school gymnasiums, freemasonic temples. A young woman who had been volunteering at the festival for a number of years told me the lineup of films was to be much darker in tone than in previous seasons.
Palm Theatre
Among the North American premieres we were to partake: The Dardenne brothers’ L’Enfant, Michael Haneke’s Caché, the triumphant Paradise Now, directed by Hany Abu-Assad, and Iron Island, written and realized by Mohammed Rasoulof. Other films of significant note include Neil Jordan’s po-mo transgender epic Breakfast on Pluto, the Korean historical action/drama The President’s Last Bang, Hou Hsiao-hsein’s hypnotic Three Times, and Les Ponts des Arts, the crowning jewel in a retrospective of works by outlandish and eccentric auteur Eugène Green.
Preceding the much-anticipated unveiling of L’Enfant, and the presentation of the Telluride Silver Medallion, the tribute to the Dardenne’s significant body of work began with a 20 minute clip reel from La Promesse (1996), Rosetta (1999), and Le Fils (2002)....