Distributor Monday #5 Searchlight / Venice Announces Opening
Film...Does It Play Telluride?
DISTRIBUTOR MONDAY #5: SEARCHLIGHT
Today's look at film distributors that have a fairly impressive track record at screening things at Telluride continues with Searchlight Films (formerly Fox Searchlight). Over the nine years I looked back (and leaving out the Covid year of 2020) Searchlight has landed at least one at Telluride every year except 2016.
Over the years Searchlight has had a good deal of success when playing films at Telluride. Since 2008 five (Fox) Searchlight films have played TFF and subsequently won the Academy Award for Best Picture:
2009: Slumdog Millionaire
2014: 12 Years a Slave
2015: Birdman
2018: The Shape of Water
2021: Nomadland (would have played TFF had the fest happened. TFF did sponsor a screening or two)
Searchlight has also had a number of other films that were Best Picture nominated. Some of those were TFF films, some not. Since 2015:
2016: Brooklyn
2018: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
2019: The Favourite
2020: Jojo Rabbit
2022: Nightmare Alley
2023: The Banshees of Inisherin
2024: Poor Things
2025: A Complete Unknown
Looking at the possibilities from Searchlight we discover that there aren't many. Three to be precise. Here's the rundown for each listed in alphabetical order. Participants in these films that have attended TFF previously are indicated with *.
In the Blink of an Eye. Director: Andrew Stanton. Stars: Rashida Jones, Kate McKinnon, Daveed Diggs. Release date: TBD. IMDb description:
Three storylines, spanning thousands of years, intersect and reflect on hope, connection and the circle of life.
Frankly, I'd be surprised if this turns up.
Is This Thing On? Director: Bradley Cooper. Stars: Bradley Cooper, Laura Dern*, Will Arnett, Ciaran Hinds. Release date: TBD. IMDB description:
As their marriage unravels, Alex faces middle age and divorce, seeking new purpose in the New York comedy scene while wife Tess confronts the sacrifices she made for their family-forcing them to navigate co-parenting and identity.
I'm actually pretty excited about this film. I am wary that it will be ready in time. IMDb reports that it went into post-production in April...so... Laura Dern's participation doesn't hurt its chances of making a TFF appearance as she has been a TFF regular for some time now.
Rental Family. Director: Hikari. Stars: Brendan Fraser, Takehiro Hira. Release date: TBD. IMDb description:
Japanese rental company hires struggling American actor in Tokyo. He plays various roles in clients' lives, embarking on an introspective journey through these unlikely experiences.
I actually think that Rental Family might be the most likely TFF entrant of the three.
Chances:
Rental Family 40%
Is This Thing On? 20%
In the Blink of an Eye 20%
Next week a look at Amazon/MGM.
VENICE ANNOUNCES OPENING FILM...DOES IT PLAY TELLURIDE?
The 82nd Venice Film Festival will open with Paolo Sorrentino's La Grazia (Grace). Does that make it likely to also play at TFF #52? That answer isn't clear at all. Although I have frequently mentioned that the positioning of a film in the Venice schedule is crucial for any film that a distributor wants in both fests. To make this double play a film has to be scheduled in Venice first two to three days. Fourth day tops. So you would think that Venice's opening night film would be a solid choice to make the way. But...hold on...no so fast.
I went back to 2010 and checked that scenario. Here's what has opened Venice for each year since then with films that went on to cross the Atlantic to screen at T-ride indicated with a *.
2010: Black Swan*
2011: The Ides of March
2012: The Reluctant Fundamentalist
2013: Gravity*
2014: Birdman*
2015: Everest
2016: La La Land*
2017: Downsizing*
2018: First Man*
2019: The Truth
2020: The Ties
2021: Parallel Mothers
2022: White Noise
2023: Comandante
2024: Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
As you can see, the Venice-Telluride scenario was very common from 2010-2018 with the Venice opener going west six times but beginning with 2019 the trend has not happened.
I can recall thinking that The Truth (19), Parallel Mothers (21) and White Noise (22) all had a pretty good shot at going to TFF and being wrong about them.
Muddying the predictive waters are the fact that director Paolo Sorrentino has recently been an invitee to Telluride. In 2021 his The Hand of God did the Venice-Telluride thing with it playing Venice on Sept. 2 and then screening in Telluride the next day.
Additionally, La Grazia is being distributed in the U.S. by Mubi which has been a TFF the last four years or so.
I'm inclined to think that the recent drought of Venice openers coming to Telluride isn't an accident. It feels like the outcome of a deliberate choice to avoid that. I have no real evidence other than the fact that the circumstance hasn't occurred for six straight years.
EMAIL: mpgort@gmail.com
X (Twitter) @TheMTFB OR @Gort2
Bluesky: @gort2.bsky.social
MTFB's Facebook Page
MTFB is published on Mondays and Thursdays
If you would like to be added to the MTFB e-mail list send an email to mpgort@gmail.com
0