2023 Telluride Film Festival lineup includes ‘Saltburn,’ ‘The Bikeriders,’ ‘Nyad,’ ‘The Holdovers’ and other top award hopefuls

The 50th edition of the Telluride Film Festival will include the world premieres of Emerald Fennell’s “Saltburn,” Jeff Nichols’ “The Bikeriders,” George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin,” Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin’s “Nyad,” and Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” among other top awards hopefuls, festival organizers announced on Wednesday.

In keeping with tradition, the 2023 Telluride lineup was kept under wraps until 24 hours before the annual festival begins – although sharp-eyed pundits and awards experts were able to accurately speculate about many of the titles in this year’s lineup due to premiere designations at other festivals in Toronto, Venice, and New York.

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“Saltburn” is Fennell’s second film after 2020’s “Promising Young Woman,” which landed the budding auteur a trio of Oscar nominations. The film stars recent Best Supporting Actor nominee Barry Keoghan, as well as Jacob Elordi of “Euphoria” fame, former Oscar nominees Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant, and “Promising Young Woman” lead and two-time Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan in a small role.

“The Bikeriders” is Nichols’ first film since “Loving” in 2016. The project, which is due out in theaters in December, is “inspired by Danny Lyon’s iconic book of photography” and, according to 20th Century Studios, “immerses you in the look, feel, and sounds of the bare-knuckled, grease-covered subculture of ’60s motorcycle riders.” The film’s all-star cast is led by Jodie Comer, who plays “Kathy, a strong-willed member of the Vandals who’s married to a wild, reckless bikerider named Benny.” Recent Best Actor nominee Austin Butler stars as Benny, with Tom Hardy as the biker group’s leader, Johnny. Other cast members include Michael Shannon and Mike Faist.

“Rustin” is Wolfe’s latest project, following “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.” The Netflix release, which arrives in November, stars Colman Domingo as civil rights hero Bayard Rustin. Sight unseen, it’s a performance many have pegged as an early Best Actor contender.

Such is the case with “Nyad” as well. That Netflix film from the Oscar-winning “Free Solo” directors stars Annette Bening as swimmer Diana Nyad. Bening, a four-time Oscar nominee who has never won, is joined in the cast by two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster.

“The Holdovers” is Payne’s first feature since “Downsizing” in 2017. The period drama stars former Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti as a professor at a New England prep school who forges a bond with a young student as well as the school’s head cook over a holiday break. It’s the first time Giamatti and Payne have connected since “Sideways,” which won Payne an Oscar for screenwriting. (He didn’t write “The Holdovers,” but is eyeing his fourth directing nomination.)

But those titles just scratch the surface of the Telluride lineup, which also includes Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall,” Cannes Grand Prix winner “The Zone of Interest” from Jonathan Glazer, and Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Things.” That title, a Frankenstein’s monster-type story starring Emma Stone, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival first before hitting the mountains at Telluride. Also in the lineup are Andrew Haigh’s “All of Us Strangers” and the new Daina Oniunas-Pusic film “Tuesday” with Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

“Fifty years is a long time to do anything. And while we might be a little biased, we feel the work that TFF does is pretty important,” said Telluride Film Festival director Julie Huntsinger in a statement. “We take the charge of preserving the theatrical experience and promoting film seriously, but with necessary winks here and there. We’re ecstatic to share a program we feel reflects so much of the past fifty years, naturally and organically, films old and new, which stand as a testament to our beloved co-founders Tom Luddy and Bill Pence who are no longer with us.”

The full 2023 Telluride Film Festival lineup is below.

ALL OF US STRANGERS (d. Andrew Haigh, U.K., 2023)

AMERICAN SYMPHONY (d. Matthew Heineman, U.S., 2023)

ANATOMY OF A FALL (d. Justine Triet, France, 2023)

ANSELM (d. Wim Wenders, Germany, 2023)

BALTIMORE (d. Joe Lawlor, Christine Molloy Ireland-U.K., 2023) 

BEYOND UTOPIA (d. Madeleine Gavin, U.S., 2023)

THE BIKERIDERS (d. Jeff Nichols, U.S., 2023)

CASSANDRO (d. Roger Ross Williams, U.S., 2023)

DADDIO (d. Christy Hall, U.S., 2023)

EL CONDE (d. Pablo Larraín, Chile, 2023)

FALLEN LEAVES (d. Aki Kaurismäki, Finland, 2023)

THE FALLING STAR (d. Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, France-Belgium, 2023)

FINALLY DAWN (d. Saverio Costanzo, Italy, 2023)

FINGERNAILS (d. Christos Nikou, U.S., 2023)

FOOD, INC. 2 (d. Robert Kenner, Melissa Robledo, U.S., 2023)

HIGH & LOW-JOHN GALLIANO (d. Kevin Macdonald, U.K., 2023)

THE HOLDOVERS (d. Alexander Payne, U.S., 2023) 

HOLLYWOODGATE (d. Ibrahim Nash’at, U.S.-Germany, 2023)

JANET PLANET (d. Annie Baker, U.S., 2023)

LA CHIMERA (d. Alice Rohrwacher, Italy-France-Switzerland, 2023)

THE MISSION (d. Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss, U.S., 2023)

THE MONK AND THE GUN (d. Pawo Choyning Dorji, Bhutan, 2023)

NYAD (d. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, U.S., 2023)

OCCUPIED CITY (d. Steve McQueen, Netherlands-U.K.-U.S., 2023)

ORLANDO, MY POLITICAL BIOGRAPHY (d. Paul B. Preciado, France, 2023)

PERFECT DAYS (d. Wim Wenders, Japan, 2023)

THE PIGEON TUNNEL (d. Errol Morris, U.K., 2023)

POOR THINGS (d. Yorgos Lanthimos, U.S.-Ireland-U.K., 2023)

THE PROMISED LAND (d. Nikolaj Arcel, Denmark-Germany-Sweden, 2023)

THE ROYAL HOTEL (d. Kitty Green, Australia, 2023)

RUSTIN (d. George C. Wolfe, U.S., 2023)

SALTBURN (d. Emerald Fennell, U.S., 2023)

THE TEACHER’S LOUNGE (d. Ilker Çatak, Germany, 2023)

TEHACHAPI (d. JR, France, 2023)

THANK YOU VERY MUCH (d. Alex Braverman, U.S., 2023)

TUESDAY (d. Daina O. Pusić, U.S.-U.K., 2023)

WILDCAT (d. Ethan Hawke, U.S., 2023)

THE ZONE OF INTEREST (d. Jonathan Glazer, U.S.-U.K.-Poland, 2023)

In addition to the film lineup, Telluride will also give out Silver Medallion Awards, “given to recognize an artist’s significant contribution to the world of cinema,” to the following filmmakers: Lanthimos, Italian writer-director Alice Rohrwacher (with “La Chimera”), and German filmmaker Wim Wenders (with “Anselm” and “Perfect Days”). Tribute programs include a selection of clips, the presentation of the Silver Medallion, and the film screening.

More from the Telluride press release can be found below:

As part of its 50th anniversary celebration, TFF is honoring its long and diverse history by selecting some of its most celebrated past guests to curate its Guest Director program. Alfonso Cuarón, Adam Curtis, Ethan Hawke, Rachel Kushner, Steve McQueen, and Mira Nair’s selections include:

•      JUVENILE COURT (d. Frederick Wiseman, U.S., 1973) Selected and presented by Rachel Kushner

•      ALL THAT JAZZ (d. Bob Fosse, U.S., 1979) Selected and presented by Ethan Hawke

•      JONAH WHO WILL BE 25 IN THE YEAR 2000 (d. Alain Tanner, France-Switzerland, 1976) Selected and presented by Alfonso Cuarón

•      THE LONG GOOD FRIDAY (d. John Mackenzie, U.K., 1980) Selected and presented by Adam Curtis

•      ZÉRO DE CONDUITE (d. Jean Vigo, France, 1933) Selected and presented by Steve McQueen

•      THE MUSIC ROOM (d. Satyajit Ray, India, 1958) Selected and presented by Mira Nair

The Special Medallion celebrates a hero of cinema who preserves, honors and presents essential, meaningful films. This year’s award goes to Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation. Film restorations by The Film Foundation to screen along with the program are Idrissa Ouédraogo’s YAM DAABO (Burkina Faso, 1986), Bahram Beyzaie’s DOWNPOUR (Iran, 1972), and two shorts by Agnès Varda: BLACK PANTHERS (France-U.S., 1970) and UNCLE YANCO (France-U.S., 1968) which will be shown alongside THE GLEANERS AND I (France, 2000) as part of a celebration of the late filmmaker.

Additional film restorations playing throughout the Festival include THE UNKNOWN (d. Tod Browning, U.S., 1927); MY GRANDMOTHER (d. Kote Mikaberidze, Soviet Union, 1929) with Finnish music ensemble Cleaning Women performing a live score; Abel Gance’s LA ROUE (France, 1923) shown in four chapters; and two films remembering TFF 21 Special Medallion recipient Ninón Sevilla: VÍCTIMAS DEL PECADO (d. Emilio Fernández, Mexico, 1951) and LLÉVAME EN TUS BRAZOS (d. Julio Bracho, Mexico, 1954).

Special Screenings and Festivities include Pedro Almodóvar’s short film STRANGE WAY OF LIFE (Spain, 2023); Ross White and Tom Berkeley’s short THE GOLDEN WEST (Ireland-U.K., 2023); a live performance by Jon Batiste following Thursday’s screening of AMERICAN SYMPHONY, Tina Satter’s REALITY (U.S., 2023); Agnès Varda’s art installation, Patatutopia; and Festival poster signing by Luke Dorman.

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