| 48th Telluride Film Festival | |
| Location: | Telluride, Colorado, United States |
| Founded: | 1974 |
| Awards: | Telluride Film Festival Silver Medallion |
| Host: | National Film Preserve Ltd. |
| Date: | Opening: Closing: |
| Main: | Telluride Film Festival |
| Previous: | 47th |
| Next: | 49th |
| Artistic Director: | Julie Huntsinger (Festival's Programing Director) Barry Jenkins (Guest Director) Luke Dorman (Guest Designer) |
The 48th Telluride Film Festival took place from September 2–6, 2021 in Telluride, Colorado, United States.[1] After the cancellation of the previous year's event due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Colorado, the festival required proof of vaccination, a negative COVID-19 test within 72 hours and masks worn indoors to prevent the spread of COVID-19.[2]
Director Barry Jenkins, who previously annually has curated the festival's Calling Cards and Great Expectations programs, was appointed as this year's guest director.[3] Telluride honored Riz Ahmed, Jane Campion, and Peter Dinklage as the awardees of the Silver Medallion.[4] Film historian Annette Insdorf received the Special Medallion award.[5] Luke Dorman, Meow Wolf’s Lead Graphic Designer, was chosen as the creative behind the edition's poster.
| Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Apaches of Athens | Dimítrios Gaziadis | Greece | |
| The Automat | Lisa Hurwitz | United States | |
| Becoming Cousteau | Liz Garbus | United States | |
| Belfast | Kenneth Branagh | United Kingdom | |
| Bergman Island | Mia Hansen-Løve | France, Germany, Sweden | |
| Bitterbrush | Emelie Mahdavian | United States | |
| C'mon C'mon | Mike Mills | United States | |
| Citizen Ashe | Sam Pollard | United States, United Kingdom | |
| Cow | Andrea Arnold | United Kingdom | |
| Cyrano | Joe Wright | United Kingdom | |
| The Duke | Roger Michell | United Kingdom | |
| The Electrical Life of Louis Wain | Will Sharpe | United States | |
| Encounter | Michael Pearce | United States | |
| Fauci | John Hoffman Janet Tobias | United States | |
| Flee | Jonas Poher Rasmussen | Denmark | |
| Fragment of an Empire | Fridrikh Ermler | USSR | |
| Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller | United States | ||
| The Hand of God | Paolo Sorrentino | Italy | |
| A Hero | Asghar Farhadi | Iran, France | |
| Julia | Julie Cohen, Betsy West | United States | |
| King Richard | Reinaldo Marcus Green | United States | |
| The Lost Daughter | Maggie Gyllenhaal | Greece, United States, United Kingdom, Israel | |
| Marcel the Shell with Shoes On | Dean Fleischer-Camp | United States | |
| Muhammad Ali | Ken Burns | United States | |
| Nuclear Family | Ry Russo-Young | United States | |
| Petite Maman | Céline Sciamma | France | |
| The Power of the Dog | Jane Campion | Australia, New Zealand | |
| Procession | Robert Greene | United States | |
| The Real Charlie Chaplin | James Spinney, Peter Middleton | United States | |
| Red Rocket | Sean Baker | United States | |
| The Rescue | Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin | United States, United Kingdom | |
| River | Jennifer Peedom | Australia | |
| The Same Storm | Peter Hedges | United States | |
| Speer Goes to Hollywood | Vanessa Lapa | Israel, Austria, Germany | |
| Spencer | Pablo Larraín | United Kingdom, Germany, Chile | |
| Torn | Max Lowe | United States | |
| Unclenching the Fists | Kira Kovalenko | Russia | |
| The Velvet Underground | Todd Haynes | United States |
The films were selected and presented by the year's guest director, Barry Jenkins.
| Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolat | Claire Denis | France |
| Garden | Adi Barash | Israel |
| Kahlil Joseph Selected Works | United States | |
| Looking for Langston | Isaac Julien | United Kingdom |
| Russian Ark | Alexander Sokurov | Russia |
| West Indies | Med Hondo | France, Mauritania, Algeria |
The selection was curated and introduced by Gregory Nava. It selected the best student-produced work around the world.
| Title | Director(s) | Production universitie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bad Omen | Salar Pashtoonyar | York University | |
| Bitch | Bertille Estramon | Institut des Arts de Diffusion | |
| Close Ties to Home Country | Akanksha Cruczynski | Columbia College Chicago | |
| Lakutshon' ilanga (When the Sun Sets) | Phumi Morare | Chapman University | |
| Love, Dad | Diana Cam Van Nguyen | Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague | |
| No es ella (It's Not Her) | Samuel González Vera | Escuela Internacional de Cine y Televisión | |
| Soft Animals | Renee Zhan | National Film and Television School | |
| Spaces | Nora Štrbová | Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague |
The selection was curated by Barry Jenkins. It selected new works from promising filmmakers.
| Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face | Sameh Alaa | Egypt, France, Qatar, Belgium | |
| Motorcyclist's Happiness Won't Fit Into His Suit | Gabriel Herrera | Mexico | |
| Play It Safe | Mitch Kalisa | United Kingdom | |
| Sideral | Carlos Segundo | Brazil, France | |
| Spirits and Rocks: An Azorean Myth | Aylin Gökmen | Switzerland, Portugal | |
| What Remains | Daniel Soares | Portugal |
The selection was curated by Barry Jenkins.
| Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Easter Eggs | Nicolas Keppens | Belgium, France, Netherlands | |
| My Own Landscapes | Antoine Chapon | France | |
| Noir-Soleil | Marie Larrivé | France | |
| Terra Incognita | Pernille Kjaer, Adrian Dexter | Denmark | |
| The Vandal | Eddie Alcazar | United States |
The selection included behind-the-scene movies and portraits of artists, musicians, and filmmakers.
| Title | Director(s) | Production countrie(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andrei Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer | Andrei Tarkovsky | Italy, Russia, Sweden | |
| Bernstein's Wall | Douglas Tirola | United States | |
| Dark Frames | Tom Thurman | United States | |
| Edna | Eryk Rocha | Brazil | |
| Joyce Carol Oates: A Body in the Service of Mind | Stig Björkman | Sweden | |
| Land of Gold | Jon Else | United States | |
| Songs for Drella | Ed Lachman | United States | |
| Stay Prayed Up | D.L. Anderson, Matt Durning | United States | |
| The Story of Looking | Mark Cousins | United Kingdom | |
| Three Minutes – A Lengthening | Bianca Stigter | Netherlands, United Kingdom | |
| The Village Detective: A Song Cycle | Bill Morrison | United States |