Traveling to Telluride from Helsinki with 13 boxes of hand-crafted instruments, the Finnish musical group, Cleaning Women, made their first trip to America. Guest Director Alice Rohrwacher, joked about the herculean task of getting to Telluride – akin to traveling to another Universe, as she enthusiastically introduced the band. Having the trio perform at the Galaxy Theater to score the silent Georgian film, “My Grandmother” (1929) was a bit like being in another world as the high school auditorium is transformed into an astronomical wonder. It was the perfect setting for the Cleaning Women’s other worldly music.
Julie Huntsinger, the curators, hard-working staff and technicians, and over 500 volunteers, are to be congratulated. This year’s film festival was clearly a labor of love and a festival worth traveling half the world to reach. Not only was it a stellar program with a vast array of cinematic treasures, the tributes brought incredible filmmakers to the festival and it was a brilliant idea to have six Guest Directors. The focus of the festival was squarely on the filmmakers and they happily stepped into the spotlight.
The spirits of the founders of the film festival were felt everywhere this weekend. It was as if, not only was the JR installation of Agnés Varda’s visage, but also the bon vivant energy and enthusiasm of Tom Luddy and Bill Pence, peering down and blessing the festival. There was a palpable joy felt in every venue as the staff and crew worked to honor the memories of the founders by bringing their own enthusiasm and passion for film to the festival.
Even with the added day of festival screenings this year, there wasn’t enough time or access to all the films we wanted to see. Every day, there were people racing from the gondola or grabbing coffee as they power walked down to the Palm, trying, and often failing, to see all the films they were excited about. I overheard one filmmaker describing it as Film Jenga—you find one film you want to see and hope it doesn’t make you miss another film you’re hoping to get into.
As you wait in line or ride the gondola, the question you always hear is, “what was your favorite film?” This year, the better question may have been, what was your favorite experience? The most memorable moments often happen before or after a screening. When you find yourself seated between someone who works on music scores and a filmmaker with a film screening in the festival and then you hand them both tissues as you all quietly shed tears. Or the joy of marching in the parade of town musicians lead by Jon Batiste, here at Telluride with his documentary, “American Symphony” (Matthew Heineman).
My favorite comedy was the delightful, laugh-out-loud funny, “The Falling Star” by the Belgian artists/clowns, Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel (“The Fairy”, “Lost in Paris”). The film that I found the most transcendent (moving me to tears of joy and sorrow), was Wim Wenders’ “Perfect Days”. In a year of surprising films, one of the most bonkers and most fun, “Poor Things” (Yorgos Lanthimos) with candy colored steampunk vehicles beautifully floating across the big screen, has an outstanding performance by Emma Stone. One of my favorite stories was that of the Italian girl charmed by American film stars and transported (literally and figuratively) in “Finally Dawn” (Saverio Costanzo), a tale of Cinecittà studios in the 1950’s.
The Telluride Film Festival is always a labor of love. The 50th film festival was a real treat and would’ve made Tom Luddy and Bill Pence proud. It was well-worth traveling halfway around the world to be part of the experience. It’s exhausting, exhilarating and enchanting all at once.
Drinks with films 
Jill
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