The 52nd Telluride Film Festival, taking place from August 29 to September 1 in Colorado’s mountain town, has announced an exciting slate of films, including numerous world premieres, international debuts, and anticipated awards-season contenders. This year’s selection prominently features Ethan Hawke in the spotlight with the Ethan Hawke Telluride Tribute celebrating his career alongside other distinguished honorees.
The festival will present more than 60 feature films, shorts, and revival programs from over 30 countries. Alongside these screenings, attendees will experience tributes, conversations with filmmakers, student programs, and special industry events.
Prominent Film Premieres and International Debuts
The main program, known as The SHOW, boasts several high-profile world premieres. Among them is Chloé Zhao’s Shakespearean drama Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and Edward Berger’s psychological thriller Ballad of a Small Player, featuring Colin Farrell. Scott Cooper’s music documentary Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, led by Jeremy Allen White, also makes its debut.
Several films arriving fresh from the Venice Film Festival include Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia, starring Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons, Noah Baumbach’s Jay Kelly, with George Clooney and Adam Sandler, and Paolo Sorrentino’s Italian drama La Grazia, which opened Venice this year.
Other highly anticipated titles encompass Richard Linklater’s dual entries Blue Moon and Nouvelle Vague. The festival also welcomes Joachim Trier’s Norwegian drama Sentimental Value, the Palme d’Or winner It Was Just an Accident by Jafar Panahi, Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent, Harris Dickinson’s directorial debut Urchin, Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind, Olivier Assayas’ The History of Sound, and Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life.
Documentaries and Nonfiction Highlights Spotlight Ethan Hawke
The nonfiction lineup includes several compelling documentaries likely to generate significant interest. Ivy Meeropol presents Ask E. Jean, which explores allegations by Trump accuser E. Jean Carroll. Morgan Neville’s Man on the Run follows Paul McCartney and Wings, while Laura Poitras’ Cover-Up investigates journalist Seymour Hersh.
Ethan Hawke himself is featured in the documentary realm with Highway 99: A Double Album, a musical film exploring the life and legacy of Merle Haggard.
Festival’s Tribute Awards Celebrate Leading Filmmakers
This year’s Silver Medallion awards, also known as Festival Tributes, will honor Noah Baumbach, Ethan Hawke, and Jafar Panahi. Each recipient will participate in on-stage conversations and screenings of their latest films. The all-male trio has prompted awareness from festival executive director Julie Huntsinger, who noted the importance of Panahi’s contribution amid artistic and political contexts.
You can’t deny this movie. It’s so important, and he’s so important,
Huntsinger said of Panahi’s It Was Just an Accident.
He goes for it. Instead of retreating into metaphor, he just says it all in this film. I couldn’t be more impressed.
In addition to the Silver Medallions, the festival will present a Special Medallion to producer Tessa Ross for her extensive influence behind acclaimed films such as Carol, Billy Elliot, and The Iron Claw. Ross, recently nominated for an Oscar for Berger’s Conclave (2024), will be honored during the screening of Ballad of a Small Player.
Guest Director Ezra Edelman Curates Classic Films Sidebar
Oscar-winning documentarian Ezra Edelman, known for O.J.: Made in America, returns as guest director, curating a series of classic films including Rashomon, Network, Malcolm X, The Insider, and All the President’s Men, providing festivalgoers an opportunity to engage with cinema history.
Festival Director Highlights Performances and Award Potential
Julie Huntsinger praised the diversity and emotional depth of this year’s films, describing a prevailing sense of compassion throughout the programming.
There really is a lot of compassion in these films,
she said.
Even something like ‘Pillion,’ the BDSM gay romantic comedy, is so full of heart. You come away going, ‘Oh my God, I’m so glad I saw that, and that aspect of our humanity depicted.’ Even the heartbreaking ones leave you feeling glad to be a human being.
Huntsinger spotlighted exceptional performances expected to resonate during awards season. She notably admired Jodie Foster’s fluency in French in A Private Life:
Her flawless French is absolutely bananas. She’s a national treasure, and we must not take her for granted.
The director also praised Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons in Bugonia, describing Stone’s performance as “something beyond, beyond, beyond,” as well as Hawke’s career-best work in Blue Moon. Renate Reinsve, appearing in Sentimental Value, received acclaim for her extraordinary talent.
She very easily could have had [a tribute] from us this year — and she will [eventually]. She’s extraordinary.
Huntsinger also emphasized Colin Farrell and Jessie Buckley as strong contenders poised to command awards attention.
She noted that the male category for Best Actor is exceptionally competitive this year, a contrast to prior years when the actress category was more crowded.
I think the male race for best actor is going to be so hard,
she observed.
For years, it’s felt like the opposite, with the actress category stacked. This year, the actors’ race is just chock-full of incredible performances.
Festival’s Expanding Partnerships and Infrastructure Developments
The festival continues to extend its collaborations, welcoming Google as a new sponsor of the shorts program while renewing partnerships with Netflix, Amazon MGM Studios, and National Geographic. Despite challenges from Hollywood’s economic contraction, Huntsinger expressed gratitude for the strong support the festival receives.
We’re really — and not to be corny — blessed in terms of sponsorship and the individual people who support us,
she said.
They love what we do and support both the festival and the Nugget.
The Nugget, Telluride’s ambitious new headquarters project housed in the historic Nugget Building, aims to provide a year-round venue for screenings, residencies, and education programs. Scheduled for completion by the end of 2026, the facility’s flagship Atmos theater will be outfitted by Dolby and Meyer Sound.
Founder’s Vision: Preserving Original Filmmaking at Telluride
Huntsinger summed up the festival’s mission by emphasizing the vitality of original cinema within a franchise-dominated industry.
Cinema is alive and well,
she asserted.
Stars of a certain stature want to be in really quality projects. Our program lives to defy the idea that everything is just a sequel or remake. Every year, we prove original filmmaking is thriving.
Complete Film Slate: A Comprehensive Guide to The SHOW
The extensive film lineup includes the following features and episodic works:
- A Private Life (dir. Rebecca Zlotowski, France, 2025)
- Ask E. Jean (dir. Ivy Meeropol, U.S., 2025)
- Ballad of a Small Player (dir. Edward Berger, Hong Kong/Macau, 2025)
- Blue Moon (dir. Richard Linklater, U.S./Ireland, 2025)
- Bugonia (dir. Yorgos Lanthimos, U.K., 2025)
- Cover-Up (dir. Laura Poitras, Mark Obenhaus, U.S., 2025)
- Everywhere Man: The Lives and Times of Peter Asher (dir. Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller, U.S./U.K., 2025)
- Ghost Elephants (dir. Werner Herzog, Angola/Namibia/U.S., 2025)
- H Is for Hawk (dir. Philippa Lowthorpe, U.K./U.S., 2025)
- Hamlet (dir. Aneil Karia, U.K., 2025)
- Hamnet (dir. Chloé Zhao, U.K., 2025)
- Highway 99: A Double Album (dir. Ethan Hawke, U.S., 2025)
- If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (dir. Mary Bronstein, U.S., 2025)
- It Was Just an Accident (dir. Jafar Panahi, Iran/France/Luxembourg, 2025)
- Jay Kelly (dir. Noah Baumbach, Italy/U.K./U.S., 2025)
- Karl (dir. Nick Hooker, U.K., 2025)
- La Grazia (dir. Paolo Sorrentino, Italy, 2025)
- Lost in the Jungle (dir. Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Juan Camilo Cruz, U.S./Colombia, 2025)
- Lumière, le Cinéma (dir. Thierry Frémaux, France, 2024)
- Man on the Run (dir. Morgan Neville, U.S., 2025)
- Nouvelle Vague (dir. Richard Linklater, France, 2025)
- Pillion (dir. Harry Lighton, U.K., 2025)
- Sentimental Value (dir. Joachim Trier, Norway/France/Denmark/Germany, 2025)
- Shifty (dir. Adam Curtis, U.K., 2025)
- Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere (dir. Scott Cooper, U.S., 2025)
- Summer Tour (dir. Mischa Richter, U.S., 2025)
- The American Revolution (dir. Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, David Schmidt, U.S., 2025)
- The Bend in the River (dir. Robb Moss, U.S., 2025)
- The Cycle of Love (dir. Orlando von Einsiedel, U.K./India/Sweden, 2025)
- The History of Sound (dir. Oliver Hermanus, U.S., 2025)
- The Mastermind (dir. Kelly Reichardt, U.S., 2025)
- The New Yorker at 100 (dir. Marshall Curry, U.S., 2025)
- The Reserve (dir. Pablo Pérez Lombardini, Mexico/Qatar, 2025)
- The Secret Agent (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho, Brazil/France/Netherlands/Germany, 2025)
- This Is Not a Drill (dir. Oren Jacoby, U.S., 2025)
- Tuner (dir. Daniel Roher, U.S./Canada, 2025)
- Urchin (dir. Harris Dickinson, U.K., 2025)
Short Film Offerings at Telluride
- Last Days on Lake Trinity (dir. Charlotte Cooley, U.S., 2025)
- Sallie’s Ashes (dir. Brennan Robideaux, U.S., 2025)
- Song of My City (dir. David C. Roberts, U.S., 2025)
- All the Empty Rooms (dir. Joshua Seftel, U.S., 2025)
- All the Walls Came Down (dir. Ondi Timoner, U.S., 2025)
Backlot Screenings Highlight Important Documentaries and Restorations
- All I Had Was Nothingness (dir. Guillaume Ribot, France, 2025)
- Carol & Joy (dir. Nathan Silver, U.S., 2025)
- Chaplin: Spirit of the Tramp (dir. Carmen Chaplin, Spain/U.K./Netherlands, 2024)
- Earth to Michael (dir. Nico López-Alegría, U.S., 2025)
- Elie Wiesel: Soul on Fire (dir. Oren Rudavsky, U.S., 2024)
- King Hamlet (dir. Elvira Lind, U.S./Denmark, 2025)
- Megadoc (dir. Mike Figgis, U.S./U.K., 2025)
- Shooting (dir. Netalie Braun, Israel, 2025)
- The Golden Spurtle (dir. Constantine Costi, U.K./Australia, 2025)
- Their Eyes (dir. Nicolas Gourault, France, 2025)
Educational Opportunities and Community Engagement at Telluride
Telluride’s education programs continue to foster a deeper understanding of film as an art form through student involvement. These initiatives include the Student Symposium for graduate and undergraduate attendees, supported by the Golden Globes Foundation; the City Lights Project pairing high school students and teachers with festival films and guests, backed by the Artemis Rising Foundation; the FilmLAB program connecting filmmakers with American Film Institute Fellows; and FilmSCHOLAR, a partnership with the University of Wisconsin designed for emerging critics and scholars.
Special Screenings and Festival Events Enrich Attendee Experience
- Cave of Forgotten Dreams 3D 2025: Restoration and Recreation (dir. Werner Herzog, France/Canada/U.S./U.K./Germany, 2010)
- Learning to Fly (dir. Max Lowe, U.S./France/Switzerland/Italy/China/Hong Kong, 2025)
- The New Yorker at 100: A Gallery Exhibition, showcasing cinema-inspired cover art and cartoons from the magazine’s archives
- Steal This Story, Please! (dir. Carl Dean, Tia Lessin, U.S., 2025)
- 4K Restoration of The Gold Rush (dir. Charles Chaplin, U.S., 1925)
- Festival Poster Signing event with Daniel Clowes
- Truth Be Told: Journalism and Filmmaking in the 21st Century, a special panel presented by Turner Classic Movies
Engaging Discussions Connect Audiences with Filmmakers and Industry Experts
Telluride’s Talking Heads programs provide behind-the-scenes insights through conversations, including the Conversations series sponsored by Indian Paintbrush, which focuses on cinema and cultural topics. In addition, the outdoor Noon Seminars offer panels featuring industry guests discussing various aspects of filmmaking. These events are free and open to the public, maintaining Telluride’s commitment to accessibility and education.
Looking Ahead: Telluride’s Growing Influence on Cinema and Awards Season
Known as a launchpad for Oscar contenders, Telluride has a rich history of premiering best picture winners such as Moonlight, Nomadland, and The Shape of Water. While festival director Julie Huntsinger remained coy about this year’s potential best picture outsized contenders, she acknowledged the festival’s ability to spotlight critically acclaimed films that gain wider recognition.
If we think something’s good, chances are other people probably do too,
Huntsinger noted.
I hope so, for our filmmakers. It doesn’t matter to me, but it matters to them. I always like when it lines up because it means they don’t toil in obscurity.
She also teased the festival’s upcoming additions with to-be-determined slots, a tradition that keeps audiences eager for surprises.
One will be no surprise at all — that filmmaker has achieved yet another home run,
she said.
The other is not obvious, but I love this movie. Sometimes it’s a ‘duh’ film, sometimes it’s a discovery. Both are high quality.
The continued growth of sponsorships and infrastructure, as well as a lineup full of original and powerful storytelling, underlines Telluride’s enduring position as an influential platform for cinema, particularly as the awards season approaches.
