My Week at The Telluride Film Festival
My Week at The Telluride Film Festival
And two new classes: A TV writing workshop, and an ongoing class.
Hello, hello!
It’s still summer for a few more days, so no happy fall from me. I will be basking in every single moment of summer glory I get :) Before I dive into today’s post about my week at The Telluride Film Festival, a few quick notes:
I have two new class offerings I’m super excited about:
ADAPT YOUR BOOK, SHORT STORY, OR PERSONAL ESSAY INTO A TV SHOW: A 3-hour workshop with The Flatiron Writers Room.
If you missed it this Spring, I’m teaching another round of this fantastic workshop on Wednesday, September 25th at 7pm EST/4pm PST on Zoom. This session is packed full of practical information, interactive, and you learn A LOT! You’ll leave with an understanding of structure, building characters for the screen, story engines, and more. I taught it earlier this year and trust me, there’s a reason I’m doing it again. You can register here — and if you can’t make the live event — no worries, there’s a recording.
FROM IDEA TO DRAFT: BUILD YOUR PILOT IN 6 WEEKS
If you want to dig even deeper with pilot writing, you’re in luck! I’m teaching a pilot writing class for Write Or Die Magazine. I will take you from an idea to a first draft of a pilot in just 6 classes, for the unheard price of $595 for the whole course. I love Write or Die’s literary magazine and am so excited to offer a TV writing class for them. You can sign up here, and just respond to this email with any questions.
I spent a week at one of the world’s biggest film festivals and this is what it was like.
Earlier this month I had the privilege of attending the Telluride Film Festival for work, which was the first festival I’ve ever attended in person. In 2021, I attended SWSX virtually after a film I starred in got into the festival but attending on Zoom is… so different. (If you’d like to watch said film, it’s called The End of Us and is streaming now on Amazon Prime and Tubi!)
What is the Telluride Film Festival?
The Telluride Film Festival is an international film festival set in a gorgeous mountain village in Colorado. It’s premiered some of the biggest films in the world, including six of the last seven Oscar winners for Best Picture. Unlike the majority of festivals that exist to sell films, there isn’t a sales market at Telluride. Most films already have distribution. Because of that, the whole week feels like a wholesome celebration of cinema without Hollywood competition, networking, or pressure.
What did I see?
I saw 9 films in 4 days, which is average. Getting into films can be ruthless; you must show up early, wait in line, and pray you get in. Some people get into 12+, and some take it easy and see around 6-8, using their free time to explore the incredible town of Telluride or mingle with old or new friends.
The films I saw were:
1. Anora
2. The Sacred Seed of The Fig
3. The End (premiere!)
4. Conclave (premiere!)
5. Don’t Let’s Go To The Dogs Tonight (premiere!)
5. The Friend (premiere!)
7. A Real Pain
8. Saturday Night (premiere!)
9. The Swallow
There are several films that I didn’t see (due to either timing or long lines) but had festival buzz and that I’m excited to watch soon, including: