Behind the screen at Colorado's Telluride Film Festival

By Lolley McConnell     9/11/08 7:00pm

You must have a large store of faith to attend the Telluride Film Festival. With a lineup that is not announced until you are cozily nestled in one of the ski lodges of the small town, there is no chance to shop for Oscar bait or star directors. Even the staff is kept in the dark about who and what will appear, but they faithfully return year after year, most as volunteers, simply because Telluride is so unique.Do not expect the festival to be a few days of star chasing; there is an unspoken code that actors and directors are there only to present and talk about their work, not to hand out autographs or pose for pictures. This creates an atmosphere centered on film where you'll find people talking about the movies instead of the celebrities.

The film-friendly atmosphere allows the directors of the Festival more leeway in what they show, and many of the screenings are revivals. One of the hits this year was Laughing 'Til It Hurts, a program of four slapstick silent films. It was a unique experience to be in a sold-out theater for a screening of a silent film, with live accompaniment playing alongside. Not only did the program sell out on its first scheduled screening, it also garnered one of the prestigious "to-be-announced" slots. The closest thing to a prize at the festival, the coveted TBA spots make up the programming for the last day and are reserved for the audience-pleasers. For a silent film to be on this list attests to the intense dedication of the patrons of Telluride to good, timeless film, as well as good, contemporary film.

Unlike Sundance or Cannes, where you have to be a master in the art of film to be selected, Telluride accepts first attempts or flawed efforts. Fraaq, a multiple-storyline drama about Hindu-Muslim conflict, is the first film of actress Nandita Das ( Ramchand Pakistani). While Das has more to learn, she composes a story with genuine feel. She creates a true drama without relying on the heavy-handed shockers like rape and excessive violence that were ever-present in the conflict. The finished product is a hard but beautiful story of a people moving on after a disaster and reclaiming their identity.

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At the opposite end of the spectrum is American Violet, a clunky, over the top story (based on true events!) of a small Texas town where the drug task force arrests several dozen blacks on false charges of dealing cocaine. Director Tim Disney, nephew of Walt Disney, deals with the struggle of minorities living in a prejudiced town where their way of life is not understood. He throws away an opportunity to craft a great story, however, by creating stereotypical characters and heavy-handed metaphors.

The white characters in the film are entirely two-dimensional: racist toward everyone who isn't white and in complete fear of the minorities. Disney's portrayal of a black woman is even worse. Interwoven with the scenes of domestic violence are Sundays at church and hours spent in a hairsalon chair. Disney's cardboard characters, if not offensive, are a plain disappointment in what could be a film testifying to the spirit of perseverance.

In the background of the film, the 2000 presidential election seems to be on loop. Disney leaves what the election footage means up to interpretation, whether it's a comment on Bush's status as the governor of Texas or on the injustice done to Gore. Either way, it is overdone. If you don't know why the film is titled American Violet, you will by the end. The protagonist waters the plant entirely too many times during the film and almost but not quite gives up on it when it looks like it is not going to make it.

All in all, 2008 was a slow year for the festival. Giants like last year's Juno, which premiered with Diablo Cody in attendance, seemed conspicuously absent from the lineup. Daniel Day Lewis was the focus of the 2007 tribute and brought with him a preview of There Will Be Blood. David Fincher took the honors for 2008, and his The Curious Case of Benjamin Button may prove to be Oscar fodder just as much as Blood was.

This year the biggest buzz film was Slumdog Millionaires, the next release from Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Trainspotting). In the film, an 18-year-old boy recounts his life growing up in the poorest parts of Bombay after being accused of cheating on a T.V. quiz show. What is refreshing about Boyle's creation is its wholly original storyline. Coupled with an engrossing plot, it would be a shame if the movie did not merit a wide release.

Has Telluride picked another winner with Slumdog? Only Oscar season will tell.

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