Fall has always been my favorite season. Ever since I was young, I looked forward to shopping for the new school wardrobe full of long sleeves and sweaters, watching the leaves change colors, start of a new season for all of my favorite TV shows. Even though it’s technically the end of year, it feels like a new beginning of sorts.

Well, I’ve been out of school for a long (long) time, but Fall still marks the beginning of a new season, but for film. This is the time of year where filmmakers bring out their best in hopes of being a contender for the Academy Awards. The Fall festivals provide the perfect platform launch films and create a buzz and media extravaganza. Two festivals which are often used for this purpose is the Telluride Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Telluride Festival, now in its 33rd year, traditionally runs every Labor Day weekend in the small mountain town in Colorado. Telluride stands out from the rest because they do not announce their program previous to the festival, but they have a reputation for selecting outstanding work. Over the years, hundreds of filmmakers, celebrities, press, and film lovers flock to the festival each year to discover such films as The Crying Game, Slingblade, Breaking the Waves, Eve’s Bayou, and Lost in Translation. This year, festivalgoers were the first to discover, Fur, the Diane Arbus biopic starring Nicole Kidman; the documentary, The US versus John Lennon; Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu’s powerful drama, Babel; and Mira Nair’s The Namesake.

Next week, the Toronto International Film Festival kicks off, which is arguably one of the most important festivals. Both the press and the public look to Toronto to find out the most promising films of the year. This year some of the premieres will include Infamous, the other Truman Capote biopic; Christopher Guest’s For Your Consideration; and The Dixie Chicks: Shut Up and Sing.

Check out our INFESTIVALS page to find out other festivals that are playing in the next few weeks. And stay tuned!

Long live indie film,
Michelle