Telluride Film Fest Kicks Off with Brunch, ‘Wild Horse Nine’ North American Premiere

The 53rd Telluride Film Festival got underway on Friday with its annual Patron Brunch, a gathering of the fest’s biggest-name talent and highest-dollar supporters, followed by the annual Patron Preview, a screening of one of the fest’s most anticipated titles.

Among the big names on hand for the brunch were Elsinore star Andrew Scott, The Debut director Jesse Eisenberg and star Julianne Moore, The Man I Love star Rami Malek, Wild Horse Nine stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, Ink director Danny Boyle and star Jack O’Connell, Fatherland and Rose star Sandra Hüller, Avedon director Ron Howard and Léa Seydoux, star of a record-breaking three fest films, Alpha Gang, Gentle Monster and The Unknown.

A large contingent of the Club Kid team were also present, including director/star Jordan Firstman, stars Cara Delevingne and Diego Calva and scene-stealer Colleen Camp, who many know for hosting swanky awards season shindigs of her own.

Tender Loving Care’s legendary writer/director Mike Leigh, who is 83 and in fragile health, was not able to make it to this year’s fest, but his film is being represented here by its entire principal cast, save for Kate O’Flynn. Leigh was present, in a way, via “A Film by Mike Leigh” hats that Tender Loving Care distributor Bleecker Street handed out to brunch attendees.

Some who were at the brunch, like Boyle, are festival regulars — he previously was here with Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours and Steve Jobs. Others, such as Moore, had gone decades since their last visit — she said she was last here in 1994 with Vanya on 42nd Street. And, surprisingly enough, a few veteran makers of high-quality films were at the fest for the first time — among them, the legendary cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, here as part of the team behind the not-yet-completed animated film Wildwood, clips of which are being shown at the fest.

The Ink and Wild Horse Nine teams were still acclimating to the high altitude after flying in directly from Venice, where their films were greeted with lengthy standing ovations. They, like most other talent at the fest, will have little time to rest or watch movies, as the fest’s official Q&As and panels, and adjacent press opportunities, will consume most of their waking hours. Eisenberg lamented to THR about being so close to screenings of so many top-notch movies, but not having time to see them. Elsinore’s Scott, however, said he would try to see as many of the “gay movies” at this year’s fest as possible, citing La Bola Negra, Club Kid and A Long Winter as top priorities.

The belles of the ball, or at least two of them, were “Los Javis,” the exes who co-directed La Bola Negra, for which they were honored at Cannes, and which is Netflix’s primary contender this season. Speaking of Netflix, the streamer held a listening party late Thursday night celebrating its documentary feature The Disciple, which is about the Wu-Tang-Clan’s infamous Once Upon a Time in Shaolin album. Only one copy of the album was ever produced, and it has rarely been played, but an arrangement was strucky whereby it was blasted at this cool gathering.

The first big screening at the fest is always the Patron Preview, the title of which is not revealed until festivalgoers are seated inside the Werner Herzog Theatre. This year, it turned out to be Wild Horse Nine, hot off its world premiere in Venice. The film is screening now, and it will screen again on Saturday night at the Palm Theatre, after which THR will moderate an on-stage Q&A with McDonagh, Malkovich, Rockwell, supporting actors Steve Buscemi and Mariana di Girolamo and producer Graham Broadbent.