By Ray Pride Pride@moviecitynews.com

Volker Schlöndorff Named Telluride 2016 Guest Director

Telluride Film Festival, presented by National Film Preserve LTD., is proud to announce its 2016 Guest Director, Volker Schlöndorff. The globally acclaimed German filmmaker, producer, writer and actor is set to select a series of films to present at the 43rd Telluride Film Festival running over Labor Day Weekend, September 2-5, 2016.

Festival organizers annually select one of the world’s great film enthusiasts to join them in the creation of the Festival’s program lineup. The Guest Director serves as a key collaborator in the Festival’s programming decisions, bringing new ideas and overlooked films to Telluride. In keeping with Telluride Film Festival tradition, Schlöndorff’s film selections, along with the rest of the Telluride lineup, will be kept secret until Opening Day.

 said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger. “His love and knowledge of the cinema allows for limitless possibilities; films we could never imagine being shown on the big screen again. What a truly unique experience we will have at the 43rd Telluride Film Festival with Volker in charge!”

One of the most significant and internationally-celebrated German directors of our time, VolkerSchlöndorff has a passion for bringing German and international literary classics to the screen and making them accessible to larger audiences. Volker began his filmmaking journey at the legendary film school IDHEC followed by his first debut feature, YOUNG TÖRLESS (1966). Decades later, having worked in Europe and America, his extensive body of work has garnered him an Academy Award, the Palme d’Or, and international accolades from Berlin to Venice to Telluride, where he received the Silver Medallion in 2014.

“Since 1981 Telluride has been part of my life, my favorite festival for the uniqueness of the location and the number of friends I met and made there,” said Schlöndorff. “It’s not just about our love of movies, but of life and conviviality and good will for a lot of lost causes. Julie Huntsinger and Tom Luddy are in touch with me all around the year, exchanging funny links and gossip. Of all honours, it’s one of the greatest to curate a program in the mountains.”

Past Guest Directors include Rachel Kushner, Guy Maddin, Caetano Veloso, Michael Ondaatje, Alexander Payne, Salman Rushdie, Peter Bogdanovich, B. Ruby Rich, Phillip Lopate, Errol Morris, Bertrand Tavernier, John Boorman, John Simon, Buck Henry, Laurie Anderson, Stephen Sondheim, G. Cabrera Infante, Peter Sellars, Don DeLillo, J.P. Gorin, Edith Kramer and Slavoj Žižek.

For more information about Volker Schlöndorff, visit www.volkerschloendorff.com.

For more information about Telluride Film Festival, visit www.telluridefilmfestival.org 

About Telluride Film Festival

The prestigious Telluride Film Festival ranks among the world’s best film festivals and is an annual gathering for film industry insiders, cinema enthusiasts, filmmakers and critics. TFF is considered a major launching ground for the fall season’s most talked-about films. Founded in 1974, Telluride Film Festival, presented in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado, is a four-day international educational event celebrating the art of film. Telluride Film Festival’s long-standing commitment is to join filmmakers and film connoisseurs together to experience great cinema. The exciting schedule, kept secret until Opening Day, consists of over two dozen filmmakers presenting their newest works, special Guest Director programs, three major Tributes to guest artists, special events and remarkable treasures from the past. Telluride Film Festival is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit educational program. Festival headquarters are in Berkeley, CA.

About Our Sponsors

Telluride Film Festival is supported by Turner Classic Movies, EY, Amazon Studios, National Endowment for the Arts, Delta Air Lines, Participant Media, Meyer Sound, Universal Studios, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group, UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, Argent Pictures, Dolby, Américas Film Conservancy, The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills, Telluride Mountain Village Owners Association,Telluride Alpine Lodging, DELL, New Sheridan Hotel

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