As is tradition, the Telluride Film Festival has once again illuminated the path to this year's Academy Awards. Now that the initial, breathless media reactions have subsided, it's time to take a more measured look at the films that stood out.
Leading the pack with multiple Oscar possibilities is British auteur Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine" (Searchlight). It's garnering attention for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and potential acting nods for John Malkovich (Best Actor) and Sam Rockwell (Supporting Actor). Malkovich, in particular, received two Tributes at Telluride.
Another film that generated significant word-of-mouth was Los Javis’ Cannes prize-winner, the Netflix-distributed "La Bola Negra." This powerful gay epic drama is a strong contender for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film, with Penélope Cruz also a long-shot possibility for Supporting Actress.
Three standout performances earned critical acclaim and are expected to resonate with the Academy's Actors Branch. The theatrical setting of two of these films is an added bonus: Andrew Scott earned raves for his portrayal of a dying actor tackling Hamlet in "Elsinore" (Focus), while Julianne Moore was praised for her role as a sad housewife discovering acting in a New Jersey community theater in Jesse Eisenberg’s "The Debut" (A24). Additionally, Carrie Coon delivers a powerful performance in "The Liberation" (Bleecker), inspired by Guy Nattiv’s grandmother's true story of a woman abandoning her family for a cult.
British filmmaking legend Mike Leigh's "Tender Loving Care," likely his final film, proved to be a relatable and poignant audience favorite. Leigh, a seven-time Oscar nominee who has yet to win, could see recognition for Director or Original Screenplay once more, building on his respected body of work that has often brought actors into the awards spotlight.
Danny Boyle’s "Ink" (Netflix), an entertaining look at 1960s Fleet Street, also played well with audiences. Jack O’Connell is superb as the hard-driving "The Sun" editor Larry Lamb, though the Best Actor race is undeniably crowded. Guy Pearce, who plays Rupert Murdoch, could potentially follow up his 2025 nomination for "The Brutalist" with another nod.
The Best International Feature Film category looks set to be dominated by several Cannes Competition titles that received strong receptions at Telluride: "La Bola Negra," Neon’s "Fjord," and Mubi’s "Fatherland" and "Minotaur." Each of these films has potential in other categories, with "Fatherland" rising star Sandra Hüller being a notable possibility.
Among the documentaries, "Free Solo" Oscar-winning team Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin impressed with "Everest: The Other Side" (NatGeo). This exhilarating and terrifying portrait follows heroic mountaineer-skier Jim Morrison's groundbreaking attempts to ascend and ski down Everest’s North Face. The film received a significant boost from Oprah Winfrey, who hosted a Telluride party and moderated a Q&A with the now-estranged filmmakers and Morrison.
Conversely, Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim’s "You Can See Everything" (A24) — a surprise event that allowed audiences to experience a new movie without prior knowledge — exploded at Telluride. The film, which follows disgraced Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes as she prepares for prison, is transgressive and entertaining in ways that challenge traditional documentary conventions. While it garnered buzz, its idiosyncratic nature and comedic elements might make it a challenging sell for the often-opinionated documentary branch of the Academy. Critics and box office performance will be key to its Oscar chances.
Other films, such as Andrew Haigh’s tragic drama "A Long Winter" (Mubi) and the Cannes crowd-pleaser "Club Kid" (another A24 title), are expected to further build their profiles at upcoming fall festivals, where more contenders are sure to emerge.