September marks the beginning of “Awards Season” proper, with three major international festivals providing platforms for some of the world’s greatest filmmakers to make a splash in front of adoring audiences. Venice kicked off earlier this week, TIFF launches on September 8 in Toronto, and high in the San Juans mountains, Telluride Film Festival provides a breathtaking setting for a Labor Day weekend packed with films.

A matter of intense speculation and sleuthing, the lineup is kept under wraps until cinephiles, journalists, and celebrities descend upon the excessively quaint former mining town (and modern day ski resort). This morning, just after sunrise, the festival announced its official program for its 49th edition just after sunrise this morning. It’s an exciting selection with a handful of world premieres, North American debuts, and eclectic artistic programming that brings a ton of artists and guests into the mountains. In total, the festival will screen nearly ninety feature films, short films, and revival programs representing twenty-five countries, along with special artist Tributes, Conversations, Panels, Student Programs, and Festivities. After last year’s more relaxed five-day festivities, Telluride again returns to a four day schedule running from Friday, September 2 – Monday, September 5, 2022.

I arrived in town yesterday evening to get acclimated to the thin mountain air and — with the help of ample servings of cold brew — hope to catch as many movies as I can over the long weekend. Below, a list of the official selections, more about the full program on the Telluride Film Festival website.

• ARMAGEDDON TIME (d. James Gray, U.S., 2022) In person: James Gray, Jeremy Strong, Anne Hathaway
• BARDO, FALSE CHRONICLE OF A HANDFUL OF TRUTHS (d. Alejandro González Iñárritu, Mexico-U.S., 2022) In person: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Griselda Siciliani, Ximena Lamadrid, Íker Sánchez Solano
• BOBI WINE, GHETTO PRESIDENT (d. Christopher Sharp and Moses Bwayo, Uganda-U.K., 2022) In person: Christopher Sharp, Moses Bwayo, Bobi Wine, Barbie Kyagulanyi
• BONES AND ALL (d. Luca Guadagnino, U.S., 2022) In person: Luca Guadagnino, Taylor Russell, Mark Rylance
• BROKER (d. Hirokazu Kore-eda, South Korea, 2022) In person: Hirokazu Kore-eda, Song Kang-ho
• CLOSE (d. Lukas Dhont, Belgium-France-Netherlands, 2022) In person: Lukas Dhont, Eden Dambrine
• A COMPASSIONATE SPY (d. Steve James, U.S.-U.K., 2022) In person: Steve James
• THE CORRIDORS OF POWER (d. Dror Moreh, U.S., 2022) In person: Dror Moreh
• EMPIRE OF LIGHT (d. Sam Mendes, U.K.-U.S., 2022) In person: Sam Mendes, Micheal Ward
• THE END OF THE WORLD (d. Matthew Tyrnauer, U.S., 2022) In person: Matthew Tyrnauer, Jonathan Lethem
• THE FUTURE TENSE (d. Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, Ireland, 2022) In person: Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor, Molly Lawlor
• GODLAND (d. Hlynur Pálmason, Denmark-Iceland-France-Sweden, 2022) In person: Hlynur Pálmason, Ída Mekkín Hlynsdóttir 
• GOOD NIGHT OPPY (d. Ryan White, U.S., 2022) In person: Ryan White, Steve Squyres
• HOLY SPIDER (d. Ali Abbasi, Denmark-Germany-Sweden-France, 2022) In person: Ali Abbasi, Zar Amir Ebrahimi
• ICARUS: THE AFTERMATH (d. Bryan Fogel, U.S., 2022) In person: Bryan Fogel
• IF THESE WALLS COULD SING (d. Mary McCartney, U.K., 2022) In person: Mary McCartney
• LADY CHATTERLEY’S LOVER (d. Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, U.K.-U.S., 2022) In person: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Emma Corrin, Jack O’Connell
• LAST FLIGHT HOME (d. Ondi Timoner, U.S., 2022) In person: Ondi Timoner, Morgan Doctor, Rabbi Rachel Timoner, and the Timoner family
• LIVING (d. Oliver Hermanus, U.K., 2022) In person: Oliver Hermanus, Bill Nighy, Aimee Lou Wood
• THE MARCH ON ROME (d. Mark Cousins, Italy, 2022) In person: Mark Cousins
• MERKEL (d. Eva Weber, U.K.-Denmark-Germany, 2022) In person: Eva Weber
• MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK (d. Mark Cousins, U.K., 2022) In person: Mark Cousins
• ONE FINE MORNING (d. Mia Hansen-Løve, France, 2022) In person: Mia Hansen-Løve, Léa Seydoux
• RETROGRADE (d. Matthew Heineman, U.S., 2022) In person: Matthew Heineman, General Sami Sadat, Matt Chaney
• “SR.” (d. Chris Smith, U.S., 2022) In person: Chris Smith, Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey
• SQUARING THE CIRCLE (d. Anton Corbijn, U.K., 2022) In person: Anton Corbijn
• TÁR (d. Todd Field, U.S., 2022) In person: Todd Field, Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss
• TORI AND LOKITA (d. Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, Belgium-France, 2022) In person: Joely Mbundu
• WILDCAT (d. Melissa Lesh and Trevor Beck Frost, U.S., 2022) In person: Melissa Lesh, Trevor Beck Frost, Harry Turner, Samantha Zwicker
• WOMEN TALKING (d. Sarah Polley, U.S., 2022) In person: Sarah Polley, Frances McDormand, Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Judith Ivey, Jessie Buckley, Sheila McCarthy, Michelle McLeod, August Winter, Kate Hallett, Liv McNeil
• THE WONDER (d. Sebastián Lelio, U.K.-Ireland, 2022) In person: Sebastián Lelio

Of note, the 2022 Silver Medallion Awards will be presented to Oscar-winning actress Cate Blanchett (with TÁR, fresh off of breathless praise and exceedingly high hype from its Venice debut); award-winning writer-director Mark Cousins (with THE MARCH ON ROME and MY NAME IS ALFRED HITCHCOCK); and celebrated actor, writer, and filmmaker Sarah Polley (with WOMEN TALKING). The tribute programs are always a lot of fun, as they include a selection of clips, intriguing conversations, and a screening of the aforementioned films. 

It’s a lot to take in, so I’ll try to take TFF executive director Julie Huntsinger’s comments to heart as I strategize over the schedule: “While it can often feel like the world is crumbling around us, I continue to remind myself, at least we have movies. And for every bit of doubt that meets that sentiment, our resolve to keep it true is exponentially intensified. My hope for this year’s Festival is that as our film-watching community gathers in Telluride, we remember that we cannot take this act for granted; that we will continue on after the Festival’s end and redouble our efforts to ensure we will long be able to sit in a dark room and be fortified by the enchanting and sometimes difficult stories we see. This year’s films challenge us and remind us how wonderful and hard it is to be alive.”