The 53rd Telluride Film Festival took place from September 4 to 7, 2026, in Telluride, Colorado.
The Telluride Film Festival Silver Medallion was presented to Andrew Haigh, Sandra Hüller, and John Malkovich. Actress and filmmaker Rebecca Hall was chosen as the edition's guest director, and selected six classic films for a parallel section.
Roughly one month before the opening, a flash flood hit the city, damaging significantly a number of buildings, including the Michael D. Palm Theatre.
World premieres included: Andrew Haigh's A Long Winter, Bryan Fogel's The Row, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner's Alpha Gang, Eleanor Coppola's Making Marie Antoinette, Frank Marshall and Nigel Sinclair's Pete Townshend: Behind Blue Eyes, Guy Nattiv's The Liberation, Jennifer Peedom's Tenzing, Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut, Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert's The Idiot(s), Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care, Nanette Burstein's Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff, and Simon Stone's Elsinore.
On September 4, the festival's organization announced a surprise "secret screening" of a highly anticipated new film for September 6. The film screened was Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim's You Can See Everything.
Official selection The official line-up was announced, as usual, on the day before the festival's official opening.
Main Program The following films were selected to be screened: English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production CountryAct 3Christine Molloy and Joe LawlorIreland, United KingdomAlpha GangDavid Zellner and Nathan ZellnerUnited States, AustraliaAvedonRon HowardUnited States La bola negraJavier Ambrossi and Javier CalvoSpain, France Bucking FastardWerner HerzogIreland, United States BurgundyMichael Dweck and Gregory KershawFrance Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star StuffNanette BursteinUnited States Club KidJordan Firstman The DebutJesse Eisenberg The DiscipleJoanna NatasegaraUnited Kingdom, United States ElsinoreSimon StoneUnited Kingdom Everest: The Other SideElizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy ChinUnited States, China, Nepal FatherlandVaterlandPaweł PawlikowskiPoland, France, Germany, Italy FjordCristian MungiuRomania, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark Gentle MonsterMarie KreutzerAustria, Germany, France The Idiot(s)Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał EnglertPoland, Germany InkDanny BoyleUnited Kingdom, United States, France The LiberationGuy NattivUnited Kingdom, United States, New Zealand A Long WinterAndrew HaighCanada, United Kingdom Making Marie AntoinetteEleanor CoppolaUnited States, Italy The Man I LoveIra SachsUnited States, France MinotaurМинотаврAndrey ZvyagintsevFrance, Germany, Latvia My Undesirable Friends: Part II – ExileJulia LoktevUnited States Once Upon a Time in HarlemWilliam Greaves and David Greaves The Only Living Pickpocket in New YorkNoah Segan Pete Townshend: Behind Blue EyesFrank Marshall and Nigel SinclairUnited States, United Kingdom Rehearsals for a Revolutionخاطرات ایرانPegah AhangaraniIran, Czech Republic, Spain RoseMarkus SchleinzerAustria, Germany The RowBryan FogelUnited States, Australia, Ireland The Story of Documentary FilmMark CousinsScotland, United Kingdom Sumo: Spirit Weighs NothingErik ShiraiUnited States, Japan, United Kingdom, Denmark Tender Loving CareMike LeighUnited Kingdom TenzingJennifer PeedomAustralia, United Kingdom, United States, India, Nepal The UnknownL'InconnueArthur HarariFrance, Italy Wild Horse NineMartin McDonaghUnited Kingdom, Chile, United StatesYou Can See Everything (secret screening)Nathan Fielder and Lance OppenheimUnited StatesRestorationsBeau Geste (1926)Herbert BrenonUnited StatesBegotten (1989)E. Elias MerhigeShort filmsA Dance Through TimeSarah GavronUnited KingdomThe Buffalo MiracleBen ProudfootUnited StatesLove, RenderedLiz GarbusMaybe Tomorrowأغداً ألقاكWafa Mustafa and Waad Al-KateabUnited Kingdom, Syria, GermanyThe Revolution Against DeathJoshua OppenheimerDenmark, Sweden, United StatesSawyer Avenue, Sunday AfternoonBill MorrisonUnited StatesA Song for the Snow LionPawo Choyning DorjiBhutan, United StatesWitt v. Air ForceBen ProudfootUnited States
Guest Directors' Selection This year's guest director was the English actress Rebecca Hall, the following films were selected to be screened in partnership with Turner Classic Movies: TitleDirector(s)Production CountryAkenfield (1974)Peter HallUnited KingdomMargaret (2011)Kenneth LonerganUnited StatesPortrait of Jason (1967)Shirley ClarkeThe Servant (1963)Joseph LoseyUnited KingdomSynecdoche, New York (2008)Charlie KaufmanUnited StatesWhat's Up, Doc? (1972)Peter Bogdanovich
Special Screenings The following films were selected to be screened: TitleDirector(s)Production Country2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)Stanley KubrickUnited Kingdom, United StatesAcross the Universe (2007)Julie TaymorUnited States, United KingdomThe Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)David LeanUnited KingdomChristine (2016)Antonio CamposUnited States, United KingdomMarie Antoinette (2006)Sofia CoppolaFrance, United States, JapanMoonlight (2016)Barry JenkinsUnited StatesTeenage Sex and Death at Camp MiasmaJane Schoenbrun
Backlot Behind-the-scenes movies and portraits of artists, musicians and filmmakers, will present the following programs, all free and open to the public: English TitleOriginal TitleDirector(s)Production CountryThe Golden AgeL'Âge d'OrBérenger ThouinFrance, ItalyHouse of Criticism Alison ChernickUnited StatesThe Illusion of an Everlasting SummerLa ilusión de un verano sin finAlessandra SanguinettiArgentina, United StatesInto the BreachFreddie FoxUnited KingdomMaverick: The Epic Adventures of David LeanBarnaby ThompsonThe Natural StateMatthew DoughertyUnited StatesOne More TimeCindy Kleine and André GregoryThe Stars Watch from Long AgoStacey SteersZero Intention of Living QuietlyEdward LovelaceUnited Kingdom References
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