53rd Telluride Film Festival Announces Lineup

Telluride Film Festival has unveiled its official program selections for the 53rd edition running Friday, September 4 through Monday, September 7, 2026.

Dedicated to Dean Tavoularis, the festival will screen more than sixty feature films, short films, and revival programs from around the world, alongside Tributes, Guest Director selections, Conversations, Panels, Student Programs, and Festivities.

“This is what we look forward to all year—the chance to bring people together in Telluride and discover films, filmmakers, and ideas that we may not have encountered otherwise,” said Festival Director Julie Huntsinger. “There are films in this year’s program that I know audiences will be talking about long after they leave the theater, and there are others that may completely surprise them. That sense of discovery is at the heart of the Festival, and we’re grateful to those who make the pilgrimage. We’re thrilled to welcome our Tribute artists, Guest Director Rebecca Hall, and so many extraordinary filmmakers and guests, but what makes the weekend special is the very simple act of sitting down together, turning off the lights and seeing what happens on the screen. We can’t wait to share this year’s Festival with everyone who makes the trip to Telluride.”

The festival will present the 2026 Silver Medallions to British writer-director Andrew Haigh, with A Long Winter; German actor Sandra Hüller, with Rose; and actor, producer and director John Malkovich, with Wild Horse Nine. Each Tribute program will include a compilation of clips, an on-stage interview and a screening of the recipient’s new work.

Actor, writer and director Rebecca Hall is this year’s Guest Director, and her curated program will feature the following selections: Akenfield (d. Peter Hall, U.K., 1974), Margaret (d. Kenneth Lonergan, U.S., 2011), Portrait of Jason (d. Shirley Clarke, U.S., 1967), The Servant (d. Joseph Losey, U.K., 1963), Synecdoche, New York (d. Charlie Kaufman, U.S., 2008), and What’s Up, Doc? (d. Peter Bogdanovich, U.S., 1972).

Now in its 33rd year, curated by Gregory Nava, and Calling Cards, curated by Barry Jenkins, Telluride Film Festival’s Filmmakers of Tomorrow program celebrates emerging voices in cinema through Student Prints. This year, the Festival also presents Great Expectations, a special program of three exceptional short films curated and introduced by Jenkins.

SHOW

A LONG WINTER (d. Andrew Haigh, U.K., 2026)
ACT 3 (d. Christine Molloy, Joe Lawlor, Ireland/U.K., 2026)
ALPHA GANG (d. David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, U.S., 2026)
AVEDON (d. Ron Howard, U.S., 2026)
BUCKING FASTARD (d. Werner Herzog, Ireland/U.S., 2026)
BURGUNDY (d. Michael Dweck, Gregory Kershaw, France, 2026)
CARL SAGAN: WE ARE MADE OF STAR STUFF (d. Nanette Burstein, U.S., 2026)
CLUB KID (d. Jordan Firstman, U.S., 2026)
THE DEBUT (d. Jesse Eisenberg, U.S., 2026)
THE DISCIPLE (d. Joanna Natasegara, U.K./U.S./Morocco, 2026)
ELSINORE (d. Simon Stone, U.K., 2026)
EVEREST: THE OTHER SIDE (d. Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, U.S./China/Nepal, 2026)
FATHERLAND (d. Paweł Pawlikowski, Poland/France/Germany/Italy, 2026)
FJORD (d. Cristian Mungiu, Romania/France/Norway/Sweden/Denmark, 2026)
GENTLE MONSTER (d. Marie Kreutzer, Austria/Germany/France, 2026)
THE IDIOT(S) (d. Małgorzata Szumowska, Michał Englert, Poland/Germany, 2026)
INK (d. Danny Boyle, U.K./U.S./France, 2026)
LA BOLA NEGRA (d. Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo, Spain/France, 2026)
THE LIBERATION (d. Guy Nattiv, U.S., 2026)
MAKING MARIE ANTOINETTE (d. Sofia Coppola, Italy/U.S., 2026)
THE MAN I LOVE (d. Ira Sachs, U.S., 2026)
MINOTAUR (d. Andrey Zvyagintsev, France/Germany/Latvia, 2026)
MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS: PART II – EXILE (d. Julia Loktev, U.S., 2026)
ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM (d. David Greaves, Liani Greaves, U.S., 2026)
THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK (d. Noah Segan, U.S., 2026)
PETE TOWNSHEND: BEHIND BLUE EYES (d. Frank Marshall, Nigel Sinclair, U.S./U.K., 2026)
REHEARSALS FOR A REVOLUTION (d. Pegah Ahangarani, Czech Republic/Spain, 2026)
ROSE (d. Markus Schleinzer, Austria/Germany, 2026)
THE ROW (d. Bryan Fogel, U.S./Australia/Ireland, 2026)
THE STORY OF DOCUMENTARY FILM (d. Mark Cousins, Scotland/U.K., 2026)
SUMO: SPIRIT WEIGHS NOTHING (d. Erik Shirai, U.S./Japan/U.K./Denmark, 2026)
TENDER LOVING CARE (d. Mike Leigh, U.K., 2026)
TENZING (d. Jennifer Peedom, U.S./Australia, 2026)
THE UNKNOWN (d. Arthur Harari, France/Italy, 2026)
WILD HORSE NINE (d. Martin McDonagh, Chile/U.S., 2026)

Also playing in the main program are two newly restored features: BEGOTTEN (d. E. Elias Merhige, U.S., 1989/2026) and BEAU GESTE (d. Herbert Brenon, U.S., 1926), with live musical accompaniment by Donald Sosin; short films: A SONG FOR THE SNOW LION (d. Pawo Choyning Dorji, Bhutan/U.S., 2026), A DANCE THROUGH TIME (d. Sarah Gavron, U.K., 2026), MAYBE TOMORROW (d. Wafa Mustafa, Waad Al-Kateab, U.K., 2026), SAWYER AVENUE, SUNDAY AFTERNOON (d. Bill Morrison, U.S., 2026), LOVE, RENDERED (d. Liz Garbus, U.S., 2026), THE REVOLUTION AGAINST DEATH (d. Joshua Oppenheimer, Denmark/Sweden, 2026), and Ben Proudfoot’s THE BUFFALO MIRACLE (U.S., 2026) and WITT V. AIR FORCE (U.S., 2026).

Backlot

THE GOLDEN AGE (d. Bérenger Thouin, France/Italy, 2026), preceded by THE STARS WATCH FROM LONG AGO (d. Stacey Steers, U.S., 2026)
HOUSE OF CRITICISM (d. Alison Chernick, U.S., 2026)
THE ILLUSION OF AN EVERLASTING SUMMER (d. Alessandra Sanguinetti, Argentina/U.S., 2026)
INTO THE BREACH (d. Freddie Fox, U.K., 2026)
MAVERICK: THE EPIC ADVENTURES OF DAVID LEAN (d. Barnaby Thompson, U.K., 2026), preceded by TO ESCAPE (d. David C. Roberts, U.S., 2026)
THE NATURAL STATE (d. Matthew Dougherty, U.S., 2026)
ONE MORE TIME (d. Cindy Kleine and André Gregory, U.S., 2026)
ZERO INTENTION OF LIVING QUIETLY (d. Edward Lovelace, U.K., 2026)

Special Screenings and Festivities

2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (d. Stanley Kubrick, U.K./U.S., 1968)
ACROSS THE UNIVERSE (d. Julie Taymor, U.S./U.K., 2007)
THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (d. David Lean, U.K./U.S., 1957)
CHRISTINE (d. Antonio Campos, U.S., 2016)
MARIE ANTOINETTE (d. Sofia Coppola, U.S., 2006)
MOONLIGHT (d. Barry Jenkins, U.S., 2016), celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Telluride premiere
TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA (d. Jane Schoenbrun, U.S./Canada, 2026)
Filmmaking and Technology With Empathy: AI For Societal Benefit, sponsored by Google
The Humanity Dilemma, a multimedia presentation
Marfa Stance Studio: A Groundbreaking Collaboration, including a Roundtable discussion with Women Directors
Roger Corman at 100 panel followed by THE INTRUDER (U.S., 1962)
Step Inside The F-Stop, an immersive cinematic traveling Airstream experience celebrating Focus Features films
WILDWOOD: Inside The Frame, a beautiful exhibition celebrating the handmade artistry behind LAIKA’s upcoming release, including a live discussion with its creators