This year’s Telluride Film Festival has been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 47th annual event was originally scheduled to start September 3 and run through the Labor Day weekend.
“After months of intense due diligence around physically holding an event, we’ve come to the heartbreaking but unanimous conclusion,” organizers said in a statement.
“Until the past week or so, we had a very good plan to put on the show safely. But with a seemingly unending number of new cases of COVID-19 and the national chaos around it, even the best strategy is threatened by this out of control environment.”
Nestled in the San Juan Mountains in southwestern Colorado, the Telluride Film Festival offers filmmakers and attendees an alternative to the many high-profile film festivals set in metropolitan areas.
The event also coincides with the start of what’s widely considered Oscar season, when studios release and promote films they believe will be awards contenders.
Last year’s festival featured more than 75 films, including the blockbuster “Ford v Ferrari,” the critically acclaimed indie “First Cow,” and the South Korean film “Parasite,” winner of this year’s Oscar for Best Picture. It also honored actors Renée Zellweger and Adam Driver.
The festival is known for releasing its lineup right before the first day of screenings every year, but organizers said they plan to release this year’s list of films soon as a way to encourage people to watch them when possible in the future.
