Telluride Film Festival announces 2021 dates, adds extra day, no new passes available

Telluride Film Festival today announced its dates for the 48th Telluride Film Festival. The event will take place September 2 – 6, 2021, with an added day to the weekend-long event. Festival organizers are optimistic that by September, when the vaccination process will then be long underway, and by taking all necessary safety precautions including the extra day, an in-person event will likely be possible.

“We are beyond excited to announce our dates,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger. “Our position within the festival calendar gives us hope that we will be able to hold the festival this year. We are guided by science and are continuously evaluating the global pandemic in relation to health, travel and live events. Time will tell, but in the meantime, we are busy planning for and putting together an incredible program.” 

There are currently no new pass sales available to the public at this time.

Huntsinger explains, “As a result of the Festival’s 2020 cancellation, the majority of passholders requested to roll over their passes to 2021. Without knowing theater capacity restrictions, the small number of passes left are being held back out of an abundance of caution.” 

A waitlist is being compiled on a first come, first served basis. More information may be found on the Festival website.

Luke Dorman is the Lead Graphic Designer at Meow Wolf, a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company that creates immersive, interactive experiences. Luke’s current focus is on design for Meow Wolf Denver, a permanent 4-story immersive experience opening in late 2021. Over the past 15 years, Luke has maintained a creative practice that straddles fine art, graphic design, and illustration. His contemporary and experimental approach to design work has led him to be recognized by Print, Communication Arts, the Society for Typographic Arts, GDUSA, among others. Prior to joining Meow Wolf, Luke worked in design education and carries his passion for teaching, mentorship and community building into his work today. 

Dorman began his design for the poster by drawing a large assortment of shapes that functioned as a library from which he could pull forms, and then let the work develop as he moved things around on the computer. All the shapes for the poster were inspired by classic movie theater marquees and film equipment. As he started thinking what configurations he could make, a film projector seemed to make the most sense: something recognizable but also something that would give him freedom to play around with. He wanted to do something wild, colorful and celebratory because it felt like a good fit with the spirit of the Festival, and also because he felt like we are all ready for a healthy dose of “positive vibes” right now.

Dorman said, “Oddly enough, my first encounter with Meow Wolf was actually when they submitted work to a micro-cinema film festival that I used to run, and they won the top prize. So, in some ways, this isn’t the first collision of Meow Wolf and the film world that I’ve been a part of.” 

He goes on to say, “Of course, I jumped at the chance to represent Meow Wolf as the poster artist for the 48^thTelluride Film Festival. It’s a true honor to be able to work on behalf of these two beacons of creative innovation and expression. But it’s also sort of twice as much pressure working as part of the legacy of all the great artists who have contributed to Telluride Film Festival posters and all the great artists who make up Meow Wolf.”

Meow Wolf was recognized in Fast Company’s 2020 list of The World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies. It is a Santa Fe-based arts and entertainment company that creates immersive, interactive experiences to transport audiences of all ages into fantastic realms of story and exploration. The company’s first location in Santa Fe opened in 2016 and showcases the THEA Award-winning, international sensation, House Of Eternal Return, where two million visitors have now discovered a multidimensional mystery house with secret passages, portals to magical worlds, and surreal, maximalist and mesmerizing art exhibits. In 2019, Meow Wolf expanded beyond Santa Fe and opened Kaleidoscape, the world’s first artist-driven ride at Elitch Gardens in Denver. Meow Wolf recently opened their second permanent installation, Omega Mart, at AREA15 in Las Vegas and their third permanent installation in Denver slated to open in late 2021. Meow Wolf is proud to be the only certified B-Corporation in the themed entertainment industry, with a team dedicated to social impact and building a more inclusive and sustainable economy.

“We are HUGE fans of Meow Wolf, and Luke Dorman,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger. “His poster is a gorgeous piece of art – for both the short and long term. It’s the perfect escape from pandemic life, right this minute. With its happy, vibrant colors and design, it creates a glorious fantasy refuge. And it will bring joy and inspiration long into the future. We’re delighted to celebrate art and film, in full color, together again in the mountains of Colorado this September.”

Posters are an annual tradition of the Festival, and Dorman joins a prestigious list of artists who have been selected by, and who have shared their talents with Telluride Film Festival. Past poster artists include Yann Legendre, Laurent Durieux, Christian Marclay, Dean Tavoularis, Ed Ruscha, John Mansfield, Julian Schnabel, Dottie Attie, Doug and Mike Starn, David Lance Goines, Chuck Jones, David Salle, Alexis Smith, Jim Dine, Seymour Chwast, Frederic Amat, Francesco Clemente, Dave McKean, Gary Larson, Chip Kidd, John Canemaker, Mark Stock, Laurie Anderson, William Wegman, Ralph Eggleston, Maira Kalman, Dave Eggers, Lance Rutter and Edwina White.