Telluride by the Sea announces 2010 film titles

[Film titles announced from The Music Hall and Telluride by the Sea...]

The Music Hall Presents

Telluride by the Sea

September 24-26, 2010

Film Titles Announced: Colin Firth, Keira Knightley,
Carey Mulligan, Geoffrey Rush star

New films from directors of The Queen and Triplets of Belleville

For Passholders only: The Tenth Inning - Ken Burns’ new chapter to 1994’s Baseball

Patron + Weekend Passes + individual film tickets on sale now--Six films straight from their debuts at the Telluride Film Festival in Colorado

Portsmouth, New Hampshire…“Colin Firth? Keira Knightley? Films by the directors of The Queen and The Triplets of Belleville? Music Hall film fans are in for a treat with this Telluride by the Sea!” says Patricia Lynch, Executive Director of The Music Hall about the weekend film festival slated for September 24-26 at the landmark Victorian theatre in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Music Hall film curator and Telluride Film Festival co-founder Bill Pence couldn’t agree more. “This year’s TBTS will feature six new international films chosen from the more than 30 that will have just debuted at Telluride in Colorado. In that selection will be several that are highly accessible and anticipated to be commercially released soon in the U.S. As always, there will also be several more exotic titles. The films will be diverse in tone, themes, structure; and exhibiting the talents of a mix of known and unknown film artists. We think this will be one of the strongest TBTS lineups ever. Happily, this year’s lineup is predominantly ‘upbeat’ in nature. For folks who want to take in the many films as possible, they can look forward to a cinematically bright weekend!”

Exclusive: Ken Burns The Tenth Inning for Passholders only!

A highlight of the weekend for Patron and Weekend Passholders only is Ken Burns’ new chapter to his 1994 Baseball documentary. It will be shown in two, two-hour installments – The Top of the Tenth and The Bottom of the Tenth. Writer/Producer David McMahon will be with us for a discussion after Sunday’s screening.

According to Chris Curtis, “"I always look forward this sensational weekend in September – three days of film, food, and fun in the city ranked as one of National Geographic Traveler's ‘Historic Places.’ It’s all here – the historic waterfront, great shopping, dining, and people watching. It’s so easy to get in and out of town, with our inexpensive parking garage that allows you to really enjoy our great walking town." Patricia Lynch, Music Hall executive director notes, “The savvy TBTS patron buys a pass, the deluxe is of course is the Patron Pass – for ticket info and to plan your visit, check: www.themusichall.org”

So what’s the advice for a first-time TBTS patron? Bill Pence advises, “The best advice I can offer someone coming for the first time is to see as much as possible, and when making choices, try to pick that which is least familiar. This will make for the most rewarding experience.” See below for your Weekend Itinerary

About the films:

Tamara Drewe (U.K., 129m, Sony Classics)
Fresh from directing The Queen, Stephen Frears makes a delightful turn to a sensationally funny romantic comedy based on Posy Simmonds’s popular graphic novel, which recounts the erotic mishaps when a young London journalist returns to her rural village. A visiting rock star (Dominic Cooper), an adulterous best-selling crime-writer (Roger Hallam), and a childhood friend (Luke Evans) are moths attracted to Tamara’s long-legged flame. Gemma Atherton, in the title role, is smart, funny and sexy.

Ken Burns- The Tenth Inning (U.S., two parts, 120m each, Florentine Films)
McGwire-Sosa, Barry Bonds, the steroids inquisition, a season-wrecking strike, the revival of the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry..Ken Burns has added four compelling hours to his 1994 series. More than a highlight reel, the film by Burns and co director Lynn Novick puts the sport into a greater social context. What explains our fascination with failed heroes? Why were the steroids revelations so devastating to us? What can this increasingly international era of baseball teach Americans about America?

Oka! Amerikee (CAR, 107m, courtesy of Lavinia Currier)
The Bayakan pygmies fill the African rainforest with music—splashing beats in the river, harmonizing vocals, thumping the earth during a ceremonial dance. Lavinia Currier (Passion in the Desert) tells the fictional story of Larry (Kris Marshall), an ethnomusicologist who has recorded these exquisite sounds, as the pace of modernity accelerates around them. A complex, surprising exploration of two worlds colliding. Glowing 35mm images - rich and magical enough to haunt your dreams.

The King’s Speech (UK, 118m, The Weinstein Co.)
In 1936, Edward VII shocked the world by renouncing the English throne, thrusting his brother, "Bertie" (Colin Firth) into the limelight. Plagued by a nervous stammer and considered unfit to be King, Bertie hires irreverent speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). The stakes are high: radio is the medium for leaders like Hitler and Mussolini. Tom Hooper (The DAMNED UNITED) captures the friendship that gave a king the voice to lead his country into war.

Never Let Me Go (U.K./U.S., 103m, Fox Searchlight)
Surface illusion hides a cruel reality in NEVER LET ME GO. As Ruth, Kathy and Tommy (Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield) discover their roles in a nightmarish experiment, they seek escape from the trap set for them since birth. From Alex Garland’s adaptation of Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel (“best of the decade” – Time magazine). Director Mark Romanek elevates the film above genre into an exploration of first love, scientific folly and mortality.

The Princess of Montpensier (France, 139m, IFC)
During 16th-century France’s bloody struggle between Catholics and Protestants, the soldier-scholar Chabanne (Lambert Wilson) becomes an instructor for Marie (Melanie Thierry), an irresistible beauty sought by several young noblemen. As he experiences his own desire for Marie, Chabanne must protect her from the dangerously corrupt court dominated by Catherine De Medici. With lyrical landscapes and a pulsing score, director Bertrand Tavernier (‘Round Midnight) translates Madame de Lafayette’s novel into a brilliant, passionate, urgently contemporary film.

The Illusionist (U.K., France, 90m, Sony Classics)
Sylvain Chomet’s follow-up to Oscar-winning Telluride favorite THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE was born of intriguing circumstances: an animated film from a live-action script written but never filmed by Jacques Tati, France’s postwar master of droll comedy. A stage magician in the twilight of his career becomes an object of adoration for a spunky teenaged chambermaid who follows him to Edinburgh. There, she keeps house for him, becoming a “daughter” as the days turn to years.

Your Telluride by the Sea Weekend Itinerary

Friday September 24. Once you've checked into your hotel and/or parked the car, start off at any of Portsmouth's 250 restaurants, then, it's on to The Music Hall. Patron Passholders, walk right in to the Founders Lobby Lounge for pre-film cocktails. Or hang out in the crowds queuing up on Chestnut Street, to be serenaded by bagpipers Doug Cals and Ned Rhinelander of the Stuart Highlanders Pipe Band. The kick-off film of the festival, Tamara Drewe, begins at 7:30pm with introductions from film curator/Telluride Film Festival co-founder Bill Pence. The post-film Patron Passholders reception takes place around the corner at Radici, while the Founders Lobby Lounge - dubbed "The Festival Club" for the weekend - will be open to all patrons until midnight.

Saturday September 25. Check out any number of great breakfast places. Your Patron or Weekend Pass gets you on board free for our Telluride cruise with Isles of Shoals Steamship Company which departs at 8:55am and returns at 11am. The special Passholder only film – Top of the Tenth, starts at noon. Oka! Amerikee goes on at 3:00pm giving you 2 hours before The King’s Speech at 6:45pm. There's a delightful break in between the afternoon and evening films - "Cinemange" at Radici. The final film of the night Never Let Me Go begins at 9:30pm. After the second evening film, “The Festival Club” will be open. Finish off the evening with a stroll through downtown for more nightlife.

Sunday September 26 The Passholder-only film Bottom of the Tenth begins at 10am with a post-film discussion with writer/producer David McMahon. Patron Passholders enjoy a brunch with special guests at Pesce Italian Kitchen + Bar from 1-2pm. The Princess of Montpensier and The Illusionist, wrap up the weekend at 2:30 and 6:30pm. Don't forget the Wrap Party for Patron and Weekend Passholders at the great brew pub - The Portsmouth Brewery at 8:15pm.

About Telluride by the Sea

The Music Hall and the Telluride Film Festival collaborate on an exclusive presentation of six new features, brought directly from their Colorado debuts. This unique and intimate Portsmouth event treats audience members from across the Northeast to an exclusive peek into the Telluride experience - packing one mid-September weekend with the latest international cinema, private parties, great music, delicious food, and inspired conversations with sympathetic cinephiles of all ages, tastes and backgrounds. According to Patricia Lynch, executive director of The Music Hall, “Portsmouth is the perfect town for this perfect weekend. With its charming mix of history, salt air, and film lovers, Portsmouth buzzes when Telluride by the Sea arrives. The streets are filled with people stopping one another to talk about the films, the restaurants are jumping. It’s a moving party!”

Ticket information

Patron Pass - $200

Primary seating for all films, opening night post-show party at Radici, VIP access to Founders Lobby all weekend- no waiting in line, Telluride Cruise with Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, Sunday Brunch at Pesce Italian Kitchen + Bar, Wrap Party at The Portsmouth Brewery, admission to passholder-only special film, Music Hall seat saver, price of pass includes a $75 tax-deductable donation to The Music Hall.

Weekend Pass - $85

Preferred seating for all films, Telluride Cruise with Isles of Shoals Steamship Company, Wrap Party at The Portsmouth Brewery, admission to passholder-only special film.

Individual Tickets: $12.50/$10.50 members. A limited number of individual tickets for each film will be available in advance.

Passes/tickets may be purchased in advance through The Music Hall Box Office at 28 Chestnut St. in downtown Portsmouth, by phone at 603.436.2400 or online at www.themusichall.org.