By RAY KELLY
Labor Day weekend will bring the European and U.S. premieres of Orson Welles’ long-awaited The Other Side of Wind.
The Venice Film Festival has already announced it will host the world premiere on Friday, August 31. (There will be two press and industry screenings there the night before.)
Wellesnet has learned the movie will have its North American premiere that same weekend at the prestigious Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, according to a festival source speaking on condition of anonymity. The exact time and date of the Telluride screening was not revealed.
Telluride does not announce its lineup or confirm its offerings until shortly before the start of the annual film festival, which takes place this year August 31 to September 3.
Having the U.S. premiere at Telluride does not come as a surprise given its reputation in the film industry. (Michael’s Telluride Film Blog has been predicting a screening there for weeks.)
The Other Side of the Wind producer Frank Marshall and executive producer Peter Bogdanovich have both served on Telluride’s Council of Advisors. The movie was also produced by Filip Jan Rymsza and will be distributed worldwide by Netflix.
Netflix will begin streaming The Other Side of the Wind, as well as the companion documentary They’ll Love Me When I’m Dead, on November 2. (The release dates were posted, and later removed, from the streaming giant’s press website on July 25.)
The two films will be available to 125 million Netflix subscribers in 190 countries.
A theatrical release is also planned.
The Other Side of the Wind takes place at the 70th birthday party of maverick director Jake Hannaford (John Huston), who is struggling to complete his comeback film during the rise of New Hollywood. Attending the party are successful young directors, like Brooks Otterlake (Peter Bogdanovich), hangers-on and critics. Hannaford dies at the conclusion of the party. Welles’ movie recounts Hannaford’s final hours using a mix of 16mm and 35mm color and black-and-white film shot at the party, along with scenes from his unfinished movie.
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