The Best of the 2026 Telluride Film Festival

Well my friends, I’m now back from the mountains of Colorado. Yes, I have returned from the 53rd Telluride Film Festival. In literally just a day, however, I’ll be off to Canada and the Toronto International Film Festival. At the moment, I’m home in New York City for a scant 24 hours more (and after an awful travel day on Monday, I wish it were a bit longer, but ask me about that experience in person), already missing the box canyon of Telluride. You see, as much as I enjoy watching the movies there, and this year was a strong one, just being in that bucolic environment is something to look forward to. The views, as well as time spent with colleagues, always stands out when I look back on my time at the fest.

Much like last year and the one prior, I didn’t even come close to hating anything that I saw at Telluride. One film was disappointing due to the movie itself not being on par with its lead performance but everything was, at worst, simply good. The three absolute best titles, the cream of the crop for me, happened to be The Debut, Wild Horse Nine, and You Can See Everything. They’re each very different works, but all exceeded my already high expectations, which was not easy. Those movies deserve to be major Oscar players, but beyond that, they just represent the potential for cinema. Kudos to all involved. Not far behind were films like Club Kid, The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, and Tender Loving Care, so there was an embarrassment of riches here.

The performances that stood out to me most in the mountains over the weekend? That would be Julianne Moore in The Debut taking the cake, but John Malkovich also was stunning in Wild Horse Nine. Others who deserved major praise? Carrie Coon in The Liberation, Paul Giamatti in The Debut, Jack O’Connell in Ink, Kate O’Flynn in Tender Loving Care, Sam Rockwell in Wild Horse Nine, Andrew Scott in Elsinore, John Turturro in The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, and someone who I won’t yet spoil in You Can See Everything. So many others were great, but the above men and women blew me away.

Here now are my picks for the best of Telluride, including some awards, as well as a ranking. It was quite the time, with Toronto and TIFF just around the corner!

2026 Telluride Film Festival Awards

Best Picture