Tara Dorje

Tara Dorje attended the 46th annual Telluride Film Festival in Telluride, Colorado, this summer as one of 50 undergraduate and graduate students selected globally to participate in the 31st edition of the festival’s Student Symposium. As a member of the Student Symposium, Tara was able to connect with film students from across the country, seeing new releases and attending seminars with filmmakers, critics, and curators at the festival, including Ken Burns, Pico Iyer, Kitty Green, Kelly Reichardt, Trey Edward Shults, Kantemir Balagov, and Céline Sciamma. She comments, “I was able to fully immerse myself in this important industry event alongside a diverse cohort of students who became close friends by the close of our time in Telluride. My festival highlights include seeing ‘First Cow’ by Kelly Reichardt and ‘A Hidden Life’ by Terrence Malick, new releases by two of my absolute favorite directors. I thoroughly enjoyed a screening and post-film Q&A for ‘Parasite’ with Bong Joon-ho and Song Kang-ho, as well as an introduction to the work of director Kantemir Balagov through his latest film, ‘Beanpole.’ I also had the opportunity to attend an inspiring Agnès Varda tribute screening of ‘Varda par Agnès,’ featuring a panel with Martin Scorsese, Mathieu Demy, Rosalie Varda, Tom Luddy, and Annette Insdorf, all reflecting on their relationships with the late director. I am truly grateful for this incredible week of late-night screenings, early-morning film discussions, winding passholder lines, and midnight bear-sightings in Telluride. Thank you to the Telluride Film Festival Education Programs team, the University of Michigan Department of Film, Television, & Media, and the Edward Stasheff Fund for the opportunity to participate in this unparalleled program this summer!"

Photo courtesy of the Telluride Film Festival