Tom Luddy, Telluride Film Festival Co-Founder and Producer, Dies at 79
variety.comJulia MacCary editor Tom Luddy, who co-founded and served as artistic director for the Telluride Film Festival and produced films including “The Secret Garden” and “Barfly,” died Feb.
13 in Berkeley, Calif., after battling a long illness. He was 79. Luddy co-founded Telluride in 1974 along with Bill Pence, Stella Pence and James Card.
Luddy served as co-director, then as artistic director and adviser through 2022. Beginning in a small opera house, the festival evolved into one of the largest and most respected globally over the past five decades. “The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger in a statement. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly.
He had a sphinx-like quality that took a little time to get around, for some. But once you knew him, you were welcomed into a kingdom of art, history, intelligence, humor, and joie de vivre that you knew you couldn’t be without.
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