The Telluride Film Festival may not be as famous as Venice, Cannes or Toronto, but its ability to predict Oscar winners is second to none.

Since 2008, every best Picture Oscar winner has had its premiere at one of the four major film festivals. The Toronto International Film Festival introduced the world to its 2019 winner, Green Book.

"No Country for OldMen" in 2008 and "The Artist" in 2012 both premiered at Cannes.

The Venice Film Festival featured four films: 2010's The Hurt Locker, 2015's Birdman, 2016's Spotlight and 2018's The Shape of Water.

But the fourth, which premieres the most of the best films, is less well known. Over the past 12 years, the Telluride Film Festival has featured the premieres of five of the best films: "Slumdog Millionaire" (2009), "The King's Speech" (2011), "Argo" (2013), "12 Years a Slave" (2014) and "The King's Speech" (2011) "Moonlight" from 2017. But how did this tiny Colorado town become such a powerful Hollywood windmill, and why does it remain so low-key?

When was the Telluride Film Festival founded?

When film historian James Card suggested the potential for a new film festival in 1974, Telluride was a declining mining town with a population of just 700. Card visited the renovated Sheridan Opera House, run by Bill and Stella Pence, and immediately decided it was the ideal stage for the festival.

Joined by producer and film critic Tom Luddy and supported by the Telluride Arts and Humanities Council, the group held its first film festival, The first Silver Medallion Award was presented to actress Gloria Swanson and director Francis Ford Coppola.

Why has Telluride become so influential in Hollywood?

Throughout The 1980s and 1990s, the festival was known for showcasing masterpieces such as David Lynch's Blue Velvet and Neil Jordan's The Crying Game.

Critical acclaim at the festival propelled the latter into the best picture category, But it was one of only four films (along with "My Left Foot," "The Piano" and "Secrets and Lies") to be nominated for an Oscar in the festival's first 20 years.

Following the Pences' retirement in 2006, Luddy continued to lead the team, joining co-planner Gary Meyer and lead planner Julie Huntsinger. The new trio is committed to preserving Telluride's mystique, but is also beginning to appreciate the growing influence of its own film festival during Academy Awards season.

Who will be at Telluride?

For Huntsinger, Telluride is a festival for heavy moviegoers - "no paparazzi, no groupies," she told The New York Times in 2014. There are no star-studded red carpets or formal photo sessions, and parties are few and far between. Guests included directors, actors, film historians and critics.

Previous participants have included composer Stephen Sondheim, philosopher Slavoj Zizelz ek, artist Laurie Anderson, and novelist Salman Rushdie. Film critic Roger Ebert, who perfectly portrayed Telluride's intellectual streak, wrote in the Chicago Daily News that the festival felt like "Cannes has gone out of fashion."

How do I get tickets?

Unlike other major film festivals, which usually last more than 10 days, Telluride has the advantage of being small and delicate. The four-day event presented only about 60 films and 6,000 viewers (the Toronto Film Festival had 300 films and 480,000 viewers).

There was a sense of cinematic intimacy: tickets were expensive (from $390 to $4,900), press credentials were not issued, the number of producers was slimmer, and the Academy was more heavily represented.

How successful was the film that premiered in Telluride?

A successful opening in front of Telluride's discerning audience could be the key to indie success in the mainstream Hollywood market. Barry Jenkins's Moonlight is a prime example: Huntsinger arranged for it to premiere on the opening night of the 2016 film festival, which led to it winning three Oscars in 2017.

At the Toronto Film Festival, by contrast, the more restrained films may be drowned out by the diverse list and become the missing pieces of the best Picture Oscar (as was the case with Jenkins' third feature, If Beale Street Could Talk).

What is the film festival's position in awards season?

Always held on Labor Day weekend in September, Telluride is perfectly positioned for the fall festival season - right after Venice, ahead of Toronto, and a month ahead of the New York Film Festival.

It also has an advantage from the point of view of Academy Awards season, as eligible films have to be released by December 31, and nominations open in early January. The Telluride film, which premieres in early September, has time to build momentum without being too long in theaters to be forgotten by Academy members.

What are the film selection criteria for the film festival list?

Telluride is the only major film festival that does not reveal its SLATE at all, not until the night before it opens. Such a strategy is not only appeasement, effectively reduce groupies, but also the best declaration of confidence and authority of this film festival. Even without a list, tickets sold out in a matter of weeks.

The list of films announced on the eve of each year is usually a wonderful mix of independent blockbusters, awards seasons and new films by foreign-language directors. Due to the limited time available for the festival, Luddy and Huntsinger were able to choose their films arbitrarily, and in the past, exhibitors had to agree to give Telluride their North American premiere rights in order to secure a spot on the list.

What is the programme for Telluride Film Festival 2019?

The 46th Telluride Film Festival runs from August 30 to September 2. While the lineup has yet to be announced, Awards-season analysts have their own ways of predicting the highlights. If the Toronto SLATE only represents Canadian premieres, rather than North American or world premieres, there's a good chance that some of these strong new releases that have already been announced will also make their debut at Telluride and to North American audiences.

By this logic, 2019 highlights should include Terrence Malick's "A Hidden Life," Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story," and Judy Garland, fronted by Renee Zellweger The biography Judy. Which 2020 movie will be an instant hit? We'll just have to wait and see.