The Telluride Film Festival got underway yesterday, and reactions to some of the highly-anticipated world premieres are starting to arrive.

RaMell Ross’ NICKEL BOYS, which stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Ethan Herisse, Fred Hechinger, Hamish Linklater, Brandon Wilson, and Daveed Diggs, is based on the novel The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead.

The film’s story is based on the historic reform school in 1960s Florida called the Dozier School for Boys, which was notorious for abusive treatment of students. It explores the story of Elwood Curtis, a young African-American boy who is sent to the Nickel Academy, a fictional version of the Dozier School, after he is falsely accused of a crime. While there, he meets a boy named Turner, and the two form a close friendship as they try to survive the horrors of the school and its corrupt administrators.

After its world premiere at Telluride, the film is set to be the opening night film at the upcoming New York Film Festival on September 27th, 2024, followed by a launch in US theaters in limited release on October 25th. You can find the release date on our in theaters calendar.

Initial reactions to Nickel Boys indicate it will a major awards player this year: