The headline of Clayton Davis‘s 7.13 Variety story about the effect of the SAG-AFTRA strike upon the early fall festivals gets it wrong.

The paparazzi-enhanced Venice and Toronto film festivals might be “fucked,” as Davis’s headline states, due to the absence of actors on the red carpet, but the Telluride Film Festival is totally fine.

Telluride is much more about movies than movie stars. Make that “almost entirely.” The worst thing that will happen to Telluride if the strike isn’t settled by the Labor Day weekend will be (a) no actors at the Patron’s Brunch and (b) no actors taking part in post-screening q & a’s.

Davis’s story, in fact, includes the following passage:

“Of all the upcoming festivals, Telluride may be the least impacted by the SAG and WGA strikes. That’s because there are no press conferences and lavish step-and-repeats outside of the various venues around town.

“You could, in theory, find an A-list star walking around town and attending any of the selected movies — as long as they aren’t technically promoting them. However, per SAG-AFTRA rules shared during a call with publicists earlier this week, the studios can not foot the bill to send them to the expensive film festival, nor can actors attend studio-sponsored parties.

“Of course, the actor would not be able to introduce or participate in any of the Q&As or receive any of the three festival tributes they bestow yearly. Traditionally, the fest has favored filmmakers rather than stars for their honorees. Paid tributes in 2022 were directors Sarah Polley (“Women Talking”) and Mark Cousins, along with actress Cate Blanchett (“TÁR”).

“’Telluride will be mostly unaffected,’ one studio executive tells Variety. ‘I can’t say the same for the others.'”