San Diego Film Festival Unveils 25th Anniversary 2026 Program

Broadway + NYC

Broadway

Off-Broadway

Off-Off Broadway

Cabaret

Dance

Opera

Classical Music

West End / UK

International

Canada

Australia / New Zealand

Europe

Asia

Latin America

Africa / Middle East

Entertainment

Ctrl + K to open · Esc to close

Festival will present films starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Helen Mirren, and Vera Farmiga across narrative, documentary, and short categories.

Most Popular

Get all the top news & discounts for San Diego & beyond. No password required.

In this article

The San Diego International Film Festival has unveiled its 2026 lineup, marking the festival's 25th anniversary with six days of films, premieres, special events and industry programming.

Get all the top news & discounts for San Diego & beyond.

This year's Main Slate features films from 22 countries and eight world premieres, selected from a record 3,500 submissions. The program encompasses narrative features, documentaries, shorts and animation, with filmmakers including Martin McDonagh , Peter Farrelly, Anton Corbijn, Mike Leigh , Jay Duplass and more represented in the lineup.

Among the festival's anticipated titles is McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine, starring John Malkovich , Sam Rockwell , Steve Buscemi , Mariana Di Girolamo, Ailín Salas, Tom Waits and Parker Posey .

Other highlighted Gala Features include Farrelly's I Play Rocky, starring Anthony Ippolito, Matt Dillon and AnnaSophia Robb ; Corbijn's A Talent for Murder, starring Helen Mirren , Edward Ridgeway and Olivia Cooke; Leigh's Tender Loving Care, starring Kate O'Flynn, Marion Bailey , Paul Jesson and Alice Bailey Johnson ; and Michael J. Gallagher's The Leader, starring Vera Farmiga , Tim Blake Nelson , Jim Parsons and Simon Rex .

Also among the selections are Duplass' See You When I See You, starring Kaitlyn Dever , David Duchovny , Hope Davis , Lucy Boynton and Kumail Nanjiani ; Abinash Bikram Shah's Elephants in the Fog; and Rakan Mayasi's Yesterday the Eye Didn't Sleep.

"As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the San Diego International Film Festival, we're thrilled to share a lineup that reflects the very best of cinematic storytelling," CEO and Artistic Director Tonya Mantooth said. "From international standouts and thought-provoking documentaries to award-winning shorts and highly anticipated premieres, this year's films showcase diverse voices and bold perspectives that inspire empathy and conversation."

Mantooth added, "This milestone year also gives us an opportunity to honor and celebrate the rich Native American heritage and enduring legacy of the Kumeyaay people, whose ancestral lands we are privileged to gather on. For 25 years, the Festival has brought storytellers, changemakers, and cinema enthusiasts together in beautiful San Diego, and we look forward to celebrating this special anniversary with our audiences."

The Festival will kick off October 13 with the Night of the Stars Tribute at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. The Opening Night film premiere and party will follow October 14 at THE LOT La Jolla.

The annual Night of the Stars event honors actors, directors and filmmakers and includes the presentation of the Gregory Peck Award of Excellence in Cinema. Previous festival honorees have included Laurence Fishburne , Annette Bening , Adrien Brody , Patrick Stewart , Andy Garcia , Kumail Nanjiani , Marlee Matlin , Mark Hamill , Regina Hall and Geena Davis .

Culinary Cinema will take place October 18, hosted by Shawn Styles of CBS8's Cooking with Styles. The event will begin with a cuisine-themed film followed by a culinary experience.

The festival's Shorts Tracks Competition features 61 films across a range of programming categories.

Creators, directed by Nik Sysuev — San Diego Premiere Double Exposure, directed by Jiacheng Ye — North American Premiere Green or Yellow, directed by Wang Hee Song — North American Premiere Homebodies, directed by Rachel Olson — San Diego Premiere Method Cowboy, directed by Carlos Valdivia — San Diego Premiere SAM, directed by Joshua Morin and Blaze Nowara — World Premiere

A Night In, directed by Eduardo Olmos — San Diego Premiere Fender Bender, directed by Brian Herrera Gladstone — West Coast Premiere LAY LEFTY DOWN, directed by Traven Rice — Southern California Premiere LUCKY LIAM, directed by Thomas Hefferon and TJ Hundtofte — United States Premiere Mort, directed by Larry and Terry Ziegelman — San Diego Premiere The Cranberry Effect, directed by Mathery — North American Premiere The Method, directed by Luke Howe — West Coast Premiere

Alivios, directed by Juan Manuel González — West Coast Premiere Backstage, directed by Emile V. Schlesser — West Coast Premiere My Brother Lyosha and I, directed by Lena Tronina — San Diego Premiere The Birthday Gift, directed by Arianna Ortiz — San Diego Premiere Watch Out For Bullets, directed by Nicholas Berger and Emmanuel Dayan — World Premiere

Arlene, directed by Elizabeth Dement — San Diego Premiere Going Home, directed by Emily Murnane and Alyssa Limperis — San Diego Premiere Grace, directed by Anna Rodgers — Southern California Premiere Meeting Your Maker, directed by Gregory JM Kasunich — San Diego Premiere Obit, directed by Ben Tedesco — San Diego Premiere

Adelaide, directed by Simonne Villamichel and Borel Hammond — World Premiere Between The Variables, directed by Yalian Li — West Coast Premiere God Dammit, directed by Chance Saller — West Coast Premiere Midnight Snack, directed by Gerry Saucedo — World Premiere The Beautiful Life, directed by Matthew Sullivan and Brandon Winter — North American Premiere Yo Soy Mariachero, directed by Steven Wade Adams — World Premiere

Bears in Hot Tubs, directed by Maddie Bear and Claire Musser — San Diego Premiere Dropping off, directed by Will Mayo and Ian Scott McGregor — San Diego Premiere Girls Night, directed by Nicolas Block — San Diego Premiere Scouts Honor, directed by Isabel Pask — San Diego Premiere Soft Cargo, directed by Christian Moldes — California Premiere You Could've Been a Nurse, directed by Meg Mateo — San Diego Premiere

Breathe, Brother, Breathe, directed by Arman Khaghani — San Diego Premiere Catching Claus, directed by Ian Blom — West Coast Premiere Post Mortem, directed by Luca Rivetti — World Premiere Ransom, directed by Aaron Adrian — World Premiere Reflections, directed by Anya Zenooz — California Premiere The Clark Family Road Trip, directed by Constantine Tripodes — San Diego Premiere Your Pepperminted Son, directed by Dongmyeong Kim — San Diego Premiere

A Hand to Hold, directed by Philip Clyde-Smith — San Diego Premiere Bidet, directed by James Brylowski — San Diego Premiere Goodbye, Monster, directed by Luke Barnett — West Coast Premiere Legend Has It, directed by Thomas Lorber — San Diego Premiere Outgrowth, directed by Sasha Das — San Diego Premiere Supper, directed by Savannah Braswell — San Diego Premiere Uncle Artoo, directed by Zoë Whittaker — West Coast Premiere

Interview: Melo Ludwig on Playing Brave and Loyal Meg Giry in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

Review: PHANTOM OF THE OPERA Keeps Enchanting with Revitalized North American Tour

BEGIN AGAIN Extends for Additional Week at The Old Globe

Interview: Playwright Mario Vega on TuYo Theatre's OUR LADY OF THE SAN DIEGO CONVENTION CENTER

When are you seeing ?

Get an Alert Each Time A.A. Cristi Writes

BroadwayWorld TV

Breaking Broadway news & show discounts. No password required.

POPULAR

Sign up for announcements and exclusive discounts on tickets to your favorite shows!

© 2026 — Copyright Wisdom Digital Media , all rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Episode

_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/san-diego/article/San-Diego-International-Film-Festival-Announces-25th-Anniversary-Lineup-20260911)._