27th Newport Beach Film Festival Reveals Lineup of Over 300 Titles – ‘Paper Tiger,’ ‘Josephine,’ ‘Wild Horse Nine’

The 27th Newport Beach Film Festival, set to take place from October 15-22, 2026, in Southern California, will screen over 100 feature films and 250 shorts from 21 countries.

“As we celebrate our 27th year, the Newport Beach Film Festival is thrilled to once again unite audiences with some of the most talked-about films of awards season and an extraordinary group of filmmakers from around the world. Each year, our goal is to create a platform where remarkable stories, bold voices, and audiences come together, and this year’s lineup embodies that spirit beautifully. We look forward to sharing these impactful films with our incredible Orange County community and celebrating the artists behind them,” said Gregg Schwenk, CEO and Executive Director of NBFF.

Centerpiece films include awards contenders James Gray’s “Paper Tiger” starring Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson and Miles Teller; Danny Boyle’s “Ink” starring Jack O’Connell, , Guy Pearce and Claire Foy; and Martin McDonagh’s “Wild Horse Nine” starring John Malkovich, Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas, with Tom Waits and Parker Posey.

The full list of Centerpiece films includes:

“…And Out Comes the Wolf” (United States), Director Danny Peykoff (World Premiere)
“A Talent for Murder” (United Kingdom), Director Anton Corbijn
“In Waves” (France), Director Phuong Mai Nguyen (Southern California Premiere)
“Ink” (United Kingdom), Director Danny Boyle (Southern California Premiere)
“Jimmy” (United States), Director Aaron Burns (West Coast Premiere)
“Josephine” (United States), Director Beth de Araújo
“The Liberation” (United States), Director Guy Nattiv
“Minotaur” (France), Director Andrey Zvyagintsev
“Once Upon A Time In Harlem” (United States), Directors David Greaves and William Greaves
“The Only Living Pickpocket in New York” (United States), Director Noah Segan
“Paper Tiger” (United States), Director James Gray
“Wild Horse Nine” (United States), Director Martin McDonagh

The festival has selected seventeen international films as part of its International Spotlight section from countries including Australia, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Italy, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Spain and Sweden, which include:

“A Bit of Light” (Iran), Director Ali Asgari (North American Premiere)
“A Journey to Piedmont” (Sweden), Director Alexandra-Therese Keining (North American Premiere)
“De Gaulle: Tilting Iron” (French), Director Antonin Baudry
“Empty Nesters” (Germany), Director Sönke Wortmann
“Ezma” (Egypt), Director: Mohamed Sadeq
“Fatherland” (Poland), Director Pawel Pawlikowski
“How to Talk Australians” (Australia), Director Tony Rogers (North American Premiere)
“Jeju Olle” (Korea), Director Jin Gwang-gyo (World Premiere)
“La Bola Negra” (Spain), Directors Javier Ambrossi, Javier Calvo (Southern California Premiere)
“Look Back” (Japan), Director Hirokazu Koreeda
“Sisa” (Philippines), Director Jun Robles Lana (West Coast Premiere)
“There’s a Hole in my Bucket” (New Zealand), Directors Royd Tolkien, Robert Cavanah, Drew Cullingham (North American Premiere)
“The Body is Water” (Ireland), Director Vicky Wight (World Premiere)
“Trad” (Ireland), Director Lance Daly (North American)
“What A Way To Go” (Czech Republic), Director Jan Svěrák (North American Premiere)
“You’ll Never Believe Who’s Dead” (Ireland), Director Dallan Shovlin (California Premiere)

The additional list of films screening at NBFF includes (in alphabetical order):

“4000 Days” (United States), Director Daniel E Catullo III
“A Stroll to Syracuse” (Germany), Director Lars Jessen (North America Premiere)
“Alchemy in Venice” (United States), Director Jon Fitzgerald (World Premiere)
“All American Girls” (United States), Director Christy Wegener (Southern California Premiere)
“An Irish Atlantic Rainforest” (Ireland), Director Gary Lennon (North American Premiere)
“Anima” (United States), Director Brian Tetsuro Ivie (West Coast Premiere)
“Armani and the Birth of Italian Fashion” (Italy), Director John Maggio
“Arthur Elrod: Desert Cool” (United States), Director Adele Cygelman
“As Far Back As I Can Remember… The Story of Goodfellas” (United Kingdom), Directors Lisa Downs, Ashley Pugh (World Premiere)
“Avedon” (United States), Director Ron Howard
“Better” (United Kingdom), Director Daniel Sharp (World Premiere)
“Between Dreams and Hope” (Iran), Director Farnoosh Samadi
“Beyond Borders Patagonia” (Australia), Director Jed James Fasso (U.S. Premiere)
“Bilyarista” (Philippines), Director Phil Giordano (North American Premiere)
“Blow The Horn” (United States), Director Nacho Arenas (World Premiere)
“Broken English” (United Kingdom), Director Iain Forsyth, Jane Pollard
“California Roll: The Rise of American Sushi” (United States), Directors Bill Sharp, Sam Epstein (North American Premiere)
“Carl Sagan: We Are Made of Star Stuff” (United States), Director Nanette Burstein
“Cecil B. DeMille, The Inventor of Blockbuster” (France), Director Bertrand Tessier (U.S. Premiere)
“Chica Checa” (Czech Republic), Director Šimon Holý (North America Premiere)
“Child” (Luxembourg), Director Cyrus Neshvad
“Couture to the Max” (United States), Director Dori Berinstein (West Coast Premiere)
“Debating Statues and Saints: the Legacy of Junipero Serra” (United States), Directors Thomas C. Gibbons, Maria~Elena Poblacion Pineda (World Premiere)
“Don’t Be Prey” (Australia), Director Jeff Tseng (West Coast Premiere)
“Dream Team” (Czech Republic), Director Jonáš Karásek (North America Premiere)
“Dudley & The Invasion of The Space Slugs” (Belgium), Director Cherifa Bakhti (U.S. Premiere)
“Emerging from the Shadows: Rediscovering the Legacies of Weinberg and Korngold” (Germany), Director Veronika Emily Pohl (California Premiere)
“Faraway Home” (Ireland), Director Terry Loane (West Coast Premiere)
“Follow Me” (United States), Director Yaniv Rokah (World Premiere)
“Fork in the Road” (United States), Directors Jonathan Nastasi, Vivian Sorenson (Southern California Premiere)
“Frampton” (United States), Director Rob Arthur
“Googie” (United States), Director Jake Gorst
“Handle With Care” (United States), Director Matthew James Thompson (Southern California Premiere)
“Handmade Future” (United Kingdom), Director Kirsten Dickerson (West Coast Premiere)
“Heroic: Sabin Howard Sculpts the National WWI Memorial” (United States), Director Traci L Slatton (World Premiere)
“How To Feed a Dictator” (United States), Director Andrew Neel (West Coast Premiere)
“Hurricane Seasons” (United States), Director Nicole Gomez Fisher (World Premiere)
“In Memoriam” (United States), Director Rob Burnett (West Coast Premiere)
“Ithaqua” (Canada), Director Casey Walker
“IX XI” (United States), Director Sean Wilsey
“Joybubbles” (United States), Director Rachael J. Morrison
“Julian” (Ireland), Directors Louise Bagnall, Louise Bagnall, Mark Mullery
“KENNY LOGGINS: Conviction of the Heart” (United States), Director Dori Berinstein (West Coast Premiere)
“Keystone: The Prodigies of an Icon” (United States), Directors Charles Rankin, Shauna Rankin (West Coast Premiere)
“Love – Love” (United States), Director Thomas Leisten Schneider (California Premiere)
“Leica – A Century of Vision” (Germany), Director Reiner Holzemer (World Premiere)
“Life on Waves” (United States), Director Steven B. Esparza (World Premiere)
“My Wild Life: Photographer Suzi Eszterhas” (United States), Director Bill L. Wisneski (World Premiere)
“Nature” (United States), Director Kevin McNamara (World Premiere)
“No Hands: The Wild Ride of the Schwinn Bicycle Company” (United States), Director Daniel Clarke (Southern California Premiere)
“Noor: Eating History” (Spain), Directors Carlos Velasco, Kate Hu (U.S. Premiere)
“One of Us” (United States), Director: Stefan van de Graaff (North American Premiere)
“Only What We Carry” (United States), Director: Jamie Adams (West Coast Premiere)
“Otra” (Puerto Rico, United States), Director: Armani Ortiz (West Coast Premiere)
“Smooth World” (United States), Director Mickey Duzyj (World Premiere)
“Sock It To Me: The Legend of George Schlatter” (United States), Director: Chris Coronado (World Premiere)
“Stern Fever” (Australia), Director Talon Clemow (North America Premiere)
“Sydney Cash Makes Too Much Art” (United States), Director Ivan Cash (West Coast Premiere)
“The A-Word: The Future of Aging” (United States), Director Greg Kohs (Southern California Premiere)
“The Blood Miracle” (Italy), Director Giovanni Troilo
“The Cycle” (United Kingdom), Director Jordan Downey
“The Drug in Our Pocket” (United States), Director Anne Sundberg
“The Education of Jane Cumming” (Germany), Director Sophie Heldman (West Coast Premiere)
“The Good Life” (United States), Director Mark Mannucci (World Premiere)
“The Highest Road” (United States), Director Allan Thompson (North America Premiere)
“The Last Inventor: Chuck Hull & The Hope of 3D Printing” (United States), Director Brent Wilson (West Coast Premiere)
“The Last Supper. The Passion by Leonardo Da Vinci” (Italy), Director Luca Lucini
“The Siege of Paradise” (Ireland), Director Gar O’Rourke (Southern California Premiere)
“The Sixty-Year Mission: How Star Trek Changed Television and the World” (United States), Director Mark A. Altman
“The Sludge War” (United States), Director Galassia Grassetto
“Think of England” (United Kingdom), Director Richard Hawkins (North America Premiere)
“Try!” (Ireland), Director Oisin Misteil (West Coast Premiere)
“Unmasked: From Actor to Animal Activist” (United Kingdom), Directors Sean Mullan, Michael Barwise (World Premiere)
“Wake” (United States), Director Devon M. Schwartz (West Coast Premiere)
“Western Monarch Butterflies: Protecting Our Pollinators” (United States), Director Ian A Nelson
“Whale Shark Jack” (Australia), Directors Khrob Edmonds & Miranda Edmonds (North American Premiere)
“White Belt” (United States), Director Kit Dale (World Premiere)
“Who Killed Alex Odeh?” (United States), Directors Jason Osder, William Lafi Youmans
“Yuja” (Canada), Director: Lorna Tucker (West Coast Premiere)