The 2026 Sun Valley Film Festival, taking place December 2–6, unveiled its film lineup, opening with A24’s The Debut, starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti.
Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, The Debut follows Mona Friedman as she is cast in a bit part at a small community theater, transforming from a shy, unassuming housewife into a zealous method actor willing to do anything to protect the artistic integrity of her marginal role—even if it means waging war against the show’s domineering director. The musical comedy also stars Halle Bailey, Eisenberg, and Bernadette Peters, with music and lyrics by Eisenberg.
Academy Award winner Peter Farrelly will attend the festival screening of I Play Rocky on December 5. The film is a true story about an unknown actor with an unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky—he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. Told “no” at every turn, Sylvester Stallone bets everything on himself, holding the line on playing the lead against seemingly impossible odds. The result is the ultimate underdog story behind the ultimate underdog movie.
Andrew Garfield stars as Sam Altman in Neon’s Artificial, which will close the festival on December 6. From director Luca Guadagnino comes the story of OpenAI and a two-decade artificial intelligence arms race. When a computer scientist and AI pioneer, Professor Geoffrey Hinton (Mark Rylance), makes a breakthrough they are certain will alter humanity forever, Sam Altman, Elon Musk (Ike Barinholtz) and the most prominent figures in Silicon Valley race to become part of their vision. As the technology becomes more powerful and more valuable than anyone ever imagined, a battle wages over who should control the tech that could change the fate of humanity. The film also stars Yura Borisov, Monica Barbaro, Cooper Hoffman and Jason Schwartzman, with original score and songs by Damon Albarn.
This year’s honorees and Coffee Talk guests include Jessica Lange (Vision Award), Bill Pullman (Pioneer Award), and Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen (Impact Award), who will each be recognized for their outstanding contributions to film and the entertainment industry. In addition, Stephen Beresford (High Scribe Award, co-presented by Deadline) and Luke Davies (Deadline Disruptor Award) will also be recognized.
Director Peter Farrelly will participate in a Cocktail Talk after a special screening of I Play Rocky.
The festival will also screen All of a Sudden, Ink, The Debut, Elsinore, Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Long Day’s Journey Into Night, A Long Winter, The Row, Tangles, Tenzing, as part of the line-up.
“This year’s lineup brings together artists who have shaped film and television across generations, from Jessica Lange and Bill Pullman to Peter Farrelly,” said Teddy Grennan, executive director and co-founder of the Sun Valley Film Festival. “Sun Valley is a place where audiences can get close to the craft, whether through a screening, a Coffee Talk or a conversation over dinner, and we’re thrilled to welcome these remarkable talents to the mountains this December.”
Opening Night, Closing Night & Film Selections
The Caged with director Jeffrey Scott Collins in attendance
Caity with director Lindsay Calleran in attendance
Everybody Digs Bill Evans with Bill Pullman and Executive Producer Ron Yerxa and Albert Berger in attendance
Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story with director Mandon Lovett, DeSean Jackson and Byron Jackson in attendance
Jollyface with director Justin Floyd in attendance
Long Day’s Journey Into Night with Jessica Lange in attendance
Moving Joy with director Brittany Lee Sanders in attendance
The Row with director Bryan Fogel in attendance
Stealing Magic with director Matthew Testa in attendance
Under Fire with director Brandon Kapelow in attendance
Shorts Programming
Allies In Exile (Directors Hasan Kattan and Fadi Al-Halabi)
Baby Teeth (Director Will Lowell)
Bluebird (Director Amanda Woods)
Burn Line (Director Evan Wishloff)
Can I Put You on Hold (Director James Cutler)
CHIDDI 2020 (Director WC Pijoan)
Chuura (Director Evgenia Arbugaeva)
COUTURE to the MAX (Director Dori Berinstein)
featherCOVER (Director Collin Insley)
Fletcher Street (Directors Jannat Gargi and David Darg)
Green Bean (Director Viktoria Crawford)
He Drives At Night (Director Conor Sullivan)
Idaho (Director Weskley Kimmel)
Lawful Evil (Directors Chuck Norton and Victoria Horn)
Marga en el DF (Director Gabriela Ortega)
Moths (Director Annie Rhodes Kane)
My Billionaire (Director Aidan Brezonick)
Numinous with (Director Cynthia Matty Huber)
Plant Life (Directors Brett Marty and Josh Izenberg)
Pretend I’m Someone You Care About (Director Kira Compton)
The Righteous Road Trip (Director Vanessa Roth)
Run Club (Director Lauren Lyle)
Saint (Directors Jamie Elias and Sean Brennan)
A Sheet From Naked (Director Jack Wade)
A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil (Director Daniel Straub)
A Skijoring Life (Directors George Mullinix and Noah Woo)
Smoked (Director Alice Gu)
Tainted by the Visual (Director Laura Calzada)
Trial 670 (Director Hailey J Boucher)
VITA 2.0 (Director Vita Stoikova)
We Were Here (Director Pranav Bhasin)
Welcome to Tool Shed (Directors Daniel Talbott and Andrew Klaus-Vineyard)
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