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The 24th annual Newport Beach Film Festival has announced that it will screen 91 films from 19 countries including 14 World Premieres, 14 U.S. Premieres, six North American Premieres, 15 West Coast Premieres, and five Southern California Premieres from October 12 through 19. Opening and Closing Night films will be announced at a later date.
“Eclectic and awe-inspiring, this year’s programmed lineup unites exciting upcoming awards contenders with that spectacle of global filmmaking which our audience treasures,” said Gregg Schwenk, CEO and Executive Director of NBFF. “We are honored to be sharing this selection of extraordinary talent and supreme storytelling with our loyal Orange County audience, and we are looking forward to announcing more events in the weeks approaching the Festival.”
Centerpiece and Spotlight Films
The Newport Beach Film Festival has selected three Netflix titles as Centerpiece films including “May December” directed by Todd Haynes and starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton; “NYAD” directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, and starring Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, and Rhys Ifans; and “Rustin” directed by George C. Wolfe and starring Colman Domingo.
Apple Original Films’ “Fingernails” directed by Christos Nikou and starring Jeremy Allen White, Riz Ahmed, Annie Murphy, Jessie Buckley and Luke Wilson is another Centerpiece screening.
Fifteen international films are selected as part of their Spotlight section from countries including Canada, China, Germany, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and Sweden.
Special Events
On Saturday, October 14, the Festival will host a conversation and book signing with the award-winning actor Rainn Wilson, a two-time New York Times Best Selling author, founder of the nonprofit Lidé Haiti and a climate activist. His new book is “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.”
Wilson, co-founder of the media company SoulPancake, explores the problem- solving benefits that spirituality provides to create solutions and ultimately find happiness in an increasingly challenging world. In this book, Wilson speaks to the possibility and hope for a spiritual revolution, a “Soul Boom,” to find a healing transformation on both a personal and global level. Though a serious and essential pursuit, he brings great humor and his own unique perspective to the conversation.
Director and writer Jim Sheridan will attend a special retrospective screening of “In the Name of the Father” on Sunday, Oct. 15. The 1993 biographical crime drama is based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed four off-duty British soldiers and a civilian. The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson and Pete Postlethwaite.
This year, the Festival will be holding a culinary reception on Tuesday, October 17 to celebrate the premiere of “Susan Feniger. Forked,” a documentary film chronicling Feniger’s personal journey of opening her first solo restaurant. The event features signature bites from James Beard award-winner Feniger, a brief Q&A alongside her partner, filmmaker and Emmy Award winner Liz Lachman, and a screening of the film.
Additionally, on Wednesday, October 18, the Festival will feature Bobby Berk, interior design expert and Emmy-nominated TV host of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” at a 30-minute Q&A for his new book, “Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind.”
In the book, Berk shows you how to set up your space so that it takes care of you. Learn how to follow your happiness to find your style, optimize the function of every room, organize your space, and so much more.
Film Highlights
Highlights for this year include the World Premiere of “Brave the Dark” directed by Damian Harris with Jared Harris and Nicholas Hamilton; the U.S. premiere of “Mr. Blake At Your Service!” directed by Gilles Legardinier and starring John Malkovich. Other films screening include the West Coast Premiere of “William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill,” directed by Alexandre O. Philippe.
Attracting over 50,000 attendees to Orange County, CA, the Newport Beach Film Festival is the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California, connecting its audience with the very best in independent and international films. In addition to the programmed selection of films, the Festival also presents nightly parties and events featuring more than 60 culinary partners with their finest tastings.
For more information on the complete line-up and to purchase tickets, please visit https://newportbeachfilmfest.com.
Recognized as one of the largest luxury lifestyle film festivals in the United States, the Newport Beach Film Festival brings an internationally curated collection of films and vibrant cultural gatherings to the Southern California coast. Committed to championing the work of original storytellers from around the globe, the Festival celebrates contemporary screen culture, cinematic excellence, engaging the community in compelling conversations with filmmakers and artists.
