Middleburg Film Festival 2026 Reveals Award Recipients and Spotlight Films

The Middleburg Film Festival has confirmed its 2026 lineup of award recipients, including Martin McDonagh, Brad Bird, Seth Rogen, and Rosalind Eleazar, alongside special guests Billie Jean King and Bill Pullman. The 14th edition will run from October 15 to October 18, 2026, opening with Jesse Eisenberg's The Debut.

Martin McDonagh will be honored with the Director Spotlight Award for his film Wild Horse Nine. Brad Bird receives the Spotlight Animation Award for Ray Gunn. Seth Rogen will get the MFF Artistic Achievement Award and participate in an 'In Conversation with Seth Rogen' event. Rosalind Eleazar earns the Breakthrough Actor Award for her performance in Chris Rock's Misty Green. Billie Jean King will join festival founder Sheila Johnson for a one-on-one conversation, while Bill Pullman attends with his film Everybody Digs Bill Evans.

Spotlight films and their creators take center stage across festival programming

Spotlight films such as Wild Horse Nine, Ray Gunn, La Bola Negra, and Behemoth! are featured with their creators attending for awards, Q&As, and masterclasses. This highlights global and genre diversity.

Wild Horse Nine is a Searchlight Pictures film set before the 1973 Chilean coup, starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell as CIA agents on Easter Island. Ray Gunn is a sci-fi noir set in Metropia, starring Sam Rockwell as Raymond Gunn and Scarlett Johansson as Venus Nova.

The Friday Spotlight film is La Bola Negra, directed by Spanish filmmakers Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi. The film earned them a Best Director prize at Cannes. It also won the TIFF People’s Choice Award and San Sebastian Audience Award. Guitarricadelafuente, who stars in the film, receives the International Spotlight Award for it. He said, "I will attend the festival to accept the International Spotlight Award and participate in a post-screening discussion."

Tony Gilroy’s Behemoth! is set as the Sunday Spotlight film, with Gilroy attending for a post-screening conversation. The Searchlight Pictures film stars Pedro Pascal, Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Alexa Swinton, Kaya Ralls, Erik Griffin, JoBeth Williams, Margarita Levieva, Will Arnett, and Hank Azaria.

Bob Pauley, production designer of Toy Story 5 and the designer of Buzz Lightyear, will lead a Masterclass and drawing demo.

Panels, masterclasses, and conversations deepen the festival’s artistic exchange

Beyond awards, the festival includes composer panels, production design masterclasses, and post-screening conversations, enriching the audience experience.

The Songwriters & Composers Panel includes Ari Balouzian, Lesley Barber, Jesse Eisenberg, Lukas Frank, Guitarricadelafuente, Daniel Pemberton, Christopher Spelman, and Diane Warren. Daniel Pemberton will receive the Distinguished Composer Award for Ink and Project Hail Mary, with a concert featuring selections from his work.

Special events include post-screening Q&As with Jesse Eisenberg and Julianne Moore for The Debut, Jay Duplass and P.J. Byrne for I Play Rocky, Marie Kreutzer for Gentle Monster, Olivia Colman for Wicker and Elsinore, and Tony Gilroy for Behemoth!. Casting directors Adam Caldwell and Bernard Telsey will receive the Special Achievement in Casting Award and participate in a Q&A for Being Heumann.

Being Heumann set as closing film with Oscar-winning filmmaker in attendance

Siân Heder’s Being Heumann, an Apple Original Film and follow-up to her Oscar-winning CODA, will close the festival. Heder and stars Ruth Madeley and Mark Ruffalo will participate in related events.

The Middleburg Film Festival announced on Thursday that Being Heumann will close its 14th edition. The film tells the true story of disability rights activist Judy Heumann and the 1977 Section 504 protest in San Francisco. Ruth Madeley stars as Judy Heumann, alongside Mark Ruffalo, Madeline Delp, and Dylan O’Brien.

Siân Heder said, "Being Heumann tells the true story of pioneering disability rights activist Judy Heumann and the historic 1977 Section 504 protest."

Seth Rogen’s films screening at the festival include The Invite from A24, where he stars alongside Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton, and Tangles, directed by Leah Nelson. Rosalind Eleazar's award-winning film Misty Green is an A24 production that premiered at TIFF and also stars Chris Rock, Adam Driver, Daniel Kaluuya, and Anna Kendrick.

The festival opens with 'The Debut,' directed by Jesse Eisenberg, on October 15, 2026.