Mill Valley Film Festival 2026 Lineup Revealed

The 49th Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) will take place from October 1 to 11, 2026. According to the festival's organizers, the lineup includes 94 feature films and 80 short films from 45 countries, with 61% of projects directed by women and nonbinary filmmakers.

Presented by the California Film Institute, the festival will host screenings across the Bay Area. Primary venues include the Sequoia Cinema in Mill Valley and the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center in San Rafael. Events will also return to the Lark Theater in Larkspur and the Berkeley Art Museum & Pacific Film Archive.

Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing Films

The festival opens on October 1 with Martin McDonagh's action-thriller "Wild Horse Nine." The film stars John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, who will receive an Actor Tribute. The centerpiece film on October 7 is Peter Farrelly's biographical drama "I Play Rocky," starring Anthony Ippolito as Sylvester Stallone. Jesse Eisenberg's musical theater love letter "The Debut," featuring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, will close the festival on October 11.

Mark Fishkin, Founder and Director of MVFF, commented on the selection. "Every year I'm struck by how much passion and craft goes into the films our team discovers," he said. Artistic Director Rose Kuo noted the lineup's "sheer range of ways filmmakers are making sense of a complicated world."

Spotlight Programs and Tributes

MVFF49 will present a series of tributes and spotlight programs. Honored guests include actor Sam Rockwell, director Lee Chang-dong, actor Andrew Scott, and actor Virginie Efira, who will receive the MVFF Screen Artistry Award. A live performance tribute will honor songwriter Linda Perry.

The documentary slate features new work from directors like Dawn Porter, Barbara Kopple, and Alex Gibney. It also includes first features from artists like Sean Ono Lennon. The festival will shows several Bay Area-focused films, including Beth dé Araújo's "Josephine," shot in San Francisco.

New Festival Sections

This year introduces two new programming sections: New Directors and Animation. The New Directors section highlights first-time and emerging filmmakers. The Animation section shows the medium's expanding power.

The festival's established special focuses continue. The Mind The Gap initiative celebrates work by women and nonbinary filmmakers, with an award going to director Marie Kreutzer. LGBTQ+ programming features films from directors like Pedro Almodóvar and Andrew Haigh.

The full lineup includes many other titles, such as "Clarissa," "Elsinore," "Gentle Monster," and "Musk."