The 24th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) has unveiled its lineup for this year’s festival, taking place Oct. 12-19. It includes 91 films from 19 countries, including 14 world premieres. In addition, the festival has announced several special events open to attendees.
Some of the buzziest film titles include three offerings from Netflix: “May December,” starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, “Nyad” with Annette Bening and Jodie Foster and “Rustin” led by Colman Domingo. Apple Original Films will showcase “Fingernails,” starring Riz Ahmed and Jessie Buckley. Other films include the U.S. premiere of “Mr. Blake At Your Service!” starring John Malkovich and the West Coast premiere of the documentary “William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill.”
There will also be a retrospective screening of “In the Name of the Father,” the 1993 drama from Jim Sheridan that earned seven Oscar nominations and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson and Pete Postlethwaite. Sheridan will be in attendance at the Oct. 15 screening.
On Oct. 14, there will be a conversation and book signing with Rainn Wilson. An award-winning actor known for his work on “The Office,” Wilson is also a two-time New York Times bestselling author and will be signing and discussing his new book, “Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution.”
Other events include an Oct. 18 conversation with Bobby Berk, the Emmy-nominated host of “Queer Eye” for his book “Right at Home: How Good Design Is Good for the Mind” and an Oct. 17 culinary reception in honor of the documentary “Susan Feniger. Forked.” James Beard award-winner Feniger will also take part in a Q&A introducing the film.
Said Gregg Schwenk, CEO and Executive Director of NBFF, “Eclectic and awe-inspiring, this year’s programmed lineup unites exciting upcoming awards contenders with that spectacle of global filmmaking which our audience treasures. 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.”
Check out the current list of films below, with more to be announced.
- “Advent” (Ireland), Director Richard Waters (World Premiere)
- “Aitamaako’tamisskapi Natosi: Before the Sun” (Canada), Director Banchi Hanuse (Southern California Premiere)
- “American Star” (United Kingdom), Director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego
- “Asog” (Canada), Director Sean Devlin
- “Australia’s Open” (Australia), Director Ili Barv (U.S. Premiere)
- “Beyond Tomorrow” (United States), Director Brett Ryan Bonowicz
- “Billie Blue” (Canada), Director Mariloup Wolfe (U.S. Premiere)
- “Brave the Dark” (United States), Director Damian Harris (World Premiere)
- “Brief Tender Light” (United States), Director Arthur Musah (California Premiere)
- “Brown vs. Brown” (New Zealand), Director Simon Mark Brown (U.S. Premiere)
- “Clawfoot” (United States), Director Michael Day
- “The Conqueror: Hollywood Fallout” (United Kingdom), Director William Nunez (World Premiere)
- “Copyright Infringement” (United States), Director David Sabshon
- “The Corners of the Earth” – Kamchatka (Australia), Director Spencer Thomas Frost
- “Crawdaddy” (Canada), Directors Kassandra Voss and Daniel Rocque (U.S. Premiere)
- “The Disappearance of Shere Hite” (United States), Director Nicole Newnham (West Coast Premiere)
- “Double Blind” (Ireland), Director Ian Hunt-Duffy (U.S. Premiere)
- “Egghead & Twinkie” (United States), Director Sarah Holland (California Premiere)
- “Exposure” (United States), Director Peter Cannon (World Premiere)
- “Fighting Spirit: A Combat Chaplain’s Journey” (United States), Directors Richard Hull and Justin Roberts (World Premiere)
- “Final Vow” (United States), Director Ruben Islas (World Premiere)
- “Fingernails” (United States), Director Christos Nikou
- “Fioretta” (United States), Director Matthew Mishory (West Coast Premiere)
- “The First Day of My Life” (Italy), Director Paolo Genovese (U.S. Premiere)
- “Food & Design” (Taiwan), Director Mu-Ming Tsai (World Premiere)
- “Freelance” (United States), Director Pierre Morel
- “Frontiers” (Canada), Director Guy Édoin (U.S. Premiere)
- “Gabriele Münter, Pioneer Of Modern Art” (France), Director Florence Mauro (North American Premiere)
- “The Genius of the Place: The Life And Work of Geoffrey Bawa, Sri Lanka’s Premier Architect” (Sri Lanka), Director Afdhel Aziz
- “Gentleman” (South Korea), Director Kyoung-won Kim (U.S. Premiere)
- “Geoff Mcfetridge: Drawing A Life” (United States), Director Dan Covert
- “The Graceless Age: The Ballad of John Murry” (Ireland), Director Sarah Share
- “Green City Life” (France), Director Manon Turina & François Marques (U.S. Premiere)
- “Hard Miles” (United States), Director R. J. Daniel Hanna (West Coast Premiere)
- “The Hidden Power of Purpose” (United States), Director Elliot V. Kotek (West Coast Premiere)
- “High Class” (United States), Director Benjamin Nolot (World Premiere)
- “Honey Sweet ” (Republic of Korea, South Korea), Director Lee Han (U.S. Premiere)
- “Hot Potato: The Story of the Wiggles” (Australia), Director Sally Aitken
- “I Dream in Photos” (Ireland), Directors Gary Lennon & Ollie Aslin (North American Premiere)
- “I’ll Be Right There” (United States), Director Brendan Walsh
- “Immediate Family” (United States), Director Denny Tedesco
- “In the Name of the Father (Ireland), Director Jim Sheridan
- “Indelible Memories” (Japan), Director Shin Sonoda (West Coast Premiere)
- “Jailhouse to Milhouse” (United States), Director Buddy Farmer
- “Jesszilla” (United States), Director Emily Sheskin (Southern California Premiere)
- “John Behan: Odyssey” (Ireland), Director Donald Taylor Black
- “A Kind of Kidnapping” (United Kingdom), Director D.G. Clark (West Coast Premiere)
- “Let the Party Begin” (Israel), Director Aki Avni
- “Live” (Vietnam) (U.S. Premiere)
- “The Man in the White Van” (United States), Director Warren Skeels (World Premiere)
- “The Man With the Silver Case” (United States), Director Colin Best
- “The Mattachine Family” (United States), Director Andy Vallentine
- “May December” (United States), Director Todd Haynes
- “The Michoacan File” (Mexico), Director Bernardo Arsuaga
- “Monster” (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- “The Movie Man” (Canada), Director Matt Finlin
- “Mr. Blake at Your Service! ” (France), Director Gilles Legardinier (U.S. Premiere)
- “NYAD” (United States), Directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin
- “On the Line” (United Kingdom), Director Oliver Pearn (West Coast Premiere)
- “One Way Ticket The Story of Greg Lutzka” (United States), Director Nick Amrhein (World Premiere)
- “Only the River Flows” (China), Director Wei Shujun (West Coast Premiere)
- “Parachute” (United States), Director Brittany Snow
- “Radical” (Mexico), Director Zalla Christopher
- “Remembering Gene Wilder ” (United States), Director Ron Frank
- “A Revolution on Canvas” (US), Directors Sara Nodjoumi and Till Schauder
- “Rustin” (United States), Director George C. Wolfe
- “Seasick” (New Zealand), Director Simon Mark-Brown
- “Second Act” (Sweden), Director Mårten Klingberg
- “Silent Thunder” (United States), Director Isaac Medeiros (World Premiere)
- “Stolen” (Ireland), Director Margo Harkin (North American Premiere)
- “Sugar and Stars” (France), Director Sébastien Tulard (U.S. Premiere)
- “Sunlight” (Ireland), Director Claire Dix (U.S. Premiere)
- “Susan Feniger. Forked” (United States), Director Liz Lachman (West Coast Premiere)
- “Tarrac! ” (Ireland), Director Declan Recks (Southern California Premiere)
- “This is Brighton” (United States), Director Beth Aala (World Premiere)
- “Tokyo Cowboy” (United States), Director Marc Marriott (West Coast Premiere)
- “Topper ” (United States), Director Kevin McNamara (World Premiere)
- “Trilogy: New Wave” (United States), Director Andrew Mackenzie
- “Unbroken” (United States), Director Beth Lane
- “Understanding Autism” (United States), Director Scott Steindorff (World Premiere)
- “Verdigris” (Ireland), Director Patricia Kelly (North American Premiere)
- “Vincent Must Die” (France), Director Stephan Castang
- “Waiting for Dali” (Spain), Director David Pujol (North American Premiere)
- “A Whole Life” (Austria/Germany), Director Hans Steinbichler (North American Premiere)
- “William Shatner: You Can Call Me Bill” (United States), Director Alexandre O. Philippe (West Coast Premiere)
- “Williams & Mansell: Red 5” (United Kingdom), Director James Wiseman (West Coast Premiere)
- “With Peter Bradley” (United States), Director Alex Rappoport (West Coast Premiere)
- “Without Her” (Iran/Italy), Director Arian Vazirdaftari
- “Would You Hide Me? ” (United States), Director Beth Lane (West Coast Premiere)