It’s a chance to get an early glimpse at award contenders, mingle with Hollywood heavyweights and rising stars and be transported through the art of storytelling on the big screen.
The 26th annual Newport Beach Film Festival kicks off on Thursday, Oct. 16, running through Oct. 23, and showcasing more than 100 feature films and 250 shorts from 32 countries at several venues around town.
Gregg Schwenk, CEO and executive director of NBFF, said he’s “tremendously excited” for this year’s event, calling it one of the strongest showings of talent in front of and behind the camera in the history of the festival.
Several well-known actors will be given the prestigious Icon Award on Sunday, Oct. 19, at the Balboa Bay Resort, including Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser.
Brendan Fraser will be honored at the Newport Beach Film Festival with the Icon Award. The 90s era actor has made a comeback in recent years. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival)“We’ve come to appreciate what a great actor he is,” Schwenk said. “I think one of the true tenets of the Newport Beach Film Festival is recognizing artists and films.”
Also earning Icon Awards will be Oscar-nominated actress Diane Lane and Star Wars legend Mark Hamill.
“Ten-year-old me is going crazy on the idea that Mark Hammil will be there,” Schwenk said. “That was one of my first grown-up films, one of the films I think back on so fondly, having such vivid memories of going to see it at the Big Newport when I was 10 years old.”
There is also Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch.
There’s a long list of films being screened that are award contenders, including international films from Australia, Belgium, Brazil and the Czech Republic.
The festival will also feature an Irish showcase with 20 filmmakers traveling to Orange County, Schwenk said, adding that for many, it will be their first time out of their home country.
The “Unsinkable Entrepreneur,” part of the festival’s “Irish Spotlight,” tells the story of a legendary yachtsman who attempts a grueling solo around the world, and is an “incredibly powerful film,” said Schwenk.
“From That Small Island” is a documentary about the country, he said, and another called “A Sip of Irish” celebrates the unique brands of Irish whisky, beer and cider, with a fitting post-party planned at Muldoon’s Irish Pub.
The festival’s opening night will showcase the feature film, “Blue Moon,” featuring Ethan Hawke, as well as the short film “They,” the directorial debut of actress Renee Zellweger.
Both will be showing at Regal Edwards Big Newport, before a post-party at Fashion Island featuring 30 top Newport Beach restaurants.
The festival’s lineup includes documentaries, films that focus on the environment, culinary arts and cinema, and a half-dozen films by local college students are also being highlighted.
The week of screenings will culminate on closing night with a showing of Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein.” The film’s lead, Jacob Elordi, received this year’s “Maverick Award.”
Jacob Elordi attends Netflix’s “Frankenstein” Los Angeles Premiere on Oct. 06, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. The film will be showcased at Newport Beach Film Festival’s final night. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Netflix)“With his commanding screen presence and bold choices, Jacob has quickly become one of the most exciting actors of his generation. We are proud to celebrate his talent and the impact of his work,” Schwenk said.
The final night will also end with a screening of the new Bruce Springsteen biopic “Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere,” with a Q&A with the filmmaker following the showing.
During the duration of the festival, an estimated 50,000 attendees come to the showings and events, making it the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California, according to event organizers.
“That’s a testament not only to the strength of films and experiences we find, but to the appreciation of our audience,” Schwenk said. “We’ve really been able to find our stride and connect with our community in a way that’s really important for any event, but especially the Newport Beach Film Festival.”
For many industry leaders in Hollywood, the Newport Beach Film Festival is a close getaway just outside of Los Angeles.
“I’ve always said, there’s no more beautiful place to host a global film festival than Newport Beach. It is the perfect backdrop, major industry players love coming to Newport,” Schwenk said. “We have a very large concentration of guild and academy members in Orange County.”
The festival for more than two decades has also celebrated action sports, acknowledging that Orange County is the birthplace of many major brands and the epicenter for surf, skate and snow culture.
“We are by far the strongest lineup of action sports films in the United States, maybe the world,” Schwenk said. “We are the epicenter of the industry. This is where the legends are born.”
“The OC Effect: Surf-Skate Business Evolution,” directed by Terry Corwin and Scott Hays, touches on just that, detailing the birth and evolution of the counter-culture industries, everything from early pioneer Hobie in the ’50s, to Vans, Gotcha and Hurley, to the newer brands such as Florence and Vissla, all born in Orange County with impacts on music, fashion, equipment and sport across the world.
Surf photographer Chris Sardelis is showcasing his film, “Harbour Chronicles: Shaping a Legacy,” which drew eight sold-out showings following the Bay Theatre’s opening early this year just across from Rich Harbour’s famed surf shop in Seal Beach.
Filmmaker Chris Sardelis, seen here, will showcase his Harbour Chronicles movie based on surfboard maker and shop owner Rich Harbour at the Newport Beach Film Festival.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)Sardelis was wrapping up one of his final showings at the Bay Theatre when a patron passing by suggested he enter the Newport Beach Film Festival, he said.
“So I did,” he said, still in disbelief. “I’m just lucky and honored to get picked. I didn’t realize how prestigious it is.”
He joked that he’s just a “scrawny kid from the surf shop” who will be mixing with Hollywood elites. It was the team who helped pull together the film, and Harbour’s story, that has made it a success, he said.
The film will show at 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 18, and the following day at 5:15 p.m., with a discussion following Sunday’s showing.
In addition to the programmed selection of films, the festival also presents nightly parties and events featuring more than 60 culinary partners, organizers said.
For more info on the line-up or for tickets, go to newportbeachfilmfest.com.
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