Newport Beach Film Festival Marks 26 Years of Celebrating Cinematic Talent

The Newport Beach Film Festival, one of the defining film festivals in Southern California, is set to celebrate its 26th year from October 16-23, 2025. The festival, which has become a launching pad for cinema throughout California, is continuing its legacy of highlighting upcoming voices and industry veterans.

According to Gregg Schwenk, CEO and co-founder of the festival, the event was always intended to "celebrate film as an art form for entertainment." With its proximity to Hollywood, Newport Beach has proven to be the perfect location to host this annual celebration of cinema. The festival's curated selection of award contenders and films actively seeking distribution has made it a destination for industry campaigning.

This year's lineup includes a mix of highly anticipated projects, such as Guillermo del Toro's "Frankenstein" and Richard Linklater's "Blue Moon," as well as true independent films. The festival will also feature Variety's 10 Actors to Watch, a franchise that has recognized rising stars like "Supergirl" actress Milly Alcock and "One Battle After Another" breakout Chase Infiniti.

In addition to the 10 Actors to Watch, the festival will honor screen veterans such as Scarlett Johansson, who will receive the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award, and director Rian Johnson, who will be recognized with the Best Director Award for the 2025 festival. Johnson's latest "Knives Out" film, "Wake Up Dead Man," will also be screened at the event.

As the Newport Beach Film Festival continues to solidify its position in the festival circuit, Schwenk hopes the event will carry on its legacy of bridging the gap between new actors and established professionals, allowing them to collaborate and showcase their work for audiences to discover.