Celebrating its 26th year, the Newport Beach Film Festival is continuing the legacy of highlighting upcoming voices and industry veterans as one of the defining film festivals in Southern California since its inception in 1999. The fest is set to run Oct. 16-23 at various venues in the Newport Beach area.
“In the beginning, we were always looking to build an event that celebrates film as an art form for entertainment,” says Gregg Schwenk, CEO and co-founder of the festival. “With our proximity to Hollywood and the film industry, Newport Beach was a perfect location to host and build what has become the largest celebration of cinema in coastal Southern California. When people come to the festival each year, many of them say that Newport Beach reminds them of Sundance when it first started.”
With a curated selection of awards contenders and films actively looking for distribution, Newport Beach has become a launching pad for cinema throughout California, making the festival a destination for campaigning with an extensive lineup. Films being shown this year include Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon.”
Schwenk teased this year’s projects that will screen throughout the week-long celebration. “We have a mix of both awards contenders and true independent films. We have 110 features and 260 shorts. We’ve got something for everybody,” he says. “What’s incredible is that we have strong films that we know will resonate with our audience that are looking to be acquired. There are other films that are looking to position themselves from an award and recognition perspective, and there are other projects that are excited just to be on the big screen for an appreciative audience.”
This year’s festival will again feature Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch, a franchise launched in 1998. Honorees will include “Supergirl” star Milly Alcock and “One Battle After Another” breakout Chase Infiniti. “We’re incredibly proud of our decades-long partnership with Variety,” says Schwenk. “I’m always excited when we’re able to recognize individuals who are early in their career, and then two or three years later, they’re receiving an Academy Award or global recognition for one of their upcoming roles. These are things that we’re always very excited about down here in Newport.”
The 10 Actors will be celebrated at this year’s Newport Beach Film Festival Honors presented by Visit Newport Beach on Oct. 19 at Balboa Bay Resort. Also being honored are screen veterans such as Scarlett Johansson, who will receive the Variety Legend & Groundbreaker Award, and Rian Johnson, who will receive the Best Director Award for the 2025 festival. Johnson’s latest “Knives Out” film, “Wake Up Dead Man,” will be screening at the fest.
“We’re able to link the 10 Actors to Watch with our honors event, recognizing legendary and well-established individuals in the entertainment industry,” says Schwenk. “It’s that unity between those two that really gets exciting when you have actors who are just starting out in their career and being able to be side-by-side with someone who is an icon or a legend. We’re always very excited to celebrate these individuals and their contributions to the film industry.”
In reflecting on the last 26 years of the fest, Schwenk hopes the event carries on the legacy of bridging the gap between new actors and established professionals to collaborate and showcase their work for audiences to discover. “We want to continue to bring amazing storytellers to Southern California,” says Schwenk. “We hope to continue to recognize the bold choices that so many creatives are making and shine a spotlight on those countries and cultures that are at the forefront
of filmmaking.”
He continues: “Newport Beach has solidified its position in the festival circuit, and the festival has become the place for those in the industry to not only celebrate but also to network and hopefully find their next project.”