Coronado Island Film Festival Announces 2026 Lineup

Here is the press release:

The Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF) proudly announces its 2026 official film lineup, marking its 11th year with a dynamic slate of more than 140 films across narrative features, documentaries and short films. 

Over five days (Nov. 4-8), the festival will present award-season contenders, world and San Diego premieres, and a slate of special programming spanning conservation, culinary arts and a tribute to one of early Hollywood’s most daring stars. The Leonard Maltin Industry Tribute Gala, hosted by celebrated film critic and historian Leonard Maltin, will open the festival Wednesday, Nov. 4, at the iconic Hotel del Coronado, with more updates to come on this year’s Tribute honorees.

The festival will open on Thursday, Nov. 5, with a screening of Amazon MGM’s “I Play Rocky.” On Sunday, Nov. 8, CIFF will close with NEON’s “Paper Tiger.” Centerpiece selections include Netflix’s “Ink” and A24’s “The Debut.” Additional key spotlight screenings throughout the festival including Searchlight Pictures’ “Behemoth!,” NEON’s “Clarissa,” Lionsgate’s “Killing Castro,” Mubi’s “Minotaur,” Netflix’s “Ray Gunn,” Fathom’s “Jimmy,” Sumerian Pictures’ “Josephine,” and Independent Film Company’s “Tangles.”

Female filmmakers also have a strong presence in this year’s lineup, led by the annual Women on the Move panel and networking reception, the premiere of Womanhood: The Series Season 2 (STEM: Part II), and a slate of selections produced and directed by women, including “All That Glisters,” “All My Friends Are Back in Brisbane,” and “Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart,” among others.

“This year reflects everything CIFF stands for: San Diego premieres of the season’s biggest awards contenders, bold work from independent filmmakers, a slate that puts women’s voices front and center, and panels that bring the industry’s best into direct conversation with our audience,” said Merridee Book, CEO & Artistic Director of the Coronado Island Film Festival. “CIFF is where the conversations that matter to this industry begin, and where the films we share become the conversation. We build a bridge between the magic of classic Hollywood and the future of storytelling. The way we watch movies may evolve, but the feeling of discovering them together in a theater never will. That’s why festivals like ours matter more than ever.”

Festival tickets are on sale at festival.coronadofilmfest.com.

OPENING NIGHT FILM — Thursday, Nov. 5

“I Play Rocky” — Directed by Peter Farrelly | Amazon MGM

The true story of Sylvester Stallone’s unshakable belief that he wasn’t just meant to write Rocky — he was meant to be Rocky Balboa. After penning the script, Stallone gambled everything on himself, refusing offer after offer unless he could star in the lead role.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM — Sunday, Nov. 8

“Paper Tiger” — Directed by James Gray | NEON 

In James Gray’s deeply felt and intense crime thriller, set in 1986 New York, a naïve engineer, Irwin (Miles Teller) accepts a seemingly lucrative business proposition from his brother, Gary (Adam Driver), a former cop. But when Irwin witnesses something he wasn’t meant to see at the Gowanus Canal, the brothers find themselves pulled into a dangerous confrontation with the newly emerging Russian mafia. As the threat of violence escalates, Irwin’s wife Hester (Scarlett Johansson) sounds the alarm, Irwin desperately tries to protect his family, and Gary is forced to make an impossible choice to save those he loves.

CENTERPIECE & SPOTLIGHT SCREENINGS

• “All My Friends Are Back in Brisbane,” dir. Louise Alston
• “All That Glisters,” dir. Trilby Glover
• “Behemoth!” (Searchlight Pictures), dir. Tony Gilroy — San Diego Premiere
• “Clarissa” (NEON), dir. Arie Esiri & Chuko Esiri — San Diego Premiere 
• “The Debut” (A24), dir. Jesse Eisenberg
• “Hustler,” dirs. Fedor Kravchuk, Nikita Kravchuk
• “Ink” (Netflix), dir. Danny Boyle — San Diego Premiere
• “In Waves” (Netflix), dir. Phuong Mai Nguyen
• “Jimmy” (Fathom), dir. Aaron Burns
• “Josephine” (Sumerian Pictures), dir. Beth de Araújo — San Diego Premiere
• “Killing Castro” (Lionsgate), dir. Eif Rivera — San Diego Premiere
• “Line Cooks,” dir. John Mossman — San Diego Premiere
• “Minotaur” (Mubi), dir. Andrey Zvyagintsev — San Diego Premiere
• “Mouse” (Independent Film Company), dirs. Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson
• “Ray Gunn” (Netflix), dir. Brad Bird — San Diego Premiere
• “Tangles” (Independent Film Company), dir. Leah Nelson — San Diego Premiere
• “Williston,” dirs. Adam Seidel, Jonathan Lipniki— World Premiere

HIGHLIGHT EVENTS:

• HAROLD!: A special tribute to Harold Lloyd — founding father of romantic comedy and the clock-climbing superstar from San Diego — featuring his granddaughter, Suzanne Lloyd, Leonard Maltin, and a fully restored Harold Lloyd masterpiece.
• Conservation & Science of Possibilities — A program exploring where science, nature and human ingenuity converge to imagine the future, presented with the Salk Institute and Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Wild Hope series, and featuring “The Right Whale: Tales of Resilience and Hope.”
• Culinary Cinema Series — CIFF’s culinary showcase returns with “Top of the World,” which revisits Windows on the World, the iconic restaurant atop the World Trade Center, through intimate firsthand accounts from its staff, exploring how it became a symbol of New York City before its story ended on September 11, 2001. The film will be paired with a trio of food- and wine-focused shorts exploring how cuisine shapes culture, community and legacy.
• CIFF celebrates independent filmmakers and screenwriters at the annual Jury Awards presentation, held Saturday, Nov. 7, with $20,000 in cash prizes awarded to emerging and visionary voices.

ADDITIONAL 2026 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS (in alphabetical order): 

• “Arthur Elgort: Models & Muses” (dir. Warren Elgort)
• “Carl Sagan” (dir. Nanette Burstein)
• “The Choice” (dir. John Coles)
• “Class of Her Own” (dir. Boaz Dvir)
• “The Cosmic Trigger” (dirs. Larry L. Sheffield, Trent J. Di Giulio)
• “Dream Touch Believe” (dir. Jenna Naranjo Winters)
• “Kenny Loggins: Conviction of the Heart” (dir. Dori Berinstein)
• “The Last Spy” (dir. Katharina Otto-Bernstein)
• “Poverty Trap” (dir. Michael Matheson Miller)
• “Radioheart: The Drive and Times of DJ Kevin Cole” (dirs. Peter Hilgendorf, Andrew Franks)
• “The Right Whale: Tales of Resilience and Hope” (dirs. Nick Dean, Cheryl Holmen Dean)
• “The Gymnast of Fisherman Colony” (dir. Habiba Nosheen)
• “Transforming the Beautiful Game: The Clyde Best Story” (dir. Dan Egan)
• “The Via Francigena” (dir. Robert David Nelson)

PANELS:

CIFF 2026 will host an extensive panel series highlighting the forces shaping contemporary cinema with industry leaders, creators, and innovators engaging in dynamic conversations. Panel sessions take place at the Sacred Heart Community Center, the Coronado Public Library, and the John D. Spreckels Center, providing festival-goers and filmmakers with intimate access to experts across all aspects of moviemaking. These panels include:

“State of the Industry: Navigating a New Era”—Presented by MovieMaker Magazine

• Thursday, Nov. 6 | 10:00 a.m. — 11:00 a.m. | Sacred Heart Community Center
• The entertainment landscape is evolving at lightning speed. From AI and streaming dominance to shifting audience habits and Hollywood’s new realities, industry leaders explore the forces reshaping film and television.

“The Writers Panel”

• Friday, Nov. 6 | 10:00 a.m. — 11:00 a.m. | Sacred Heart Community Center
• Back by popular demand, this panel brings together some of the most talented and diverse writers in the industry. Learn from their experience as they share how to craft and deliver a winning pitch, offering insights, strategies, and behind-the-scenes stories from the writers’ room to the big screen.

“The Chemistry of Casting”

• Friday, Nov. 6 | 4:00 p.m. — 5:00 p.m. | Sacred Heart Community Center
• Casting is one of filmmaking’s most under-recognized art forms — the invisible hand shaping everything an audience feels before a single line is spoken. Join leading casting directors and industry professionals as they reveal how the right actor transforms a script into a story, and how a single casting decision can define the tone, chemistry, and success of a film or series. From discovering new talent to building unforgettable ensembles, this panel explores the instinct, strategy, and collaboration behind bringing characters to life.

“Women on the Move”—Presented by Deadline

• Saturday, Nov. 7 | 2:00 p.m. — 4:00 p.m. | John D. Spreckels Center
• A dynamic conversation with the women shaping the future of the industry. Meet the groundbreaking women redefining cinema’s future. This panel unites producers, filmmakers, and creative leaders to share insights, challenges, and triumphs from the set to the boardroom. A powerful discussion on leadership, representation, and the impact of female voices in shaping storytelling.

“Reel Returns: The Smart Money Behind the Movies”

• Sunday, Nov. 8 | 10:00 a.m. — 11:00 a.m. | Winn Room (Coronado Public Library)
• Investing in film can be as thrilling as the movies themselves. This panel pulls back the curtain on funding models, market trends, and the balance of risks and rewards in both studio and independent projects. Industry experts will share what investors look for, how data and algorithms shape decisions, and why financing films remains both an art and a business.

“SAG-AFTRA & The Future of Film: What Every Filmmaker Needs to Know”

• Sunday, Nov. 8 | 1:30 p.m. — 2:30 p.m. | John D. Spreckels Center
• This panel unpacks the latest SAG-AFTRA best practices, key industry shifts, and the benefits of hiring union members. Learn the differences between union and non-union productions, the protections SAG-AFTRA provides, and how professional actors can elevate a film’s quality and marketability. A must-attend for all guild members, filmmakers and producers navigating today’s filmmaking landscape.

ShortsFest Exhibition

A Curated Shorts selection that features international selections, filmmakers to watch, animated works, emerging voices, live action, and documentary. CIFF has become a destination festival for emerging artists with a track record of screening Oscar® and BAFTA nominated and winning short films every year. This year CIFF is proud to have expanded our selections to 15 diversified shorts tracks.

• Animation Showcase I
• Animation Showcase II
• Creative Crossroads
• Emerging Filmmakers — Advanced
• Emerging Filmmakers — High School
• Fork in the Road
• Last Laugh
• Life, Interrupted
• Matters of Consequence
• More Than a Game
• Sliding Doors
• Technical Difficulties
• Ties That Bind
• Turning Point
• Unscripted