AFI Fest Unveils 2026 Lineup: 'Wildwood' to Open, 'Being Heumann' to Close
AFI Fest 2026, running Oct. 21–25 in Hollywood, will screen 157 films, opening with the U.S. premiere of 'Wildwood' and closing with 'Being Heumann.'
Programme
- AFI Fest 2026, its 40th edition, runs Oct. 21–25 in Hollywood and screens 157 films, presented by Canva.
- The festival opens with the U.S. premiere of animated feature 'Wildwood' and closes with biographical drama 'Being Heumann'.
- Red carpet premieres include 'I Play Rocky,' 'The Mosquito Bowl' and 'Ray Gunn'; the lineup also features Werner Herzog's 'Bucking Fastard' starring Kate Mara and Rooney Mara.
The American Film Institute has announced the complete lineup for AFI Fest 2026, presented by Canva. The 40th edition of the festival runs in Hollywood from Oct. 21 to 25 and will screen 157 films.
The festival opens with the U.S. premiere of the animated feature "Wildwood" and closes with the biographical drama "Being Heumann." Three more titles join them as red-carpet premieres: "I Play Rocky," "The Mosquito Bowl" and "Ray Gunn."
The slate stretches well beyond the galas. Werner Herzog's "Bucking Fastard," starring Kate Mara and Rooney Mara, screens at the festival, alongside Andrew Haigh's "A Long Winter" with Fred Hechinger, Kit Connor, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Caitríona Balfe. Małgorzata Szumowska and Michał Englert's "The Idiot(s)," starring Johnny Flynn and Aimee Lou Wood, also appears on the program.
Additional titles include "Behemoth," "Clarissa," "Elsinore," "Wild Horse Nine" and "All of a Sudden."
The selection breaks down across 12 special screenings, 13 luminaries selections, 18 discovery titles, 16 world cinema selections and 17 documentaries, among other categories.
The discovery section carries the festival's stake in new filmmakers. According to the festival, films in this strand are chosen for including new voices that push the boundaries of contemporary cinema with cutting-edge themes and original visions. Two debuts anchor the program: "9 Temples to Heaven," the narrative feature debut of Thai filmmaker Sompot Chidgasornpongse, and "Chronicles From The Siege," the debut of Palestinian-Syrian filmmaker Abdallah Alkhatib.
The world cinema category, which the festival describes as celebrating the diversity of cultures through the shared language of cinema, includes Rodrigo Sorogoyen's "The Beloved," starring Javier Bardem.
The five-day program also extends beyond screenings. AFI Fest 2026 will present panels and conversations featuring filmmakers and new voices in cinema, plus Q&As with casts and crews.
With Herzog, Haigh and Sorogoyen premieres alongside first features from Chidgasornpongse and Alkhatib, the 40th-anniversary edition positions AFI Fest as both a showcase for established auteurs and a launchpad for emerging directors when it opens Oct. 21.
Source: Variety Film
