Pedro Pascal's 'Behemoth!' to Close Newport Beach Film Festival

Pedro Pascal's "Behemoth!" will close the 27th annual Newport Beach Film Festival on Oct. 22, with writer-director Tony Gilroy attending the screening in person.

Pascal stars as Alex Serian, a gifted cellist who returns home to Los Angeles after 20 years performing on the road and embarks on a life-changing adventure. The film features work by nine composers and is set to premiere Dec. 4.

Production designer Jade Healy will join Gilroy at the festival for a conversation ahead of the closing-night screening.

What does the closing night include?

Festival leadership framed the choice as a milestone. "We couldn't have picked a better way to celebrate 27 years of Newport than closing with a filmmaker as exciting as Tony Gilroy," said Gregg Schwenk, CEO and executive director of NBFF.

Schwenk pointed to the film's subject matter and the in-person format as distinguishing features. "This film has a deeply personal story about what music demands of the people who live inside it — and having Tony and Jade here in person for Q&A is exactly the kind of up-close experience that makes Newport unlike any other festival in the country," he said.

The festival runs Oct. 15-22.

Which other films are on the lineup?

The program also includes:

• "A Talent for Murder"
• "Ink"
• "Josephine"
• "La Bola Negra"
• "The Only Living Pickpocket in New York"
• "Paper Tiger"
• "Wild Horse Nine"

Aaron Burns' Jimmy Stewart biopic, "Jimmy," will screen with the cast and crew present for a Q&A following the film.

How big is the festival?

The Newport Beach Film Festival is the largest international cinema event in coastal Southern California, drawing more than 50,000 attendees. Last year's edition closed with Guillermo Del Toro's "Frankenstein," which stars Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth, Oscar Isaac and Christoph Waltz.

With Gilroy and Healy on stage for a Q&A and Pascal leading the cast, this year's closing night positions "Behemoth!" as a high-profile launchpad ahead of its Dec. 4 premiere.