AFI Fest Reveals 2026 Lineup: ‘Possible Love,’ Céline Sciamma’s’ Tutti Frutti,’ and 155 More Films
"Bucking Fastard," "All of a Sudden," "A Long Winter," and more fall festival favorites will play AFI Fest in Hollywood.
by Ryan Lattanzio · IndieWireThe American Film Institute’s annual AFI Fest in Hollywood has revealed its 2026 lineup, with 157 films from 50 countries. Ten of these films (and counting) are Best International Feature Oscar submissions. Tickets go on sale October 3 ahead of the festival running October 21-25. Highlights below, with the full lineup on AFI’s website here.
Highlights include IndieWire favorite and Venice Silver Lion winner “Possible Love,” directed by Lee Chang-dong; Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Cannes prize-winning “All of a Sudden,” starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto; Werner Herzog’s wily fantasy comedy “Bucking Fastard,” starring Kate Mara and Rooney Mara; Andrew Haigh’s “A Long Winter,” starring 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; Mike Leigh’s San Sebastián Golden Shell winner “Tender Loving Care”; and the North American Premieres of Asghar Farhadi’s “Parallel Tales,” starring Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Cassel and Virginie Efira; and Céline Sciamma’s “Tutti Frutti,” which premiered earlier this year at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Additional highlights include İlker Çatak’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner “Yellow Letters”; Markus Schleinzer’s “Rose,” starring Sandra Hüller, winner of the Berlinale Silver Bear for best lead performance; Sandra Wollner’s “Everytime,” winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard top prize; Marine Atlan’s Cannes’ Critics’ Week Grand Prize winner “La Gradiva”; Louis Clichy’s “Iron Boy,” winner of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize; Stephanie Ahn’s “Bedford Park,” winner of the Sundance U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature; and Lance Hammer’s “Queen at Sea” starring Juliette Binoche with Tom Courtenay and Anna Calder-Marshall, who also won at the Berlinale.
Other filmmakers bringing new work to the festival include: Ali Asgari (“A Bit of Light”), Clio Barnard (“I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning”), Anna Biller (“The Face of Horror”), Anthony Chen (“We Are All Strangers”), Quentin Dupieux (“Full Phil”), Fernando Eimbcke (“Flies”), Radu Jude (“Diary of a Chambermaid”), Barbara Kopple (“Union Town”), Marie Kreutzer (“Gentle Monster”), Hong Sang-soo (“The Day She Returns” and “Nowhere to Lay My Eyes”), and Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“The Beloved”).
Documentary picks include Pegah Ahangarani’s “Rehearsals for a Revolution,” winner of Cannes’ L’Œil d’Or Prize; Joss Crowley’s Toronto-premiered “Pretenders”; Ahmed Hassouna’s Venice-debuted “Citizen Osama”; Rachel Mason’s “My Brother’s Killer”; Ayden Mayeri’s SXSW Grand Jury award-winning “Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story”; plus Sundance award winners “One in a Million” (Jack MacInnes and Itab Azzam), “Nuisance Bear” (Jack Weisman and Gabriela Osio Vanden), and “Soul Patrol” (J.M. Harper).
“Our 40th edition of AFI FEST celebrates the cinematic artistry of bold, inspiring filmmakers from around the world,” said Todd Hitchcock, director of AFI FEST and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center. “With more than 80 features and nearly 70 shorts, AFI FEST 2026 will once again light up the screen of the iconic TCL Chinese Theatre with a wide-ranging slate of films that includes highly anticipated awards favorites and a few surprises as well.”
“We’re thrilled to share some of the year’s most compelling films with the film lovers of Los Angeles at the 40th edition of AFI FEST — from red carpet premieres and major works by established auteurs to exciting debuts from emerging talents, this year’s lineup invites audiences to spend five days experiencing worlds beyond their own and making the connections that great art can spark,” said Abbie Algar, director of programming, AFI FEST and AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center.
As previously announced, the 40th edition of the festival will open with the U.S. premiere of “Wildwood” and close with “Being Heumann.” Additional gala films include “The Mosquito Bowl,” “I Play Rocky,” and “Ray Gunn.” Special Screenings include “14th,” “Ashes,” “Behemoth!,” “Bitter Christmas,” “Bunker,” “Clarissa,” “Elsinore,” “Josephine,” “The Man I Love,” “Mouse,” “Tangles,” and “Wild Horse Nine.”
This year’s guest artistic directors are Phil Lord and Chris Miller, hosting a Q&A with the directors followed by a screening of “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968) as well as screenings of “Harold and Maude” (1971), “The Muppet Movie” (1979), and “Rififi” (1955).
Individual tickets will be available for purchase on October 3. See the full lineup on AFI Fest’s website.