‘I Play Rocky,’ ‘Paper Tiger’ and ‘Josephine’ Among Coronado Island Film Festival’s 2026 Lineup

“I Play Rocky,” “Paper Tiger” and “Josephine” are among the 140 narrative features, documentaries and short films set to screen during the Coronado Island Film Festival’s 11th season. The festival will run from Nov. 4 through 8.

Amazon MGM’s “I Play Rocky” will open the festival. Directed by Peter Farrelly, the film tells the true story of Sylvester Stallone’s journey to get “Rocky” made and to embody the titular boxer (Anthony Ippolito plays Stallone). The film premiered last month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

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Neon’s “Paper Tiger” will close the festival. Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver and Miles Teller lead James Gray’s drama, which follows two brothers, Irwin and Gary Pearl, in 1986 whose get-rich-quick scheme to help clean up the Gowanus Canal lands them in the crosshairs of the Russian mafia. The film premiered in May at the Cannes Film Festival.

Centerpiece selections include Netflix’s “Ink” and A24’s “The Debut.” 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” make up the additional key spotlight screenings throughout the festival.

“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 and 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.”

The festival will also host a slew of panels with industry leaders, creators and innovators. Panel sessions are set to take place across the Sacred Heart Community Center, the Coronado Public Library and the John D. Spreckels Center.

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