2026 Carmel International Film Festival Event Schedule

Wednesday, September 30th:

6:00 PM-9:00 PM KICK-OFF PARTY/OPENING NIGHT GALA: at Mission Bistro, on Mission Street between Ocean & 7th Avenues. Join us for a festive kick-off for the 2026 Carmel International Film Festival while mingling with some of the best filmmakers from around the world and enjoying delicious offerings from one of the finest restaurants in Carmel-by-the-Sea, Mission Bistro. Includes red carpet photo opportunities, wine, and appetizers. Open to all Pass Holders (All Access or Day Passes). This is a Do Not Miss Event.

Thursday, October 1st:

INDUSTRY PANEL: Monterey County Film Institute presents, “Building Our Film and Television Industry: How Film Production and Film Festivals can drive the Creative Economy Locally,”
with Lavera Alexander, Chief Growth Officer at the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP) and Board Members of the Monterey County Film Institute, Lawrence Roeck, Annette Andersen Caton, and Karilyn Van Oosten.

$3.1 billion in visitor spending helped generate over $310 million in tax revenue in Monterey County in 2024, while film productions in Monterey County boost our local economy by an average of only $4 million each year. That is not enough.
California’s Film and Television Tax Credit program generates roughly $24.40 in economic output for every $1 of tax credit awarded.
The program (now expanded to $750 million annually) drives significant spending, with over 110,000 jobs supported and billions in economic activity generated throughout the state.
What steps do we need to take to see California’s Film and Television Tax Credit program have a greater effect and create jobs here locally?

INDUSTRY PANEL: “Film Finance and Fiscal Responsibility,”
with Jennifer Dacquisto (Bank of America), moderated by Lawrence Roeck (Director/Producer of The Forger, Diablo).
Join us for an in-depth conversation about all things Film Finance, covering everything from:

How to manage production budgets.
How to secure financing through tax incentives.
How to manage your post production and P&A (prints and advertising) budgeting.
How can you best access and leverage tax credits?
What are industry best-practices when it comes to budgeting?
What do you do if you have to raise finishing funds to complete your film halfway through production?
Can your film make money?

SCREENINGS: Are you ready to get inspired by the next generation of filmmakers? Join us for the best Student Films, Narrative Short Films, Experimental Short Films, and International Narrative Short Films of 2026. Competition in these categories is fierce, and for good reason: Our local talent is competing on an international level in Carmel.

New for 2026 in the Narrative Short Film Category:

The Liars of Black Mountain, (United States) directed by Parker Croft (Cinequest 2011 Special Jury Prize winner) and executive produced by Elisa Croft and Academy Award-nominee Abigail Breslin. Starring Nolan Gould (ABC’s Modern Family), Millie Gibbons, and Bill Welden.
When a couple runs over a stranger’s dog, they compete for the moral high ground at any cost. This is a Do Not Miss Screening.

Additional selections in all categories to be announced.

STUDENT FILMMAKER NETWORKING MIXER: CIFFest and the Monterey County Film Institute proudly support young and emerging filmmakers, giving them the opportunity to not only learn at our Industry Panels from well-known film and television professionals, but also to network with their peers at the film festival, to share resources, and perhaps collaborate on future projects. This is just one example of how CIFFest and the Monterey County Film Institute support our local talented youth. Open to all Pass Holders.

OPENING NIGHT FEATURE FILM: to be announced.

Friday, October 2nd:

INDUSTRY PANEL: “The Art of Production Design for Film and Television,” with BAFTA, Emmy, and Academy Award-nominated Production Designer Stephen Altman (Gosford Park, Ray, Capone, Grosse Pointe Blank). We invite you to go behind the scenes and hear from one of the very best Production Designers in the industry. This is your opportunity to learn all that goes into designing the “alternate reality” or “world” a film must create in order to truly captivate an audience. This is a Do Not Miss Event.

INDUSTRY PANEL: “The Art of Cinematography,” with Film Independent Spirit Award-winner, Walt Lloyd (Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Pump Up the Volume, Kafka, The Perfect Storm). What does it take to capture a filmmaker’s vision through the lens of a cinema camera? What tricks of the trade should you use? What are best practices during production in the camera department? Come hear from one of the industry’s most respected cinematographers of all time. This is a Do Not Miss Event.

INDUSTRY PANEL: “Up-to-Date Information on How A.I. is Affecting the Film and Television Industry,” with Top Experts in Creation, Protection, and AI-native workflows on major series for platforms such as Apple TV+, Netflix, and Disney/Nat Geo. We all know A.I. is drastically changing the film and television industries, but are there any positive aspects to A.I.? Our A.I. panel was standing room only in 2025 for good reason. This is a Do Not Miss Event.

SCREENINGS: Get ready for the very best in Documentary Feature Films, Documentary Short Films, and International Documentary Feature Films from around the world.

New for 2026: the Documentary Feature Film that won the highly coveted Silver Bear Award for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at the 2026 Berlin International Film Festival:

Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird), (United States. Berlin International Film Festival 2026: Silver Bear Winner for Outstanding Artistic Contribution) directed by Emmy Award-winner, Anna Fitch and Emmy Award-nominee, Banker White. Anna creates a small replica of her late friend Yo’s house at 1/3 scale, just big enough to enter, with a puppet of Yo inside. They met when Yo was 73 and Anna was 24. Much of Yo’s story unfolds in Pacific Grove, Carmel, and Big Sur. This is a Do Not Miss Screening.

Additional selections in all categories to be announced.

Saturday, October 3rd:

INDUSTRY PANEL: “No Rules: Producing – The Art of Creating Narrative and Documentary Feature Films,” with PGA Award-nominated producer, Stephen Nemeth.

Named one of the “Top Ten Most Prolific Producers in Hollywood” by The Hollywood Reporter.
Named one of the “Ten Coolest People in Hollywood” by an online Tanqueray Gin survey of 500 agents, managers, journalists and lawyers.
Stephen Nemeth formed and heads up Rhino Films, the independent film company that originated as a division of iconoclastic record label Rhino Records.

Nemeth has produced and executive produced dozens of films including:

The Sessions (Sundance 2012 Audience Award, 2013 Academy Award nomination for Helen Hunt)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Nominated: 1998 Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival)
Radio Free Albemuth

Nemeth’s documentary credits include:

Dogtown and Z-Boys (Sundance 2001 Audience Award)
Wardance (2008 Academy Award nomination)
Fuel (Sundance 2008 Audience Award)
Flow (Sundance 2008)
Climate Refugees (Sundance 2010)

Stephen Nemeth is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. His upcoming projects include a remake of The Elephant Man and an animated version of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This is a Do Not Miss Event.

SCREENINGS: Get ready for more of the very best in Narrative Feature Films, Narrative Short Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Narrative Short Films, Series, Animated Feature Films, Animated Short Films, and Special Judge’s Selection Screenings.

2026 Selections in these categories include films such as:

Beneath the Blue Suburban Skies, (United States) directed by Edward Burns (Sundance 1995: Grand Jury Prize Winner) and starring BAFTA-winner, Jennifer Ehle (The King’s Speech, Contagion, The Ides of March, Zero Dark Thirty, Pride and Prejudice), Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen, She’s the One, Sidewalks of New York, Newlyweds, The Fitzgerald Family Christmas, The Family McMullen), Hannah Dunne (Mozart in the Jungle, Francis Ha), Brian Wiles (Billions, TURN: Washington’s Spies), and Brian d’Arcy James (Spotlight, 13 Reasons Why, West Side Story). Stuck in a middle-aged rut, a working-class woman, Tina Collins struggles with feelings of shame and anger she has toward her two grown children who live at home, and resentment of a husband who may have held her back.
mans best, (United States) directed by Seth McTigue (Manhattan Film Festival 2022: Winner Best Action Thriller Feature) and starring Toronto Independent Festival of CIFT 2022, Best Actress-winner, Eliza Roberts (The Tasmanian Devil, Yard Saleing, My Last Best Friend, National Lampoon’s Animal House), Seth McTigue (Take the Night), and Academy Award-nominee, Eric Roberts (Runaway Train, Righteous Gemstones, The Dark Knight, The Expendables). A man risks everything, diving into a world of illegal and life-threatening schemes, to save his dying dog, showing his relentless determination and unconditional love for him.

Sunday, October 4th:

INDUSTRY PANEL: “Acting: The Art of Creating Memorable Characters,” with Celebrity Guest(s) to be announced. This is a Do Not Miss Event. 

CAREER RETROSPECTIVE: with a Major Academy Award-nominated Writer/Director, to be announced. This is a Do Not Miss Event.

SCREENINGS: Get ready for more of the very best in Narrative Feature Films, Narrative Short Films, International Narrative Feature Films, International Narrative Short Films, Series, Animated Feature Films, Animated Short Films and Special Judge’s Selection Screenings.

2026 Selections in these categories include films such as:

Better, (United Kingdom) directed by four-time Emmy-nominee, Daniel Sharp, produced by Daniel Sharp, Laura Hopper, Tom Hopper, and Anna O’Malley (Slow Horses, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Half Man, Silo), and starring Actor Awards-nominee, Tom Hopper (Game of Thrones, Umbrella Academy, Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard, Merlin, Black Sails, Northmen: A Viking Saga), Laura Hopper, (Love in the Villa, Umbrella Academy), and Noa Bleeker (Ted Lasso, The Little Mermaid). Henry encounters his unknown identical twin Patrick, whose seemingly perfect life triggers a devastating identity crisis that threatens to consume him.
Something Pointless, (Wales/United Kingdom) directed by Asa Bailey (Silo, Virtual Production Supervisor), produced by International Emmy-nominee David Cormican (Tokyo Trial) and Academy Award-winners, Shawn Christensen, Brenden Hubbard and Damon Russell (Curfew), starring BAFTA-winner, Owen Teale (Game of Thrones, Robin Hood, Torchwood, The Last Legion), Sophie Thompson (Eat Pray Love, Gosford Park, Emma, Four Weddings and a Funeral), and Leo Harris (The Count of Monte Cristo, Lost Boys & Fairies, Casualty). When a bullied young boy discovers an elderly man quietly covering a forgotten brick wall in painted eggshells, an unlikely friendship forms — and a “pointless” act becomes something transformative.
Hell, (United States) directed by Parker Croft (Cinequest 2011 Special Jury Prize winner) and produced by Nolan Gould (ABC’s Modern Family), Parker Croft, and Erika Totoro. Hell had its world premiere in 2026 at Animation Dingle, where it quickly garnered critical acclaim; it has won multiple awards at festivals around the world. A place where dreams are real, wishes come true, and everything is always awful for everyone. The first installment of the Hard Times Anthology, Hell, follows the patriarch of a dying farm on the outskirts of Ash Harbor as he is methodically ground down by the machinery of despair. What begins as endurance curdles into something far more existential, a portrait of collapse told through dust, labor, and silence.

7:00 PM-9:00 PM AWARDS CEREMONY: for all domestic and international filmmakers competing in the 2026 Carmel International Film Festival. Winning filmmakers will receive their special awards on stage, with afterparty celebration to follow.

2026 Carmel International Film Festival Event Schedule

Wednesday, September 30th:

Thursday, October 1st:

Friday, October 2nd:

Saturday, October 3rd:

Sunday, October 4th:

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