AFI Fest 2026 Unveils 157-Film Lineup From 50 Countries
AFI Fest's 2026 lineup features 157 films from 50 countries, including North American premieres from Farhadi and Sciamma. Tickets on sale October 3; festival runs October 21-25.
The American Film Institute has announced the full lineup for AFI Fest 2026, featuring 157 films from 50 countries. The festival is set to run October 21-25, with tickets going on sale October 3.
Among the selections are North American premieres of Asghar Farhadi's Parallel Tales and Céline Sciamma's Tutti Frutti. The festival will open with the U.S. premiere of Wildwood and close with Being Heumann. Phil Lord serves as a guest artistic director this year.
Ten or more of the selected films are Best International Feature Oscar submissions, according to IndieWire.
Several titles in the lineup have already earned major festival accolades in 2025. Lee Chang-dong's Possible Love won the Venice Silver Lion, while Ryûsuke Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden took a Cannes prize. Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care won the San Sebastián Golden Shell, and İlker Çatak's Yellow Letters claimed the Berlinale Golden Bear. Sandra Hüller won the Berlinale Silver Bear for best lead performance for Rose.
Other award winners include Sandra Wollner's Everytime (Cannes' Un Certain Regard top prize), Marine Atlan's La Gradiva (Cannes' Critics' Week Grand Prize), Louis Clichy's Iron Boy (Cannes' Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize), Stephanie Ahn's Bedford Park (Sundance U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Debut Feature), Pegah Ahangarani's Rehearsals for a Revolution (Cannes' L'Œil d'Or Prize), and Ayden Mayeri's Summer 2000: The X-Cetra Story (SXSW Grand Jury award).
Céline Sciamma's Tutti Frutti premiered earlier this year at the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Quick answers
When does AFI Fest 2026 take place?
The festival runs October 21-25. Tickets go on sale October 3.
How many films are in the AFI Fest 2026 lineup?
The lineup includes 157 films from 50 countries.
Which films open and close AFI Fest 2026?
The festival opens with the U.S. premiere of 'Wildwood' and closes with 'Being Heumann'.