Middleburg, VA, September 18, 2026 – The Middleburg Film Festival announced today an initial lineup and select honorees and special guests for its 14th edition, set to run October 15-18, 2026. Launching the four-day festival on Thursday, October 15 is A24’s THE DEBUT, written and directed by Academy Award®-nominated filmmaker Jesse Eisenberg (“A Real Pain”), who will attend with Academy Award® winner Julianne Moore for a post-screening Q&A. The film stars Moore as Mona Friedman, a housewife who lands a small role in a community theater production and transforms into a zealous method actor willing to do anything to protect the artistic integrity of her part. She stars alongside Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey and Eisenberg.
Screening as the Centerpiece film on Saturday, October 17 is I PLAY ROCKY, directed by Academy Award® winner Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”). Inspired by the remarkable true story behind the making of “Rocky,” the film follows a then-unknown Sylvester Stallone played by Anthony Ippolito as he struggles to get his screenplay made while refusing to relinquish his dream of playing the title role himself. Actors Jay Duplass and P.J. Byrne, who portray “Rocky” director John G. Avildsen and producer Irwin Winkler, will attend the Festival for a post-screening Q&A. AnnaSophia Robb, Stephan James, Toby Kebbell and Tracy Letts also star in the film.
Léa Seydoux will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award for her performance in GENTLE MONSTER, written and directed by Marie Kreutzer. Seydoux stars as a concert pianist whose life is shattered when her husband is arrested and accused of an unspeakable crime, forcing her to confront how little she may know about the man closest to her while protecting their young son. The film, which premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, also stars Jella Haase, Laurence Rupp and Catherine Deneuve. One of France’s most celebrated international actors, Seydoux’s acclaimed filmography includes “Blue Is the Warmest Color,” “The French Dispatch,” “Spectre,” “No Time to Die,” “The Beast and One Fine Morning.” Kreutzer will join Seydoux at the Festival for a post-screening conversation.
Jordan Firstman will be recognized with the Breakthrough Filmmaker Award for his feature directorial debut CLUB KID, which he wrote, directed and stars in. The film follows a New York City club promoter whose hard-partying lifestyle is upended by the arrival of the young son he never knew he had. The A24 film also stars Cara Delevingne, Diego Calva, Colleen Camp, Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Reggie Absolom. Firstman previously gained acclaim for his short films before starring in Sebastián Silva’s “Rotting in the Sun” and appearing in Rachel Sennott’s series “I Love LA.”
Academy Award®-nominated composer Daniel Pemberton will receive the Distinguished Composer Award recognizing his work on PROJECT HAIL MARY and INK. Pemberton will also be celebrated with a special concert featuring selections from his acclaimed body of work. One of contemporary film’s most distinctive composers, Pemberton’s credits include “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Steve Jobs,” “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” “Ferrari,” among others. His score for “Project Hail Mary” accompanies the critically acclaimed and box office hit starring Ryan Gosling and Sandra Hueller, while “Ink” reunites him with director Danny Boyle.
Jack O’Connell will receive the Spotlight Actor Award for his performance in INK, directed by Academy Award® winner Danny Boyle. Adapted by James Graham from his acclaimed play, the film is set in 1969 and chronicles the creation of a new kind of British newspaper that would transform the media landscape. O’Connell stars as legendary editor Larry Lamb opposite Guy Pearce as Rupert Murdoch, with Claire Foy also starring. O’Connell’s wide-ranging filmography includes “Unbroken,” “’71,” “Ferrari,” “Sinners” and “28 Years Later.”
Academy Award® winner Olivia Colman will attend the Festival as a Special Guest representing two of her films at post-screening conversations. In WICKER, the fantastical romantic fable from writers/directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Colman stars as an outcast fisherwoman who commissions a local basketmaker to create her a husband out of wicker, played by Alexander Skarsgård, sparking outrage in her small seaside village. Huston Fischer and Wilson will join her at MFF. Colman also appears in ELSINORE as the doctor caring for acclaimed actor Ian Charleson (Andrew Scott), who, while gravely ill with AIDS, delivered a celebrated final performance as Hamlet at London’s National Theatre. Also attending with ELSINORE is Academy Award® winning Makeup and Hair designer Nadia Stacey who will be presented with MFF’s Distinguished Makeup & Hair Design Award for her work on the film. Stacey’s acclaimed career also includes work on “Poor Things” which earned her an Academy Award®, along with “The Favourite,” “Cruella,” “The Father” and “Living.”
Individual tickets will go on sale in early October when the schedule and full slate are announced. For more information visit www.middleburgfilm.org or download the Festival’s mobile app.
The Coca-Cola Company returns as the Festival’s Presenting Sponsor.
