SFFILM announced the program for the 69th San Francisco International Film Festival, the longest-running film festival in the Americas. The Festival returns to San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley April 24 through May 4, 2026. During the 11-day event, SFFILM will unite audiences with filmmakers and partners from around the world for a celebration of global cinema that includes early screenings, premieres, and a special retrospective from the vault. Festival guests and movie-goers alike will be welcomed into a fun and inspiring atmosphere dedicated to exciting the next generation of film lovers.
The lineup includes 79 programs from 40 countries, filled with iconic and award-winning performers like Tilda Swinton, Danielle Brooks, Irrfan Khan, Dale Dickey, Dustin Hoffman, Tony Leung Chiu-wai, Paul Rudd, Lubna Azabal, Don Cheadle, Jamie Lee Curtis, Charlotte Rampling, and Demi Moore. Nearly a dozen filmmakers will be making their return to the Festival to show their latest work. The program also includes 11 SFFILM-supported titles, which are projects that received grants, residencies, or support through the organization’s Artist Development and youth Education programs, reflecting the unique qualities of SFFILM’s year-round work that sustains a vibrant ecosystem of film and film culture in the Bay Area.
The Festival’s Opening Night returns to the newly restored Castro Theatre with an unprecedented double feature. Kicking off the night is Kent Jones’ witty and heartfelt Late Fame from Magnolia Pictures, starring Greta Lee and Willem Dafoe. Both Jones and Lee are expected to join in person. The second feature is The Invite, directed by and starring Olivia Wilde. Fresh off its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival and newly acquired by A24, the film also stars Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton. Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the story follows two very different couples whose lives collide during an unexpected night together. Wilde will appear in person to present this San Francisco-set story to its hometown audience on 35mm film.
The Centerpiece presentation announced last month is Boots Riley’s I Love Boosters. The new film from NEON makes its West Coast and hometown premiere with two sold-out screenings, showing at Oakland’s historic movie palace, the Grand Lake Theatre. Riley, plus cast members Poppy Liu, Eiza González, and LaKeith Stanfield, are expected to join in person.
The already sold-out Closing Night program is a very special May the 4th “Star Wars Day” screening of Star Wars™: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back, including an onstage conversation between C-3PO himself, Anthony Daniels, and his lifelong friend, Lucasfilm veteran and SFFILM Board Vice President Howard Roffman. The event is presented at the Castro Theatre in collaboration with storied Bay Area entertainment leaders Lucasfilm and Another Planet Entertainment.
Download the 2026 festival schedule below:
THE PROGRAM
Big Nights
Opening Night: The Invite
Director: Olivia Wilde, Producers: David Permut, Ben Browning, Megan Ellison
(USA 2026, 107 min)
Nothing is off limits in Olivia Wilde’s (Booksmart, Festival 2019) taboo-smashing third feature where two San Francisco couples meet for a casual get-to-know-one-another dinner but instead find themselves traversing surprising boundaries of intimacy and relationships. Penelope Cruz, Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton, and Seth Rogen star.
Opening Night: Late Fame
Director: Kent Jones, Producers: Pam Koffler, Christine Vachon, Mason Plotts, Danny Roberts, H.S. Naji, Jackie Langelier, Ethan Lazar, Taylor Shung
(USA 2025, 96 min)
When a retired poet’s forgotten writings capture the attention of a vibrant NYC group, admiration, longing, and desire stir in this heartfelt, witty meditation on ambition and second chances. Willem Dafoe and Greta Lee star.
Centerpiece: I Love Boosters
Director: Boots Riley, Producers: Aaron Ryder, Andrew Swett, Allison Rose Carter, Jon Read, Boots Riley
(USA 2026, 106 min)
A fearless crew of young women led by Corvette (Keke Palmer) shoplifts designer clothes across the Bay Area and sells them at deep discounts. When fashion mogul Christie Smith (Demi Moore) takes notice, their rivalry escalates—sparking a bold plan for one final heist.
Closing Night: Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back
Director: Irvin Kershner, Producer: Gary Kurtz
(USA 1980, 124 min)
After the Rebellion’s defeat on the ice planet Hoth, Luke journeys to the planet Dagobah to train with Jedi Master Yoda. Darth Vader attempts to convert Luke to the dark side.
Awards & Special Events
An Evening with Ritesh Batra + “The Lunchbox”
Director: Ritesh Batra, Producers: Shahnaab Alam, Marc Baschet, Benny Drechsel, Nina Lath Gupta, Arun Rangachari, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga
India, France, Germany, USA, Canada 2013, 135 min)
A mistaken lunchbox delivery through the famed dabbawala network sparks an unexpected connection between a lonely office worker and a thoughtful homemaker in Mumbai.
Persistence of Vision Award: Lynne Sachs + “Every Contact Leaves a Trace”e
Director: Lynne Sachs, Producer: Lynne Sachs
(USA 2025, 83 min)
This year’s Persistence of Vision Award celebrates experimental filmmaker and poet Lynne Sachs. Following a moderated conversation, there will be a screening of Lynne’s new film Every Contact Leaves a Trace, a rumination on memory and assumptions using as inspiration a stack of business cards collected over 40 years.
Mel Novikoff Award: Michelle Satter with a Special Screening of Beasts of the Southern Wild
Director: Benh Zeitlin, Producers: Michael Gottwald, Dan Janvey, Josh Penn
(USA 2012, 93 min)
The 2026 Mel Novikoff Award honors Michelle Satter, Founding Senior Director of Sundance Institute’s Artist Programs, who has championed independent filmmakers there since 1981. She will be joined in conversation by Bay Area filmmaker Peter Nicks. Followed by a screening of the celebrated 2012 film Beasts of the Southern Wild, a project supported by both Sundance and SFFILM.
Music + Film: Mysterious Bird with Musical Performance by Gabriela Quintero featuring Daniel Ho
Director: Beth Aala, Producers: Beth Aala, Violet Du Feng
(Mexico, USA 2026, 37 min)
Grammy-winning guitarist Gabriela Quintero steps into her first solo spotlight in Beth Aala’s intimate film, blending music, advocacy, and personal discovery, with a live performance and conversation to follow.
Special Screening: Power Ballad
Director: John Carney, Producers: Anthony Bregman, John Carney, Peter Cron, Rebecca O’Flanagan, Robert Walpole
(Ireland, USA 2026, 98 min)
After former boy-band star Danny (Nick Jonas) turns a song stolen from wedding singer Rick (Paul Rudd) into a global hit, the two musicians clash in a hilarious, heartfelt, and chaotic battle over creativity and credit.
Special Screening: The Kidnapping of Arabella
Director: Carolina Cavalli, Producers: Antonio Celsi, Annamaria Morelli
(Italy 2025, 107 min)
Precocious seven-year-old Arabella convinces a troubled young woman to take her on a road trip, accidentally faking her own kidnapping—and leaving her father, played by Chris Pine, in a panic.
Tickets are now available at sffilm.org. Ticket prices for General Admission are $20, and $16 for SFFILM Members. Senior, student, and ADA are $19. For select programs, tickets for Children 14 and under are $11. See specific program listings on sffilm.org for premium-priced programs and events. All tickets are subject to a $1.50 service fee.
The 69th San Francisco International Film Festival is exclusively in theaters and event spaces in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley including the Premier Theater at One Letterman, the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF), the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA (Schools at the Festival), the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), the Castro Theatre, the Marina Theatre, the Grand Lake Theatre, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), and Swedish American Hall (Opening Night Party).
To learn more about their accessibility resources, parking, and transit, go to https://sffilm.org/accessibility/