Mill Valley Film Festival Closes 49th Edition, Turns Toward 50th Anniversary

MILL VALLEY, CA — The 49th Mill Valley Film Festival closed Sunday after 11 days that underscored the event's reputation as one of the fall season's key showcases for international cinema, emerging voices and awards contenders. Drawing more than 40,000 attendees from across the Bay Area, the festival presented 177 films from 45 countries while welcoming a roster of acclaimed filmmakers, actors and artists to Marin County.

The festival's highest audience honor went to “Tenzing”, Jennifer Peedom's drama about mountaineering pioneer Tenzing Norgay, which was named Overall Audience Favorite following screenings throughout the festival. Additional audience awards went to “Elsinore” for narrative feature, “When a Witness Recants” for documentary and “Wicker” in the New Directors category.

MVFF49 also marked the first edition under Artistic Director Rose Kuo. The festival screened 97 features and 80 shorts, emphasizing both international auteurs and emerging talent.

Among this year's honorees were Andrew Scott, recognized for his performance in “Elsinore”; Léa Seydoux for “Gentle Monster”; and Virginie Efira, who received the Screen Artistry Award. Filmmakers Lee Chang-dong and James Gray received the Auteur Award and Maverick Director Award, respectively, while tributes celebrated actor Sam Rockwell and musician-filmmaker Linda Perry.

The festival opened with “Wild Horse Nine”, Martin McDonagh's thriller set against the backdrop of the 1973 Chilean coup. McDonagh attended alongside cast members Sam Rockwell, Parker Posey and Mariana Di Girolamo. Closing night belonged to A24's “The Debut”, with writer-director Jesse Eisenberg on hand to introduce the film.

With its 50th anniversary approaching next year, the festival concluded another chapter while continuing to balance global filmmaking talent, Bay Area voices and audience-driven discovery.

Photo Highlights From The 2026 MVFF

Sam Rockwell

Parker Possey

Linda Perry

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

Andrew Scott

Martin McDonagh

Morena Baccarin

Jesse Eisenberg

James Gray, Rachel Morrison and Rian Johnson

Rosalind Eleazar

Albert Berger, Bill Pullman and Ron Yerxer

Sophie Okonedo

Chuko Esiri and Arie Esiri

Peter Farrelly and Anthony Ippolito

Mason Reeves and Beth de Araújo