More than 3,200 filmmakers from 85 countries submit work to the San Diego International Film Festival every year, and the films that premiere here have gone on to earn 36 Oscars and 167 nominations. That is the record heading into a 25th anniversary.

The silver edition across La Jolla, University City, and Solana Beach. Six days of premieres, tributes, panels, parties, and one late night on a North County dance floor.

The Gregory Peck Award Opens the Week at The Conrad

The festival starts Tuesday with Night of the Stars at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla. It is the tribute evening, red carpet and all, built around the Gregory Peck Award of Excellence in Cinema, presented with the support of the Peck family.

Past honorees include Annette Bening, Adrien Brody, Laurence Fishburne, Geena Davis, Patrick Stewart, Marlee Matlin, Andy Garcia, and Kenny Loggins.

For its 25th anniversary, the San Diego International Film Festival is honoring Academy Award-winning actress Viola Davis with the Gregory Peck Award for Cinematic Excellence at the Festival’s Night of the Stars Tribute on October 13 in La Jolla.

A Studio Premiere and a Party Across Fay Avenue

Wednesday moves opening night to THE LOT La Jolla, directly across Fay Avenue from The Conrad. A major studio premiere leads, with a party after that pulls in filmmakers, business leaders, and the city’s arts crowd.

The Festival announced Jesse Eisenberg’s THE DEBUT, starring Julianne Moore, Paul Giamatti, Halle Bailey and Bernadette Peters, as its Opening Night film.

Four Days of Premieres, Plus a Lounge That Stays Open

Thursday through Sunday, the festival takes over AMC 14 at Westfield UTC for premieres from around the world, filmmaker conversations, panels, and networking.

The Fest Lounge runs all four days with live music, drinks, tastings, and bites. Use it between screenings instead of heading home. If you only pick one stretch of the week, pick this one.

California History, Told From Kumeyaay Homelands

The anniversary programming reaches past the red carpet. During Indigenous Peoples Week, the festival screens Episode 1 of People of the West, a ten-part Native docu-drama presented with Pechanga.

Barona Band of Mission Indians, Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, Jamul Indian Village of California, and Viejas Band of Kumeyaay Indians are all supporting the screening. The series traces California Native history through survival, cultural restoration, and sovereignty.

“I wanted to create the series I wish my children could have seen growing up,” said creator and executive producer Bradley Munoa.

The Women’s Film Series Returns With the History Museum

The Women’s Film Series continues too, presented with the San Diego History Museum and Center for Women’s History. It puts women filmmakers on screen and in the conversations that follow, which is where a lot of the best festival moments happen anyway.

Titles and screening times come with the early September slate announcement.

A DJ at the Belly Up, Then a Closing Meal on Screen

Saturday, the celebration heads north. 25 Years After Dark takes over Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach from 9 PM to midnight with a live DJ and a band running through crowd favorites and dance floor classics.

Sunday closes with Culinary Cinema back at Westfield UTC: a food-themed film paired with an afternoon of dishes inspired by San Diego chefs, plus wine and conversation. It is the softest landing a festival week gets.

Multiple Pass Options

The VIP Pass is $575 and covers every signature event, screening, panel, and Fest Lounge access. The Fest Pass is $375 for all Thursday to Sunday screenings, and the Weekend Pass is $250 for Saturday and Sunday.

A 10-ticket bundle runs $175, a $25 savings. The big nights are expected to sell out, so lock in early if there is one you want.

See you there!

Twenty-five years of premieres, tributes, and late nights, all within a short drive of each other. Book the week you want before the slate drops in September.

📆 Tuesday, October 13 – Sunday, October 18, 2026
🎟️ View ticket options here
ℹ️ Check what else is happening here

See you there, San Diego!