The Sun Valley Film Festival has outlined its December program, with “The Debut” set to open the event and “Artificial” selected as the closing film. The festival is scheduled to run from Dec. 2 through Dec. 6 in Sun Valley, Idaho.
Alongside its screenings, the festival will recognize Jessica Lange, Bill Pullman, Seth Rogen, Lauren Miller Rogen, Stephen Beresford and Luke Davies with a slate of career-focused awards. Director Peter Farrelly is also due to take part in a question-and-answer session following a special screening of “I Play Rocky.”
Founded in 2012, the festival’s newly announced program combines feature screenings, documentary titles and opportunities for audiences to hear directly from filmmakers and performers. That balance is central to what makes a festival program more than a run of movie showtimes: screenings present the work, while conversations and Q&As can put the creative process in front of an audience.
Opening and closing selections
“The Debut” will begin the festival, while “Artificial” will close it five days later. The supplied program information does not specify their genres, casts, directors or release plans, so those details should not be assumed from the placement of the films on the schedule.
Opening and closing slots are nevertheless the two most visible programming positions at a film festival. An opener establishes the event’s first public impression; a closer gives its final screening a sense of occasion. In this case, the announced selections bookend a wider lineup that ranges across films tied to the honorees and additional works including documentaries.
Who will be honored
Jessica Lange will receive the Vision Award. Her festival-associated title is “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” Bill Pullman, associated here with “Everybody Digs Bill Evans,” will receive the Pioneer Award.
Seth Rogen and Lauren Miller Rogen will jointly receive the Impact Award. The program connects the pair with “Tangled,” though the separate screening list names “Tangles.” The information released does not clarify whether that difference is a title variation or a listing discrepancy, so attendees should consult the official schedule for the final presentation details.
Writer Stephen Beresford will receive the High Scribe Award, with “Elsinore” listed alongside his recognition. The term “scribe” is commonly used as shorthand for a screenwriter or writer, making this an award that appears specifically focused on writing craft rather than a performance honor.
Related coverage includes Sun Valley Film Festival Sets December Lineup and Honorees.
Luke Davies will receive the Disruptor Award, associated with “Tenzing.” The announcement does not define the criteria for that award, but its placement among the festival’s honors signals recognition of Davies’ creative contribution rather than a conventional competition prize.
Peter Farrelly’s scheduled Q&A
Peter Farrelly will appear after a special screening of “I Play Rocky” for a Q&A. A Q&A is a moderated or audience-facing conversation held after a screening, generally allowing discussion of a film’s development, collaborators and creative choices. No further details about the format, timing or participants have been provided.
For audiences, this is the program item most clearly built around direct access to an artist after seeing a film. Festival executive director and co-founder Teddy Grennan described Sun Valley as an environment where attendees can get close to the craft through screenings, Coffee Talks and informal conversation. “Coffee Talk” is the festival’s name for one of its discussion-oriented events; the released information does not provide individual Coffee Talk subjects or guests.
That emphasis on craft discussion is part of the appeal of a smaller destination festival. A ticket to a movie can be only one part of the experience when the program also puts writers, directors and actors into conversations about the work. For fans following film and television performers beyond a single franchise or role, that context can be as valuable as the screening itself. It is a useful complement to the broader entertainment conversation around performers moving among major screen projects, such as Jamie Campbell Bower’s discussion of shifting from Stranger Things to The Rings of Power.
Films named in the wider lineup
In addition to the opening and closing films, the festival has named the following titles for its 2026 program:
- “All of a Sudden”
- “Elsinore”
- “Everybody Digs Bill Evans”
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night”
- “A Long Winter”
- “The Row”
- “Tangles”
- “Tenzing”
- “The Caged”
- “Caity”
- “Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story”
- “Jollyface”
- “Moving Joy”
- “Stealing Magic”
- “Under Fire”
The announcement identifies “Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story” by a title that plainly indicates a focus on DeSean Jackson, but it does not otherwise provide synopses, running times, countries of origin or classifications for the films. Likewise, it does not state which titles are making premieres, which are competing, or whether all titles will be presented in person. Those are meaningful distinctions in festival coverage, but none can be filled in responsibly without further program information.
What the lineup indicates—and what remains unconfirmed
The confirmed shape of the event is clear: a five-day Idaho festival, two headline bookend films, a collection of named narrative and documentary-style titles, a special Farrelly screening and a group of honorees spanning acting, writing and producing. Lange, Pullman and Farrelly give the program prominent screen-industry names, while Beresford and Davies foreground writers within the same awards grouping.
It would be reasonable to read the program as an effort to connect established talent with film-specific conversation, especially given Grennan’s emphasis on audiences getting near the craft. It would not be reasonable, however, to infer that any honoree will attend every screening, that each associated title will receive a separate introduction, or that a listed film is connected to an award category beyond what the announcement explicitly states.
People planning around a particular movie or guest should also be careful about relying on a general lineup announcement for logistics. A complete festival schedule can answer practical questions that a title list cannot: exact dates and times, venues, ticketing, whether a speaker appearance is attached to a screening, and any changes to the program. The festival directs visitors to its official website for the complete schedule.
A program built around the people behind the screen
The 2026 Sun Valley slate is notable less for a single stated theme than for the way it pairs films with individual recognition. Lange’s Vision Award, Pullman’s Pioneer Award, the Rogens’ Impact Award, Beresford’s High Scribe Award and Davies’ Disruptor Award create several entry points for audiences interested in performance, writing and the broader work of making entertainment.
Farrelly’s “I Play Rocky” event adds another dimension: a post-screening forum rather than an award presentation. Together, those components make the announced festival one that asks audiences not only to watch films, but also to engage with the people and disciplines involved in getting them made.
