Beyond Fest has revealed its full 2026 lineup. The Los Angeles genre festival will open with Lance Oppenheim’s Primetime and close with Bassam Tariq’s Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother. The festival runs September 23 through October 6.
The 81-Film Slate
The lineup includes 81 films, with 10 world premieres and four North American premieres. Buzzy titles for the L.A. crowd include Victorian Psycho and Paper Tiger. The festival will also screen 35mm versions of Ken Russell’s The Devils, the first two episodes of Mike Flanagan’s Carrie, and Alex Gibney’s new documentary Musk.
The horror anthology series keeps expanding, with V/H/S/Mixtape joining the lineup as its latest world premiere. The installment brings together a group of filmmakers, including Ernest Dickerson, Flying Lotus, Tobias Forge, David Moreau, RZA and Renee Zhan.
Robert Eggers Takes Over the Egyptian
Robert Eggers is set to appear in person at the Egyptian Theatre, where he will present a selection of his horror work. The screening will run through four films in order: The Witch, The Lighthouse, The Northman and Nosferatu, before concluding with a first look at his forthcoming project Werwulf.
Big Names In Person
A large number of performers are expected to show up in person at the event, according to organizers. Among them is M. Night Shyamalan, whose own career survey is planned. Other names on the list include Conor Oberst, Jamie Lee Curtis, Matt Berry, Michael Mann, Dolph Lundgren, Danny DeVito, Al Pacino, Martin Brest, Fede Álvarez, Bruce Dern, Rodo Sayagues, Stephen Lang and Jeremy Saulnier.
Restorations and Recuts
The festival will feature several 4K screenings. Those include David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, Michael Mann’s Miami Vice, Bong Joon Ho’s The Host and Jackie Chan’s Rumble in the Bronx. Also on the slate are E. Elias Merhige’s Begotten and Michele Soavi’s The Goodbye Kiss.
Venues and Partners
Mubi presents Beyond Fest, which is programmed and produced in partnership with the American Cinematheque. The sale of tickets contributes entirely to the American Cinematheque.
Events will take place at several venues:
- The Egyptian
- The Mubi Theatre at the Aero
- Directors Village
- The Mubi Theatre at the Los Feliz 3
What the Programmer Says
Chris LeMaire, American Cinematheque’s Director of Programming, framed the lineup as a mix of extremes. “Beyond Fest is at its most exciting when a world premiere, a radical new filmmaker, a 70mm epic and a once-in-a-lifetime tribute can all exist within the same program,” LeMaire said. “This slate reflects the range, curiosity and complete commitment to theatrical cinema shared by Beyond Fest and the American Cinematheque.”
The Opening and Closing Films
The festival kicks off with Primetime, a film directed by Lance Oppenheim. It wraps up with Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother, directed by Bassam Tariq.
A Quick Look at the Headliners
Here is how the main premieres and special screenings break down:
| Film | Role | Director |
|---|---|---|
| Primetime | Opening night | Lance Oppenheim |
| Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother | Closing night | Bassam Tariq |
| V/H/S/Mixtape | World premiere | Multiple (Dickerson, Flying Lotus, Forge, Moreau, RZA, Zhan) |
| Victorian Psycho | Screening | Not specified |
| Paper Tiger | Screening | Not specified |
| The Devils | 35mm screening | Ken Russell |
| Carrie (first two episodes) | Screening | Mike Flanagan |
| Musk | Screening | Alex Gibney |
The retrospective slate is just as packed. Eggers receives four films along with a look at Werwulf. Shyamalan earns his own retrospective. The 4K restorations take in Lynch, Mann, Bong and Chan.
New creations take center stage at the world premieres, while the restorations and tributes offer a look back at the past, and the personal appearances deliver the spectacle.
Four venues in Los Angeles make up the American Cinematheque’s home base, where screenings take place across all four locations.
With 81 films and a lineup this dense, the schedule will likely require some careful planning. The festival runs for two weeks, from late September into early October.
Beyond Fest offers a little something for everyone, with premieres, restorations and filmmaker appearances catering to cinephiles at every stage of their appreciation. The lineup includes both the latest horror anthology installment and a 35mm print of a Ken Russell classic, showing the range on offer.
Source: deadline.com
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