The Newport Beach Film Festival Is Making Waves

“There's no better backdrop for an international film festival than Newport Beach,” says Gregg Schwenk, a Newport native and investment banking vet who founded the event in 1999 with PR guru Todd Quartararo, who hails from Irvine. “It's in a beautiful location with amazing venues. Our theaters are really second to none. And the proximity to Hollywood allows us to bring in industry [people] and talent that would be really impossible anywhere else.”

Its first year, the Newport Beach Film Festival opened with the 50th anniversary of Sunset Boulevard . “We were very proud of that,” Schwenk notes. “Billy Wilder was unable to attend because he was rather ill, but we brought in a legendary producer from Paramount who read some remarks from Mr. Wilder about how honored he was. From there, we kept building on the strengths of Newport Beach.”

Focused on “laid-back luxury,” the festival affords guests access to unique storytelling through screenings, receptions and lifestyle programming at iconic Newport Beach venues. “It's the ability to meet and mingle with industry professionals and executives in a very enjoyable location,” Schwenk says. “People tell me it's the best date night in Southern California.” It’s also one of Southern California’s largest celebrations of cinema: “With nearly 50,000 attendees and 300 films —approximately 200 short films and over 100 feature films — there's no festival that comes close.”

In considering the last 25 years, Schwenk has some highlights: “Having people like Ron Howard talk about his career, Adam Sandler, Eddie Redmayne. Last year with Mark Ronson, on the music side.” In 2022, the festival moved from April to the pre-awards-season month of October — “we have a very large contingent of Academy and guild voters here,” Schwenk explained — and last year, several award-nominated -winning films screened, such as American Fiction , The Holdovers and Rustin . This year’s lineup includes buzzy contenders like The Piano Lesson , and among the honorees are Sing Sing’s Colman Domingo, Nicolas Cage and Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice costume designer Colleen Atwood.

This year’s event from Oct. 17 to 24 celebrates talent from in front of and behind the camera. “Something special for our anniversary is that every day there will be some special recognition and awards bestowed to industry notables,” notes Schwenk, who’s excited to welcome a larger audience. “Coming out of COVID, everyone was a little apprehensive. Then last year, you had the first double strike in half a century. So this year, we're very happy that we're able to bring in the full array of individuals who we want to be participating and celebrating with — and for the community of Southern California to enjoy what it is to go back to theaters.” Here, he breaks down the big events.

2024 HIGHLIGHTS
Festival founder Gregg Schwenk breaks down the big events

Thursday, Oct. 17:
Opening Night Gala
“The screening takes place at Regal Edwards Big Newport, and the gala takes place at Fashion Island,” says Schwenk of the opening event, which will feature tastings from more than two dozen favorite Newport Beach restaurants.

Friday, Oct, 18 to Sunday, Oct. 20:
Fashion Island Main Stage events
Throughout opening weekend, Fashion Island will host a lineup of free programming. “We're partnering with Style Week, and so we'll have notable costume designers and legendary individuals coming in to talk about fashion and being red-carpet ready,” Schwenk says.

Saturday, Oct. 19:
The Cinematographer Celebration
In partnership with Variety , the festival will host the “10 Cinematographers to Watch” and “Billion Dollar Cinematographer” moderated conversations and a “Masters of the Frame” panel at the newly remodeled Lido Theatre. Says Schwenk, “We did it pre-COVID, and we're bringing it back for our 25th anniversary.”

Sunday, Oct. 20:
NBFF Honors and Variety’s “10 Actors to Watch”
This annual invite-only returns to the Balboa Bay Resort. “We’ll have our breakout performance, arts champion, icon and a number of other awards presented there and throughout the festival,” says Schwenk. “The festival also co-produces a television show that airs in January and February on PBS SoCal, which focuses on our honorees.”

SANDLER: PENCILBOX PHOTO; LIDO THEATER: COURTESY NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL; GATHERING: EFRA GOMEZ; DOMINGO: RAUL ROMO