The 2026 Newport Beach Film Festival has revealed its 2026 Festival Honors, which will take place Oct. 18 at Balboa Bay Resort in Newport Beach, California, the third day of the festival. This year’s honorees include Academy Award-nominated Taraji P. Henson (“‘Tis So Sweet”), who will receive the Artist of Distinction Award; Jack O’Connell (“Ink”) will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award; Mckenna Grace (“The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping”) will receive the Spotlight Award; Sosie Bacon (“Family Movie”) will receive the Breakout Award; and Sarah Finn (“Wild Horse Nine”) will receive the Casting Visionary Award.
KJ Apa will receive the Spotlight Award at a screening of “Jimmy” on Oct 17. On Oct. 19, Justin Hartley will receive the Artist of Distinction Award at a special Sunset Series event, and Jonás Cuarón will receive the Artist of Distinction Award at a screening of “Campeón Gabacho. The following evening, Gemma Chan will be honored with the Outstanding Achievement in Acting Award at a screening of “Josephine.” The honors event will also recognize Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch lineup, featuring Esmé Creed-Miles (“Sense and Sensibility”), Mariana Di Girólamo (“Wild Horse Nine”), Rosalind Eleazar (“Misty Green”), Guitarricadelafuente (“La Bola Negra”), Summer H.
Howell (“Carrie”), Jaafar Jackson (“Michael”), Ruth Madeley (“Being Heumann”), Inde Navarrette (“Obsession”), Ray Nicholson (“The Mosquito Bowl”) and Joseph Zada (“The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping”). This year’s festival will open with “Frampton” and a live Q&A following the screening with subject Peter Frampton and director Rob Arthur. The feature documentary follows Frampton’s rise in the 1970s and the cost of fame, as well as an Inclusion Body Myositis diagnosis.
The film follows the supergroup the Hollywood Vampires, and features Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, Joe Perry and Tommy Henriksen, inspired by the secret 1970s drinking club led by Cooper. The Honors event will be filmed for broadcast and aired in the key awards voting window in January on PBS SoCal.
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