WILDWOOD to open AFI FEST 2026 presented by CANVA while Academy Award® winner SIÂN Heder’s BEING HEUMANN to close the festival; Passes now on sale!

By Oliver Carnay

The 40th edition of the American Film Institute’s annual film festival will take place October 21–25 at the TCL Chinese Theatres in the heart of Hollywood and will open with the U.S. premiere of WILDWOOD. The festival will feature a curated selection of Red Carpet Premieres, Special Screenings, World Cinema, Documentaries and Short Films.

WILDWOOD is based on the 2011 bestselling novel by Colin Meloy (frontman of the indie rock band The Decemberists) and illustrated by Carson Ellis, Wildwood represents a monumental milestone in animation history. It is the longest stop-motion film ever made with a runtime of 2 hours and 20 minutes, and it is LAIKA’s very first production to receive a PG-13 rating due to its mature themes, strong fantasy violence, and intense imagery. The film is produced by Laika Studios and directed by LAIKA’s CEO Travis Knight, featuring the voices of an all-star cast: Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Jacob Trembley, Carey Mulligan, Mahershalla Ali, Angela Bassett, Awkwafina, Jake Johnson, Charlie Day, Amandla Stenberg, Jemaine Clement, Tom Waits, and Richard E. Grant.

The biographical drama BEING HEUMANN is directed, produced and co-written by Academy Award^®winner Siân Heder (CODA, AFI DWW+ Class of 2005) and is an adaptation of Judith Heumann’s memoir, “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist.” Led by star Ruth Madeley, and also starring Academy Award^® nominee Mark Ruffalo, the cast also includes Dylan O’Brien, Madeline Delp, Rob Delaney, Ray Fisher, Michael Patrick Thornton, Antwan Tolliver, Daniel Durant, Jon Beavers, Roberta Colindrez and Russell Harvard. The film is produced by David Permut for Permut Presentations and Kevin Walsh for The Walsh Company under his overall deal with Apple. Heumann’s managers John W. Beach and Kevin Cleary of Gravity Squared Entertainment also serve as producers. Rebekah Taussig serves as co-writer alongside Heder. Executive producers include Judy Heumann, “Being Heumann” co-author Kristen Joiner, Diana Pokorny, Ann Molin and Jim Lebrecht.

“At a time in history when audiences are in search of humanity – along comes BEING HEUMANN,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. “And that it is directed and co-written by a shining star from AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women is cause for even greater celebration!”

“It means a great deal to me to return to AFI, where I first found my voice as a filmmaker. The school and the festival are very meaningful to me, so this feels like a full circle moment,” said Siân Heder. “This film gave me the opportunity to tell the wild story of the 504 protest and its leader, Judy Heumann, a woman whose work changed the lives of millions and whose fight continues today. I hope audiences and fellow filmmakers get to fall in love with Judy as I did and perhaps even carry the mantle of her fight.”

Passes to AFI FEST 2026 are now available for purchase online at FEST.AFI.com. Festivalgoers can choose from the Star Pass, Patron Pass and the new Marquee Pass. The AFI FEST Star Pass features access to all screenings (excluding Red Carpet Premieres), early screening selection and theater access, access to the AFI FEST Festival Lounge, AFI FEST merch and free rush access. The Patron Pass features all the benefits of the Star Pass, plus access to Red Carpet Premieres and priority screening selection and theater access.

The full festival lineup will be unveiled on September 29. Individual tickets will be available for purchase on October 3.

AFI FEST includes high-profile films with Q&As featuring the films’ cast and crew and a robust lineup of fiction and nonfiction features and shorts, providing a one-of-a-kind experience for movie fans. Additional information is available at FEST.AFI.com. Connect with AFI’s film festival at Facebook.com/AFIFEST, X.com/AFIFEST, Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, TikTok.com/@AmericanFilmInstitute and YouTube.com/AFI.