Will Roberts will return to a community he called home for two decades when he emcees the 2026 Carmel International Film Festival.
The Oppenheimer actor will take the stage throughout the four-day event from October 1-4 at the Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Actor and filmmaker Edward Burns will open the festival.
The assignment also brings Roberts back to a place he knows well.
He lived in Carmel for 20 years and said he also worked as an MC at the festival two years ago.
“I grew up in this area,” Roberts told NewsBlaze.
He said Carmel’s culture, history and connection to filmmaking make returning to the festival “truly an honor.”
A Late Addition to the Festival Program
The Carmel International Film Festival will screen 12 feature films and 34 shorts this year. Organizers also scheduled six industry panels and two major career retrospectives.
Festival organizers announced another major addition on September 17.
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Flesh Impact makes its North American premiere on October 2 as a Special Judge’s Selection.
The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi. It is dedicated to Marilyn Monroe on the centenary of her birth.
Hollywood Names Join the Grand Jury
CIFFest has assembled its inaugural grand jury for 2026.
Producer Stephen Nemeth will receive the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award. His credits include The Sessions and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, actress Frances Fisher, director Stephen Gyllenhaal and writer and illustrator Bill Morrison will also serve on the jury.
The festival will honor filmmaker Frank Darabont with a career retrospective and a special screening of The Shawshank Redemption.
It will also honor composer Mark Mancina with a career retrospective. His credits include The Lion King.
A Busy Period for Will Roberts
The Carmel appearance comes during a busy period for Roberts.
He plays Duke in the eight-episode comedy series Hollywood Adjacent.
Duke is the estranged father of Trixie Hallisy, played by Nicky Whelan. Their damaged father-daughter relationship develops as the season progresses.
The official Hollywood Adjacent trailer arrives September 21.
The series debuts October 12 on Apple TV, Google Play and Amazon, with a Tubi release expected later.
Roberts also spent the past two months filming the feature Knock at Eight in Europe, where he plays Officer Malloy.
He previously played General George C. Marshall in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
The Carmel International Film Festival runs October 1-4, bringing Will Roberts back to the community he called home for 20 years.
