NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — The Newport Beach Film Festival announced additional honorees and programming for this year’s edition, including awards presentations to acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook, director Scott Cooper, rising stars Maia Kealoha and Erin Kellyman, actor Thomas Sadoski, and more.
Park Chan-wook will receive the Global Impact Award during a screening of his new film No Other Choice on Wednesday, Oct. 22, followed by a Q&A. The film, based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel The Ax, follows Man-su, a man desperately seeking a new job after being laid off from his paper company after 25 years.
Park, one of South Korea’s most celebrated auteurs, is known for Oldboy, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance, Thirst, The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, and the television series The Little Drummer Girl and The Sympathizer. He also produced Snowpiercer and Uprising.
Scott Cooper will be honored with the Visionary Award at the Festival’s Sunset Series on Thursday, Oct. 23, prior to a screening of Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere at the Big Newport theater. The film chronicles the creation of Bruce Springsteen’s 1982 album Nebraska, and stars Jeremy Allen White, Jeremy Strong, Paul Walter Hauser, and others.
Cooper, best known for Crazy Heart, Black Mass, and Hostiles, wrote and directed the film.
On Tuesday, Oct. 21, Maia Kealoha will receive the Breakout Award at a special screening of Lilo & Stitch, the live-action adaptation of the 2002 Disney animated classic. Kealoha, who landed the role of Lilo at age 6 after a worldwide casting call, will next appear in Amazon MGM Studios’ The Wrecking Crew opposite Dave Bautista and Jason Momoa.
Additional Breakout Award recipient Erin Kellyman will be recognized at the Festival’s honors brunch on Sunday, Oct. 19. Kellyman stars in Eleanor the Great, Scarlett Johansson’s directorial debut, and will appear in 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, opposite Ralph Fiennes and Jack O’Connell. She is known for roles in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and The Green Knight.
Also at the Sunday brunch, Arts Champion Awards will be presented to Miky Lee and Thomas Sadoski.
Lee, vice chairwoman of CJ Group and founder of CJ ENM, is an influential producer of international hits including Parasite, Decision to Leave, and Past Lives. She is recognized for bridging East and West in global media and for supporting the arts through education and industry initiatives.
Sadoski will be honored at the Saturday, Oct. 18 screening of his film Adult Children. The Tony-nominated actor’s credits include The Newsroom, Life in Pieces, John Wick, and Wild. A committed humanitarian, he serves on boards of War Child USA, INARA and Fortify Rights.
Spotlight Award honoree Danny Ramirez will also be recognized at the Sunday brunch. Ramirez stars in Captain America: Brave New World, as well as recent seasons of The Last of Us and Black Mirror. He co-founded Pinstripes, his production company, and will make his directorial debut with Baton.
Additional Screenings and Premieres
The Festival will premiere Renée Zellweger’s directorial debut short film They on Opening Night, Thursday, Oct. 16, ahead of the screening of Blue Moon. Zellweger is expected to attend.
On Friday, Oct. 17, National Geographic’s The Tale of Silyan, directed by Honeyland filmmaker Tamara Kotevska, will screen. The film tells the story of a Macedonian farmer who forms an unlikely bond with an injured stork amid environmental and personal upheaval.
On Sunday, Oct. 19, Christy, starring Sydney Sweeney and Ben Foster, will screen. The film follows the true story of boxer Christy Martin and her rise in a male-dominated sport while battling challenges outside the ring.
That same day, two documentary shorts will screen back-to-back at Regal Big Newport:
Big Rock Burning, directed by David Goldblum and executive produced by Mark Hamill, explores the aftermath of the Palisades Fire through the lens of the Malibu Big Rock community.
All the Walls Came Down, directed by Ondi Timoner, captures the resilience of an Altadena community following the Eaton Fire.
Hamill will receive the Icon Award during the Festival.
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, the Festival will present Satisfied, a documentary about Tony Award winner Renée Elise Goldsberry and her experience during the historic rise of Hamilton. Goldsberry will attend and participate in a Q&A.
The 2025 Newport Beach Film Festival runs Oct. 16–24 and is expected to draw more than 50,000 attendees. The Festival showcases international and independent cinema, along with nightly events and tastings featuring more than 60 culinary partners.
For the full lineup and tickets, visit newportbeachfilmfest.com.