Cinequest, Silicon Valley’s own major film festival, returns March 10-23 to the California Theatre and the Hammer Theater in downtown San Jose and the Alamo Drafthouse in Mountain View. Selected films from the program will move to to Cinequest’s virtual platform, Cinejoy, March 24-31.
Highlights of the 2026 Cinequest include:
- 123 world and US premieres and many directorial debuts.
- Films from 44 countries, including from Argentina, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Albania, Norway, Hungary, China, Finland, India, and the UK.
- New movies produced by James Ivory, directed by Steven Soderbergh, Rebecca Morris (Electrik Children) and Ben Wheatley (High-Rise); and starring Bob Odenkirk , Steve Zahn, Ethan Hawke, Vivica A. Fox, Tamara Weaving, Henry Winkler, Sonequa Martin-Green, Thomas Sadowski, Mimi Rogers, Betsy Brandt, Rosemary DeWitt and Tony-nominee Amber Gray.
- Personal appearances by Steve Zahn and Viveca A. Fox to receive Cinequest awards and to present their upcoming films.
- Cinequest’s Silent Cinema Event will present a major spectacle, the 1926 Ben-Hur, accompanied by master organist Dennis James on the historic California Theatre’s Mighty Wurlitzer.
- And, at Cinequest, it’s easy to meet the filmmakers.
At Cinequest, you can get a festival pass for as little as $199 (a ten-pack for $110), and you can get individual tickets as well. The prices have not been raised SINCE 2019!) Take a look at the entire program, the schedule and the passes and tickets
I’ll be rigorously covering Cinequest for the fifteenth straight year, with features and movie recommendations. I usually screen (and write about) over twenty Cinequest films from around the world. Bookmark my CINEQUEST 2026 page, with links to all my coverage (links on the individual movies will start to go live on Sunday, March 8).
