Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine to Open Mill Valley Film Festival; Sam Rockwell Honoured with Career Tribute
Martin McDonagh's Wild Horse Nine will open the 49th Mill Valley Film Festival on 1 October, giving Northern California audiences one of the first festival looks at the director's latest feature ahead of its theatrical release on 6 November through Searchlight Pictures (The Hollywood Reporter).
The film stars John Malkovich as a CIA agent named Chris and Sam Rockwell as his fellow operative Lee, dispatched from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island as the country hurtles toward its 1973 military coup. One agent's entanglement with two young activists — played by Mariana Di Girolamo and Ailín Salas — throws the mission off course. Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Parker Posey round out the cast (The Hollywood Reporter).
McDonagh, Rockwell and Di Girolamo are expected to attend the Mill Valley opening-night screening, where Rockwell will also receive a career tribute on 2 October. The festival cited his Academy Award for McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017), his Oscar-nominated turn as George W. Bush in Vice (2018), and Emmy nominations for Fosse/Verdon and The White Lotus (The Hollywood Reporter).
The Mill Valley booking is the second festival stop for Wild Horse Nine. The film premieres in competition at the 83rd Venice International Film Festival, which runs 2–12 September 2026 (Laughing Place). McDonagh will also be honoured by the Zurich Film Festival in connection with the film, as Variety reported on 6 August (Variety).
What makes the Mill Valley slot notable is the festival's role as a regional bridge between the major fall showcases and the wide-release calendar. Founded and still run by executive director Mark Fishkin, the festival operates under the California Film Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit (MVFF.com). This year it adds a New Directors section spotlighting first and second features from emerging American and international filmmakers (The Hollywood Reporter).
The 2026 Mill Valley Film Festival runs 1–11 October across venues in Marin County and Berkeley, California. Tickets are available through the festival box office at 415.818.8757 (MVFF.com).
Searchlight released an official trailer for Wild Horse Nine in March, giving audiences an early glimpse of the Easter Island-set thriller (YouTube). The film reaches US theatres on 6 November.
