Lone Star Film Festival Adds Eisenberg Musical, Cannes Documentary Winner to 20th Anniversary Lineup
Organizers of the Fort Worth festival, which runs November 4-13, 2026, have named three more features, including 'The Debut' and the Cannes-honored 'Rehearsals for a Revolution.'
By Chinedu Okafor ·
The Lone Star Film Festival has added three titles to the lineup for its 20th anniversary edition, which will take place in Fort Worth from November 4 to 13, 2026. The festival, presented by the Fort Worth Film Commission, announced the additions on October 7.
Among them is "The Debut," a musical comedy written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. The story centers on Mona Friedman, a shy housewife who lands a small part at a community theater and becomes an intensely devoted method actor. She sets out to defend the artistic integrity of her role, even if that means going to war with the production's domineering director.
The film stars Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. Halle Bailey, Cara Buono, Craig Bierko, Eldar Isgandarov and Bernadette Peters appear in supporting roles, and Eisenberg also performs in it. "The Debut" is an A24 release and served as the closing film of the 70th BFI London Film Festival.
The second addition is "Rehearsals for a Revolution," a co-production involving the Czech Republic, Spain and Iran, directed by Pegah Ahangarani. It won the L'Œil d'or for Best Documentary at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. In this feature-length essay film, Ahangarani, an actress turned director, follows more than four decades of Iranian history after the revolution through her own life.
The film draws on family archives, home movies, street-protest footage and recorded testimony. It is organized into five chapters, each dedicated to a friend or family member lost along the way, and it moves from the 1979 Islamic Revolution to the 2026 conflict.
The third new title is "Bleeding Hearts," directed by Andrew Morgan. The music-driven love story follows real-life couple Zella Day and Jesse Woods, the musicians behind Chaparelle, through their first year together. The pair pursue a shared dream while facing pressures that could lead to either a breakup or a breakthrough.
Organizers also highlighted a number of other official selections. Narrative features include "Autofiction," "Murderous" from Neil LaBute, "Rumination," "Stages," "Test" and "Unwinding." Documentary features include "As Far Back As I Can Remember… The Story of Goodfellas," "Growing Up Slowly," "Home From the Vietnam War," "Our Dark Horse," "The Highest Road" and "What the Hell Happened." Out-of-competition special screenings are "A Cowboy in London," "JIMMY" and "The Man with the Big Hat." A full slate of international short films will also screen, with the complete list posted on the festival's website.
All-Access Passes are on sale for $350 and will rise to the full price of $400 on November 1, 2026. The full schedule and individual tickets are available through the festival's Eventive page.
The festival is run by the Lone Star Film Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, which presents the seven-day event each fall to celebrate independent film and promote Fort Worth as a hub for film production in Texas. The Fort Worth Film Commission, a division of Visit Fort Worth, was established in 2015. It says it has worked with hundreds of projects, driven $1 billion in economic impact and helped create more than 50,000 jobs.
Source: Fort Worth Business Press
