The Middleburg Film Festival is tucked away in the scenic, hunt-country suburbs of Washington, DC. It has become one of the premier regional festivals to watch during the fall awards campaigns. Over the past weekend, the festival rang in its 14th year with celebrated guests, post-film Q&As, panels, and a roster of feature films that have historically been key Oscar contenders. What makes the festival especially exciting for filmgoers is that it gives them direct access to directors, composers, and actors. Festivalgoers can hear firsthand about the intention behind the films.
After four days of packed screenings across town, audience members have rendered their verdict on this year’s films and voted for their favorites. The complete list of winners is below, along with the program descriptions.
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
THE DEBUT – Winner
Synopsis: Hoping to escape her quiet, invisible life as a New Jersey homemaker, Mona Friedman (a spectacular Julianne Moore) tries out for the local community theater musical called “Nosy Neighbors.” Cast by default in a bit part when the original actress drops out, the shy, unassuming Mona transforms into a zealous method actor willing to do anything to protect the artistic integrity of her marginal role, even if it means waging war against the show’s domineering director, Jerry (played to perfection by Paul Giamatti).
ELSINORE – First Runner-Up
Synopsis: London, 1989. Ian Charleson, a gifted British stage and screen star, is unfulfilled by his roles. When he is unexpectedly asked to play the title role in “Hamlet” at the National Theatre, he embarks on the part of a lifetime. But as he throws himself into rehearsals, Charleson must face mortality on and off the stage. Directed by Simon Stone (The Dig) and written by Stephen Beresford (Pride), Elsinore is the deeply emotional true story of a man whose greatest challenge becomes his greatest triumph.
WILD HORSE NINE – Second Runner-Up
Writer and director Martin McDonagh has already taken Wild Horse Nine to the Venice Film Festival, where Wild Horse Nine was nominated for but did not win the Golden Lion. At Middleburg, McDonagh was honored with the Director Spotlight Award for his work on the black comedy and political thriller. Although the film didn’t take top honors, the standing ovation that the crowd gave McDonagh when he was welcomed to the stage by The Ankler’s Katey Rich was palpable at the Salamander. Searchlight Pictures will release Wild Horse Nine on November 6, 2026.
Synopsis: Shortly before Chile’s 1973 military coup, Chris (a superb John Malkovich), who is nearing retirement after decades as a CIA operative, and his impulsive young protégé Lee (an equally captivating Sam Rockwell) travel from Santiago to Easter Island on an assignment for their handler, MJ (Steve Buscemi). But when Chris strikes up an unlikely bond with two rebellious students (Mariana di Girolamo, Ailín Salas), he’s forced to reckon with the weight of his past.
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
LA BOLA NEGRA
Synopsis: A stunning cinematic experience, La Bola Negra traces three generations of gay men across nearly a century of Spanish history. In 1932, Carlos is voted out of his father’s elite social club over whispers about his sexuality. Five years later, amid the Spanish Civil War, Sebastián, drafted into Franco’s army, becomes drawn to Rafael, a captured enemy soldier he’s assigned to guard. Decades after the dictatorship ends, in 2017, historian Alberto untangles a family secret..
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
14TH
Synopsis: “If 13th asked who gets caged, then 14th asks who gets counted,” explains acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay, who returns with an urgent new documentary a decade after her Oscar-nominated landmark film 13th, this time focusing on the 14th Amendment. Ratified in the aftermath of the Civil War, the amendment promised citizenship and equal protection under the law, a radical rewrite of who counts as American. More than 150 years later, that promise is still being fiercely fought over in courtrooms..