The 49th Mill Valley Film Festival will open on 1 October with the world premiere of "Wild Horse Nine," a Martin McDonagh-directed film starring John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. Rockwell will also be honoured with a career tribute at the festival on 2 October, recognising work including his Oscar-winning turn in McDonagh's "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" and his Oscar-nominated portrayal of George W. Bush in "Vice."

"Wild Horse Nine," which first premieres in competition at the Venice Film Festival next month, follows two CIA operatives played by Malkovich and Rockwell as they travel from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island during the lead-up to Chile's 1973 coup, with the mission complicated by one agent's ties to two young activists played by Mariana Di Girolamo and Ailín Salas. The cast also includes Steve Buscemi, Tom Waits and Parker Posey, with Searchlight Pictures releasing the film in cinemas on 6 November. The 2026 festival, which also introduces a new "New Directors Section" for emerging filmmakers, runs from 1 to 11 October across Marin County and Berkeley, California.