Hot on the heels of Contenders Film: London, Deadline is back home in Los Angeles—the birthplace of our Contenders and the original beloved city of Hollywood moviemaking. Contenders Film: Los Angeles gets underway today at 9:30 a.m. PT, with a daylong, in-person-only event for awards voters showcasing the stars and creatives behind 13 films on the awards-season hot lists.
Here on our stage, we will have some of the most talked-about films of the season, and a level of talent that truly stands the test of time. Here’s looking at you, June Squibb! While she will be beaming in virtually to chat with Eleanor the Great screenwriter and executive producer Tory Kamen, the 95-year-old Squibb has a pretty decent excuse for not being here in person: she’s busy preparing to tread the boards every night on Broadway right now.
Speaking of the theater, we’ll have a nod to Ibsen on hand with the team from *Hedda*, Nia DaCosta’s innovative screen adaptation of the play *Hedda Gabler*. DaCosta will be joined by star Tessa Thompson and production designer Cara Brower.
In another period story, we’re going back to WWII with *Nuremberg* writer-director James Vanderbilt’s close-up on a psychiatrist, played by Rami Malek, assigned to watch over the Nazis approaching the Nuremberg trials. Vanderbilt and Malek will be with us to talk about the film, which also stars Russell Crowe in the role of Hermann Göring.
Going further back still, we’re in 1930s Mississippi for some vampire magic with *Sinners*, starring Michael B. Jordan, not once, but twice. Writer-director-producer Ryan Coogler will be on stage to discuss.
It’s back to school with Luca Guadagnino’s *After the Hunt*, the college-set drama written by Nora Garrett and starring Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri, and Andrew Garfield.
That’s not all. We return to the ’90s with *Christy*, a true-life story of a champion boxer fighting her way to freedom from an oppressive marriage. Sydney Sweeney will be here to talk about taking on this very punchy role as an actor and producer, alongside producer Kerry Kohansky-Roberts.
All the way from South Korea, we have the satirical black comedy *No Other Choice* from filmmaker Park Chan-wook, who’ll have his lead actor Lee Byung-hun with him on our stage to talk about this film that takes unemployment issues to a whole new level.
From Norway, we’ll have the team behind *Sentimental Value*, led by filmmaker Joachim Trier, with his *The Worst Person in the World* collaborator Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård, Elle Fanning, and newcomer Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas joining him for a discussion.
The makers of *Homebound*, the Oscar submission for India, will take to our stage too, with director Neeraj Ghaywan and actors Ishan Khatter and Vishal Jethwa.
We’ll also have some stunning animation on board with the Japanese fantasy feature *Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World*, from director Isamu Imakake.
You’ll want to strap in for the ride with *F1*, the film that puts us in the hot seat with both Brad Pitt and Damson Idris as they race their way to Formula 1 stardom. Director-producer Joseph Kosinski will be at Contenders with supervising sound editor Al Nelson to talk about capturing the roar of the racetrack, among other things.
If you need a little soothing music after all that, we’ve got you covered with not one, but two biopics. We’ll have the team from *Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere*, including writer-director-producer Scott Cooper, and Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater will be here with their *Blue Moon*, Linklater’s film about songwriter Lorenz Hart.
Last but definitely not least, we’re giving a shout-out to those brave, unsung heroes of the screen: stuntpeople. They will have their own panel, along with those other all-too-hidden gems: casting directors.
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### Contenders Film: Los Angeles Lineup
*(Order and panelists subject to change)*
**BLACK BEAR**
*Christy*
– Sydney Sweeney (Producer/Actor)
– Kerry Kohansky-Roberts (Producer)
**NEON**
*Sentimental Value*
– Joachim Trier (Writer/Director)
– Renate Reinsve (Actor)
– Stellan Skarsgård (Actor)
– Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Actor)
– Elle Fanning (Actor)
*No Other Choice*
– Park Chan-wook (Writer/Director/Producer)
– Lee Byung-hun (Actor)
**APPLE ORIGINAL FILMS**
*F1*
– Joseph Kosinski (Director/Producer)
– Al Nelson (Supervising Sound Editor)
**AMAZON MGM STUDIOS**
*After the Hunt*
– Allan Mandelbaum (Producer)
– Malik Hassan Sayeed (Cinematographer)
– Jessica Ronane (Casting Director)
**CONTENDERS STUNT PANEL**
– Andy Gill (Stunt Coordinator, *Sinners*)
– Brian Machleit (Stunt Coordinator, *One Battle After Another*)
**SONY PICTURES CLASSICS**
*Eleanor the Great*
– June Squibb (Actor)
– Tory Kamen (Writer/Executive Producer)
*Blue Moon*
– Ethan Hawke (Actor)
– Richard Linklater (Writer/Director)
*Nuremberg*
– James Vanderbilt (Writer/Director)
– Rami Malek (Actor)
**HS PICTURES STUDIOS**
*Dragon Heart: Adventures Beyond This World*
– Isamu Imakake (Director)
**DEADLINE CASTING PANEL**
– Susanne Scheel, Casting Director (*A House of Dynamite*)
– Francine Maisler, Casting Director (*Sinners*, *Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere*, *Ella McCay*)
– Bernie Telsey, Casting Director (*Wicked*, *Wicked: For Good*)
– Mary Vernieu, Casting Director (*Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery*)
– Bret Howe, Casting Director (*Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery*)
– Nina Gold, Casting Director (*Jay Kelly*)
**WARNER BROS PICTURES**
*Sinners*
– Ryan Coogler (Writer/Director/Producer)
**CONTENDERS HALL OF FAME AWARD**
– Guillermo del Toro
**DHARMA PRODUCTIONS**
*Homebound*
– Neeraj Ghaywan (Director)
– Ishaan Khatter (Actor)
– Vishal Jethwa (Actor)
**20TH CENTURY STUDIOS**
*Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere*
– Scott Cooper (Writer/Director/Producer)
– Ellen Goldsmith-Vein (Producer)
– Eric Robinson (Producer)
**AMAZON MGM STUDIOS**
*Hedda*
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Stay tuned for in-depth conversations with these phenomenal artists and an unparalleled look at this year’s most compelling films!
https://deadline.com/2025/11/deadline-contenders-film-los-angeles-event-1236616966/