Will Roberts is midway through his role as emcee of the 2026 Carmel International Film Festival, returning to a community he called home for two decades.

The four-day festival opened October 1 at the Golden Bough Playhouse in Carmel-by-the-Sea and continues through October 4. Actor and filmmaker Edward Burns opened the event.

Roberts, who portrayed General George C. Marshall in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, is hosting a program that includes 12 feature films, 34 shorts, six industry panels and two major career retrospectives.

The festival assignment carries a personal connection for Roberts.

He lived in Carmel for 20 years and participated in the festival in 2024.

“I loved growing up in this area,” Roberts told NewsBlaze.

He said Carmel’s culture, history and connection to filmmaking make returning as emcee “truly an honor.”

The video above looks at Roberts’ return to Carmel and the film and television work surrounding his latest festival appearance.

Will Roberts’ Carmel appearance comes during a busy period across film and television.

He plays Duke in the eight-episode comedy series Hollywood Adjacent, opposite Nicky Whelan as his estranged daughter, Trixie Hallisy.

The series follows their damaged father-daughter relationship as the season develops.

The official trailer is now available ahead of the series’ October 12 debut on Apple TV, Google Play and Amazon. A Tubi release is expected later.

Roberts also recently spent two months filming the feature Knock at Eight in Europe, where he plays Officer Malloy.

This year’s Carmel International Film Festival also includes the North American premiere of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Flesh Impact as a Special Judge’s Selection.

The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Dakota Johnson, Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi.

The festival’s inaugural grand jury includes Timothy Hutton, Frances Fisher, Stephen Gyllenhaal and Bill Morrison. Producer Stephen Nemeth receives the festival’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

For Will Roberts, the emcee role brings his current film and television work together with a return to Carmel, a community that shaped two decades of his life.