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Willem Dafoe to Headline “The Process Unlocked” Premiere at Newport Beach Film Festival

09.16.26

The Newport Beach Film Festival will host the taping of the pilot episode of "The Process Unlocked" at Witte Hall on Sept. 19, with veteran journalist Jenelle Riley sitting down for an in-depth conversation with actor Willem Dafoe.

The new series is a response to a shift in audience appetite. Red carpet interviews built around trivia and games have their place, but viewers are increasingly hungry for something slower and more substantive: real conversation about craft. "The Process Unlocked" delivers that. Rather than a broad career retrospective, each episode digs into specific creative choices, the instinct behind a scene, the vision behind a shot, the thinking behind a page. It's a chance to step back from the noise of a doomscrolling world and actually sit with how art gets made.

Dafoe is a fitting subject for the show's first episode. Over a career spanning more than 100 films, he has built a reputation for versatility and fearlessness, moving fluidly between big Hollywood productions and independent cinema in pursuit of stories that explore the human condition. His work has earned him four Academy Award nominations: best leading actor for his portrayal of Vincent van Gogh in "At Eternity's Gate," which also brought a Golden Globe nomination, and three supporting actor nods for Oliver Stone's "Platoon," E. Elias Merhige's "Shadow of the Vampire" (also nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award) and Sean Baker's "The Florida Project" (also nominated for a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award).

Doors open at 5:15 p.m. Because the event will be filmed, no one will be admitted after 6 p.m. Business attire is recommended; shorts, T-shirts and sneakers are not permitted.

The event is presented with support from Big Newport Studios.

Please note: This event will be filmed. By purchasing a ticket, attendees grant the Newport Beach TV Fest the right to videotape, record and broadcast their likeness, voice and statements.

Witte Hall, 998 Avocado Ave., Newport Beach
Sept. 19, 2026, 6 to 7 p.m. PDT

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Broken Yolk Café Dishes Up Hope for OC Kids This Holiday Season

09.15.26

Breakfast just got a little more meaningful. Through Dec. 8, Broken Yolk Café is hosting a fundraiser benefiting Project Hope Alliance, the Costa Mesa-based nonprofit working to end the cycle of youth homelessness in Orange County.

Here's how it works: mention the fundraiser to your server at a participating location, and 10% of your check goes to Project Hope Alliance. Those dollars become gift cards for holiday shopping and food experiences for local children experiencing homelessness, the kind of ordinary December joy every kid deserves.

Prefer to give directly? You can donate here.

The grand total will be presented to Project Hope Alliance in early December.

Participating locations: Orange, Costa Mesa, Buena Park and Irvine.

Broken Yolk Café Irvine: 3988 Barranca Pkwy Ste A, Irvine.

Broken Yolk Café Costa Mesa: 2701 Harbor Blvd Suite E6, Costa Mesa.

Broken Yolk Café Orange: 2810 E Chapman Ave, Orange.

Broken Yolk Café Buena Park: 8010 Beach Blvd, Buena Park.

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