Filmfestivals.com is covering live from Santa Barbara with pictures and videos.
SBIFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and education organization dedicated to making a positive impact utilizing the power of film. SBIFF is a year-round organization that is best known for its main film festival that takes place each year in February. Over the past 30 years the Santa Barbara International Film Festival has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 90,000 attendees and offering 11days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums. We bring the best of independent and international cinema to Santa Barbara, and we continue to expand our year-round operation to include a wide range of educational programming, fulfilling our mission to engage, enrich and inspire our community through film.
In June 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. The theatre is SBIFF’s new home and is the catalyst for our program expansion. This marks the first time that Santa Barbara has had a 24/7 community center focused on the art of film and is an incredible opportunity to expand our mission of educational outreach. Particularly important to SBIFF is making available high quality learning opportunities for underserved and vulnerable populations. Our programs and reach are more robust than ever before.
Photo Coverage by Mark Bennett
Conversations and Variety Artisans Award red carpet moments by William Conlin (YTS Film)
We loved interviewing very Will Smith, Santa Barbara's film festival always keeps their promises, delivering unexpected surprises and delights, this was very inspiring because all the other talents get a chance to be seen and discovered, the selections this year had hidden jewls from all countries, so even after Covid this festivals makes it al...
Penélope Cruz received the Montecito Award at the 37th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Tuesday, March 8 at an in-person conversation about her career leading up to this year’s performance in Pedro Almodóvar’s PARALLEL MOTHERS from Sony Pictures Classic.
“In the most complex role written by the master Almodovar, Penelope Cruz delivers the best performance of her career and a master class in calibration and detailed actin...
Virtuosos Award presented by UGG to 2022 recipients: Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Emilia Jones (CODA), Troy Kotsur (CODA), Simon Rex (Red Rocket), and Saniyya Sidney (King Richard)
(An award given to multiple “up-and-coming” actors for achieving a breakthrough performance.)
&...
Santa Barbara International Film Festival -March 2022
Interview by Roxanna Bina
Grandes Horizontale Premiering at the 37th Santa Barbara Int’l Film Festival
From the award-winning director Leslie Zemeckis (https://lesliezemeckis.com) of Bound by Flesh, Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer and Behind the Burly Q comes a documentary about the lives, loves and enduring influence of the Grandes Horizontales. A never before in-depth look at the c...
The Santa Barbara international Film Festival is partnering with Direct Relief, a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit humanitarian aid organization that responds to natural disasters and other emergency situations by rushing critical medicines and requested supplies to people affected by the crisis in Ukraine and surrounding countries.
All contributions will support Direct Relief’s emergency response to the Ukraine crisis. Thank you for working together to help those...
OUTSTANDING DIRECTORS OF THE YEAR AWARD
Sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter
Honoring Paul Thomas Anderson (LICORICE PIZZA),
Kenneth Branagh (BELFAST),
Jane Campion (THE POWER OF THE DOG),
Ryusuke Hamaguchi (DRIVE MY CAR),
and Steven Spielberg (WEST SIDE STORY)
THURSDAY, MARCH 3rd, 2022
8:00PM - ARLINGTON THEATRE
AND PANELISTS FOR SBIFF’S INDUSTRY PANELS ANNOUNCED
PLUS THE ADDITION OF A NEW ANIMATION PANEL
Paul Thomas Anderson (LICORICE PIZZA), Kenneth Branag...
VARIETY ARTISANS AWARD
Sponsored by Variety
Honoring
Tamara Deverell
Frederic Aspiras and Göran Lundstrom
Germaine Franco
Greig Fraser
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Paul Massey
Kelly Port
Peter Scriberras
Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan
MONDAY, MARCH 7th, 2022
8:00PM - ARLINGTON THEATRE
Variety’s eighth annual Artisans Awards celebrates those essential to the filmmaking process and who have exhibited the most exciti...
by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent
Last night at the 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) when Kristen Stewart arrived, you could actually hear the crowd roar outside in the light rain behind the makeshift metal gates along the street outside the Arlington Theater. And that’s how #KStew, in her fan shorthand, brought the post-pandemic thrill back to SBIFF when she accepted the American Riviera Award.
Part of the magic was a black and white feather...
by Quendrith Johnson, filmfestivals.com Los Angeles Correspondent
Not to say that Steven Spielberg phoned it in last night, but the WEST SIDE STORY teller had to appear by video link at the 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) due to what Executive Director Roger Durling said was? "They tested positive for Covid." Did he mean Spielberg, who looked healthy as a peach on the link? Or Jane Campion on the screen from New Zealand? Perhaps DRIVE MY CAR&#...
PASANG: IN THE SHADOW OF EVEREST
SBIFF 2022
Interview by Emmanuel Itier with director Nancy Svendsen, Pasang’s daughter Dawa Futi Sherpa and Nepali Mountain climber Dawa Yangzum Sherpa.
Q: What inspired this film and what were you trying to explore with it?
Nancy: I knew about the exploit of Pasang, this amazing, first Nepali, woman to climb the summit of Mount Everest. This was an inspiring woman, full of courage. It is a universal story for our times and for al...
VIRTUOSOS AWARD
PRESENTED BY UGG
HONORING
CAITRIONA BALFE (BELFAST),
ARIANA DEBOSE (WEST SIDE STORY),
JAMIE DORNAN (BELFAST),
ALANA HAIM (LICORICE PIZZA),
CIARÁN HINDS
EMILIA JONES (CODA),
TROY KOTSUR (CODA),
SIMON REX (RED ROCKET),
AND SANIYYA SIDNEY (KING RICHARD),
SATURDAY, MARCH 5th, 2022
SBIFF has just announced the recipients to receive the Virtuosos Award presented by UGG®, an honor created to recognize a select group of talent whose noteworthy p...
The SBIFF film festival will go on! And we thank you for your support. We cannot wait to see you and share time and movies together.
We look forward to coming together this March to safely celebrate the magic of cinema. The festival is much more than an accumulation of movies, it's a family gathering, a show of community, and we are besides ourselves with anticipation to see you and experience it all...safely.
Film lineup and schedule available on the S...
SBIFF 2022 will close on Saturday, March 12 with DIONNE WARWICK: DON’T MAKE ME OVER, with the iconic singer in attendance.
With timeless hits such as “What the World Needs Now,” “Say a Little Prayer,” and “Don't Make Me Over,” Dionne Warwick is a star who took charge of her career and smashed through cultural, racial, and gender barriers to become the soundtrack for generations. Behind her iconic music is a strong woman whose fierce determinat...
OPENING NIGHT FILM PRESENTED BY UGG
THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 2nd, 2022 - 8:00pm
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS
SBIFF 2022 will start with the Opening Night Film, presented by UGG®, on Wednesday, March 2 with the U.S. Premiere of THE PHANTOM OF THE OPEN.
Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, managed to gain entry to the qualifying round of The British Open Championship in 1976, despite never having played a round of golf. He shot the worst round i...
We are pleased to announced the highly anticipated lineup for the 37th SBIFF, presented by UGG®, which will be in-person March 2 - 12, 2022. The festival will feature 48 world premieres and 95 U.S. premieres from 54 countries, along with tributes featuring the year’s top talent, panel discussions, and free community education and outreach programs.
“It brings us an unbridled joy to share our slate for this edition of SBIFF. After two years of incertitude, it feels go...
CINEMA VANGUARD AWARD
HONORING BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th, 2022
Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch will be honored with the Cinema Vanguard Award at the 37th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He will receive the award on Wednesday, March 9th following an in-person conversation about his career leading up to this year’s performance in Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG from Netflix.
"He’s an intelligent, enigmatic and dee...
Emmanuel Itier will be conducting interviews with some of the 2022 SBIFF Filmmakers.
He is based in Santa Barbara and a regular contributor to the portal!
Www.WonderlandEntGroup.com
An experienced feature film Producer, Emmanuel Itier directed several pictures before completing in 2012 the Peace documentary ‘The Invocation’ narrated by Sharon Stone and staring Desmond Tutu, HH The Dalai Lama, Deepak Chopra as well as many worldwide peace activists. In 2013 Mr. Itier ...
Outstanding Performers of the Year Award
Honoring Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis
Sunday, March 6th, 2022 – 8:00pm
Arlington Theatre
American Riviera Award
Honoring Kristen Stewart
Friday, March 4th, 2022 – 8:00pm
Arlington Theatre
...
POPPIE NONGENA
Santa Barbara Film Festival 2021
Director: Christiaan OLWAGEN
Interview by Emmanuel Itier
Q: Tell me why you chose this film and what you were trying to achieve with it?
Christiaan: The film is based on a famous South African novel and I always knew about it. It was even taught in school. I got contacted by the producer to film it. I read the novel in one setting and I was blown away by this account of this woman’s life in ...
REEFA
Directed by Jessica Kavana Dornbusch
Interview by Emmanuel Itier
Q: Tell me about the choice of directing this tragic movie and what did you want to create, impact, wise?
Jessica: At the forefront for me was to explore the immigration issues in America. This is a tragic true story and I even understood more the sacrifice occurring when I met the family of Israel “Reefa” Hernandez. It’s the irony of this story that you have a family comin...
PAN HOOT
“Winner of Best Doc Short at the Santa Barbara film festival 2021”
Director: Richard REENS
Interview by Eùmmanuel Itier
Q: How did you get involved with this inspiring Doc? What was the attraction to the subject matter?
Richard: I have been a filmmaker and especially a commercial director for years. Good friends of mine who funded this project know the main protagonist of my doc, Stany Nyandwi, for over 14 years. They thought his story w...
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has star wattage and a wealth of premieres in a Mediterrean-style city by the sea.
Blogging here with dailies:
The team of editors of the The Santa Barbara Blog:Carol Marshall, Felicia Tomasko, Vanessa McMahon, Marla and Mark Hamperin, Kim Deisler and Bruno Chatelin
