Looking for something to do in this upcoming new year? Well look no further than the 40th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF)! Hear from some of the most well-known actors of our generation in exclusive interviews as well as up-and-coming filmmakers and creatives.
The Santa Barbara Film Festival explains that they are a, “non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema.” The festival is one of the top ten festivals in the U.S. and hosts “11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums,” every year in hopes to inspire creativity for the Santa Barbara community. SBIFF hopes to educate and encourage local students, families, and underserved individuals through outreach programs.
Virtuosos
A highlight of the festival every year is the Virtuosos Awards ceremony. As explained by Variety, among this year’s honorees are: “Kieran Culkin (“A Real Pain”), Selena Gomez (“Emilia PĂ©rez”), Ariana Grande (“Wicked”), Harris Dickinson (“Babygirl”), Karla SofĂa GascĂłn (“Emilia PĂ©rez”), Clarence Maclin (“Sing Sing”), Mikey Madison (“Anora”) and John Magaro (“September 5”).” The award honors actors whose talented performances have been featured in films with national acclaim in the most recent film release season.Â
What is so magical about this ceremony in particular is that each awardee has a brief personal interview with the interviewer of the night (Dave Karger) as well as a group discussion of their professional experiences near the end of the night. Seeing so many different ranges of talent and dedication is inspiring and enthralling to experience. The group interview is always so entertaining and humanizing to (often) these celebrities we often see on screen.
Host Dave Carger, host of Turner Classic Movies and of the virtuosos is happy to interview for his 15th year with the festival. He says as highlighted by local news outlet Noozhawk; “I can’t wait to gather them all in front of the wonderful Santa Barbara audience.”
UCSB Daily Nexus Artsweek writer Kendra Martinez describes last year’s award ceremony beautifully: “The crowd outside the Arlington Theatre grew more energetic as each of this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) Virtuosos Award honorees began to arrive. Starting with Melton, each actor stepped out of their black sedan and made their way to greet and take pictures with the crowd before making their way to the red carpet.” This truly captures how magical the arrival of celebrity honorees is every year.Â
Crowds of fans gather around and wait for their chance to catch a glimpse of the actors that play their favorite characters and make audiences feel seen and represented (more and more with every year). The experience is welcoming to all ages and backgrounds, and is such a great example of how lovely the Santa Barbara city is.
Individual Awards, Screenings, and Panels
Separately, there are more in-depth interviews of actors this year with individually different awards. Some of these include the Maltin Modern Master Award Honoring Angelina Jolie which will take place on February 5, Outstanding Performer Of The Year Award Honoring Ralph Fiennes on February 6, and the American Rivera Award Honoring Zoe Saldaña February 7.
The screenings that are shown throughout downtown theaters as well as the Riviera Theater are often premiering for the first time in the U.S. or even globally. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see movies that might not be able to be accessed on streaming platforms and can only be enjoyed in a theater. Also, you can learn more about the creative processes of filmmaking through producers, screenwriting, and directors panels.You can purchase tickets for the festival which will occur from February 4 to February 15 at sbiff.org as well as see who and what is being promoted this season.
Enjoy your stop at SBIFF!