Lights, Camera, Action!
The indoor-outdoor entry
Written by Jennifer Blaise Kramer
This February, Santa Barbara filmgoers will xperience our international film festival like never before. The marquee at 916 State Street is getting a sparkling makeover, as is the inside of the old theater—the new home of the SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (SBIFF), which has previously had to rent theaters during the annual event. In October 2024, the Santa Barbara City Council unanimously approved a long-term lease, securing a permanent home for the 40-year-old organization, not just for the 11-day festival, which brings in 100,000 cinephiles, but also for year-round programming.
Building on the magic of the beloved Riviera Theater—don’t worry, it’s not going away!—the new film center will include five enhanced auditoriums to showcase more than 200 films during the festival, with annual screenings expanding from 1,000 to 6,000. This means more viewings and more flexibility to switch gears, run popular films longer, or surprise and delight fans.
“We won’t be limited to current theatrical releases,” says Benjamin Bhutani Goedert, SBIFF development director. “That’s what’s so exciting with another 5,000 slots to fill.” The new multiplex art house will screen family movies, indies, foreign films, and documentaries, in addition to retrospectives. Each theater will feature brand new state-of-the-art sound and projection systems, plus seating, and improved accessibility with a new ADA ramp. A film-themed art gallery near the entrance will have rotating exhibits, while the interior design will thoughtfully borrow décor motifs (“Easter eggs,” Goedert says) from other theaters around town.
With the Arlington still on tap as the red-carpet icon, the new film center will soon become a landmark of its own, not just as part of SBIFF’s legacy but also on the international map of film festivals. Adds Goedert: “We hope this means another 40 years of the film festival.” sbifftheatres.com
