Main Attraction
Written by Jennifer Blaise Kramer
Images courtesy of SBIFF
Every year the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) recognizes actors, directors, producers, and writers for excellence in film. This year it will celebrate the festival’s 40th anniversary February 4–15 with a stellar lineup. To kick things off, Will Ferrell received the prestigious Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at a black-tie event (which is a fundraiser for the festival and its educational programming) on December 11 at the Ritz Carlton. Other key events will honor Angelina Jolie, Ralph Fiennes, Zoe Saldaña, Timothée Chalamet, Adrien Brody, and Guy Pearce, while dozens of films will be screened and panels assembled throughout the city.
“Comedy is the hardest, and you make it look easy, Will. Congratulations! Dad loved you.”
In addition to the festival’s anniversary, SBIFF is celebrating an expansion: a new state-of-the-art film center downtown. In renovating the old Fiesta 5 theater, SBIFF will have an anchor and the ability to serve the community year-round, screening independent and foreign films and documentaries. “People are hungry to go to the movies, but they want different, thoughtful programming, state-of-the-art projection and sound,” says Roger Durling, executive director for SBIFF. “People want an experience and also a sense of community. I feel the festival provides the latter, and now we will have a year-round canvas, a bigger tent in which to welcome everyone. And the fact that we will also be helping with the revitalization of the downtown corridor is icing on the cake.” sbiff.org
