SBIFF Celebrates 40
With a New In-House Home
Written by Josef Woodard
Long an important fixture on the local cultural calendar, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival lives up to its international status in more than one way, as a festival respected around the world, and with international cinema as one of the strongest components of the program. Executive director Roger Durling, in his 23rd year in charge of the festival founded by Phyllis De Picciotto, said during his introduction before the opening night film, Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, “early on, I leaned big on the international aspect of the festival. This is not an isolationist festival.”
And now this is 40. SBIFF celebrated its milestone anniversary over 12 days of screenings, celebrity tributes, and industry panel discussions at the Arlington Theatre, with the major new bragging rights of having acquired the new five-screen Film Center downtown (formerly the Fiesta Five). Between the Film Center and the year-round SBIFF-run Riviera Theatre screenings, the festival now boasts screening homes of its own.
On those screens, a balanced program of 185 titles, with 52 percent directed by women, were selected by program director Claudie Puig and team. In the mix were such crowd-pleasers as Trifole, Shepherds, and Rocco and Sjuul and artier fare, including the non-linear Lithuanian film Drowning Dry, Waves, Hakki, and Color Book. Documentaries and Santa Barbara–made and –oriented films also found their way onscreen, with an eye to serving a diverse array of audiences.
Personal passions naturally figure into one’s response to given films. For this avid fest-goer—having covered it from the first foray — and avid Neil Young fan, the Darryl Hannah–directed doc Coastal, chronicling a Young tour, was pure gold from start to finish.
SBIFF means different things to different viewers. For some, the main draw is all about close encounters with famous film makers and acting luminaries. On the tribute evening front, the starry roster of tributes kicked off with a strong double header of Angelina Jolie (Maria) and Ralph Fiennes (Conclave), in the spotlight.
The “Virtuosos Award” tribute to emerging talent was especially star-studded this year, including film and music luminaries Ariana Grande and Selena Gomez, inspiring a loud swarm of young fans in the Arlington and outside at the red carpet. In a variation on the journalist moderator theme, Timothée Chalamet was interviewed by his pal and Dune costar Josh Brolin — and the 29-year-old led the Arlington crowd in a chorus of “Happy Birthday” to the 57-year-old. Also in a concentrated focus was the film The Brutalist, with Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce paying tribute and husband-and-wife creators Brady Corbet and Mona Fastvold at the directors and writers panels, respectively. As is customary, both coveted panels were well-stocked with current Oscar nominees.
There were local connections in the mix, as well, with Padaro Laner Kevin Costner onstage at the Arlington after the U.S. premiere of his Horizon: Chapter 2, and Montecitan Oprah Winfrey was slated to present the Montecito Award (aptly) to Colman Domingo, who was being fêted for his Oscar-nominated role in Sing Sing. Montecito-based Rob Lowe was on hand for presenting honors for the “American Riviera” award night, spotlighting Zoe Saldaña.
In all, the 2025 edition confirmed that SBIFF is in fine and forward-motion shape in its ripe middle age.
