Tag archives: film festival

Less than a week ago chain link fencing still surrounded the entrance to the former Fiesta 5 Theatre, and big dumpsters perched on either side of the entryway on State Street. Passerby at that time would have been well within their rights to doubt SBIFF’s McHurley Film Center – the lavishly remodeled new facility for […]

With the start of the 41st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival less than two weeks away as this issue hits newsstands, you’d think the folks over at SBIFF might be a little bit too busy to be booking special screenings. Nope. On January 29, a mere six days from opening night, the Riviera Theatre […]

In its third year, the Montecito Student Film Festival will showcase a diverse selection drawn from nearly 900 submissions submitted by local, national and international student filmmakers on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Porter Theatre and surrounding venues on campus. Audiences will enjoy creative stories, meaningful documentaries, exciting visual storytelling techniques, and roundtable discussions featuring leading professionals in the […]

Cyndi Silverman’s first months as executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater Santa Barbara led into the pandemic, which of course forced cancellation of the organization’s annual Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival (SBJFF). Five years later, Silverman, now CEO, is understandably proud of her accomplishments, most notably spearheading a complete remodel of the Jewish […]

The 7th Annual NatureTrack Film Festival, a celebration of nature and outdoor adventure through film, returns October 9-10 to kick off a year-long celebration of nature, adventure, and environmental stewardship that marks NatureTrack Foundation’s 15th anniversary year. The new slimmed-down format begins with a special opening night event at the Riviera Theatre that has already […]

SBIFF’s annual French Wave Film Festival brings 11 new French films to the Riviera Theatre screening in repertory July 11-17, including multiple winners and nominees for César Awards (France’s Oscars) and movies that have screened at major film festivals in Cannes, Berlin, Toronto and Venice. Among the highlights: The President’s Wife: Bernadette, which stars Catherine […]

The Illuminate Film Festival’s second year in town takes place May 1-4 at various venues all within a two-block radius downtown, where the fest will screen 20 films that are all about raising awareness to explore human potential, spiritual growth and social change. There are 14 feature-length documentaries and a series of micro-shorts that touch […]

In a town rife with special film events seemingly every fortnight if not more often, it wouldn’t be wrong to think of the Illuminate Film Festival as a series of gatherings where film is, in many ways, only incidental to the mission. Billing itself as the world’s leading showcase for conscious cinema, Illuminate launches its […]

Maybe the best remedy for SBIFF withdrawal symptoms is to dive right back into the movies, perhaps particularly ones that are up for Academy Awards. Many of the nominated features can be seen at cinemas around town, but unless you’re an Academy member, chances are you haven’t viewed the vast majority of short films up […]

The glittery path from Hollywood to Santa Barbara for the annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival got covered with ashes earlier this month from the devastating Los Angeles area wildfires that are still wreaking havoc on the greater community. The concept of rolling out the red carpet might have lost some of its luster, with […]

After briefly considering canceling the milestone 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival in the wake of the Los Angeles fires, SBIFF did postpone announcement of the full lineup and schedule for a few days. But the slate is now complete for the fest, which runs February 4-15, its longest iteration yet, showcasing a total […]

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is not only adding a 12th day for its 40th incarnation, slated for February 4-15, but is also finally employing the Riviera Theatre, SBIFF’s recently refurbished state-of-the-art year-round home, as a venue for the festival. The Riv will have its own dedicated film pass. All of the 2025 SBIFF […]

Back in 2018, Dawa Tarchin Phillips, resident teacher of Bodhi Path Santa Barbara and co-founder and former Director of Education of UCSB’s Center for Mindfulness and Human Potential, led two dozen people on an around-the-world pilgrimage, visiting 17 sacred sites in five countries on four continents in 30 days.  “The intention was to learn about […]

The results are in and the awards handed out at the second annual Montecito Student Film Festival on March 23 at Westmont’s Porter Theatre. About 150 people attended the festival throughout the day to watch 41 films, pared down from the more than 500 that were submitted.  Chase Olivera, an 18-year-old student at College of […]

Santa Barbara certainly has no dearth of film festivals, but until now there hasn’t been a festival that directly addresses the region’s rare confluence of people who are both cinema-savvy and socially conscious. If Illuminate hadn’t come along, perhaps someone would have had to invent one to interact at that intersection.  Fortunately, the Illuminate Film […]

The second annual Montecito Student Film Festival has exploded in popularity and gone global. Student filmmakers from 65 countries have submitted more than 500 films for the free event. Attendees can watch films throughout the day, Saturday, March 23, from 10 am – 5 pm in Westmont’s Porter Theatre. Festival producer Tamia Sanders (’24) says […]

The area’s newest film festival, and one with a decidedly different focus, gets going next month. The ILLUMINATE Film Festival, an annual celebration of short and full-length evolutionary cinematic endeavors that aspire to elevate humanity’s sense of self, purpose and possibility, is actually celebrating its 10th anniversary, but relocated from Sedona, Arizona last year. With […]

Monty Roberts is the Salinas-bred cowboy who spent years trying to turn the equestrian community from “breaking” horses through violence to instead gaining their confidence through trust and gentility. The story of the owner of the decades-long Flag is Up Farms in Solvang and his ability to train horses through his kinder method isn’t a […]

Get ready, Santa Barbara. It’s time to roll out the red carpet and rev up for 11 roaring days and nights of film screenings, seminars, panels, actor tributes and other awards, plus parties, as the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival takes over the town. Start stocking up on sleep and shore up your […]

Just three weeks after this issue hits newsstands, the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival launches 11 days of screenings, seminars, speakers and sensational opportunities for sightseeing of stars. As always, Academy Award nominees and other award show hopefuls will be gracing the stage at the Arlington for in-depth conversations about their art during the […]