The big news since we last mentioned the upcoming 41st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (excluding the big January 14 announcement of the film screenings and such – frustratingly slated to drop well past our deadline, ahem) is the addition of a trio of true superstar actors collectively receiving the newly-named Hammond Cinema Vanguard […]
This Saturday night at the Arlington, Jeff and Susan Bridges are introducing a screening of Heaven’s Gate, the 1980 epic Western film written and directed by Michael Cimino, whose The Deer Hunter won five Academy Awards less than two years earlier, including Best Picture and Best Director. But this isn’t just some random revival of […]
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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 […]
Don’t look now – or rather maybe look all weekend – but here comes another new film festival in town. Wild and Free Film Festival (WAFFF), which takes place November 14-16, was created to celebrate environmentally conscious, diverse cinematic storytelling from around the world to inspire audiences for thought and action. The fest – which […]
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 […]
Hahn Hall is back in action again on October 29 as Camerata Pacifica plays on a rare Wednesday evening for the local launch of “Beethoven 32,” its momentous three-year cycle featuring principal pianist Gilles Vonsattel performing all 32 of Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas. Vonsattel dives right in, beginning the cycle with the “‘Hammerklavier,’ Sonata No. 29 […]
On October 16, the Lobero hosts a benefit evening supporting Good Samaritan Shelter centered around the premiere of Hope Lives Here: Breaking the Cycle of Homelessness. This short documentary created for Public Broadcasting offers an intimate look at the challenges of homelessness in Santa Barbara County, and the impact of programs that provide shelter, support, […]
When I was 12 years old the classic Hollywood star machine was in the throes of extinction (not to suggest I had anything to do with that). Tinseltown was being overthrown by UnmediatedGritTown as a new generation of auteurs stormed the Dream Factory ramparts, broke into the place and tore down the velvet curtains. David […]
Longtime Santa Barbara resident Andy Davis, director of such classic films as The Fugitive and Under Siege, will be on hand for a free screening of his well-received 2003 dramedy Holes (first feature film of mercurial actor Shia LaBeouf) on Sunday morning, September 28, at SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre. A conversation with Davis about the movie […]
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The Santa Barbara Surf Film Festival marks its fifth year of cinematic celebration of the area’s rich surf history and surf culture, as well as supporting ocean conservation, in a packed weekend of screenings and other events September 26-27 at the Lobero Theatre. The 2025 festival specifically focuses on showcasing films about iconic surfboard shapers […]
We’re still more than four months away from Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the behemoth 11-day giant of a cinematic confab affectionately known as SBIFF that stages its 41st annual event from February 4-14. But there’s another festival that could go by that acronym, but has wisely chosen to sidestep the moniker, that holds its […]
Actress, singer, and producer Cynthia Erivo continues to defy gravity, as the multi-hyphenate has been announced as the recipient of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 18th annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, given in honor of the late screen legend who called Montecito home for decades. Erivo is more than three-quarters of […]
It’s almost unbelievable. It’s been nearly six decades since Steppenwolf scored its first hit single with the generation-defining rock anthem “Born to Be Wild,” and only now is there a documentary film about the band. As it is, the 2024 film Born to Be Wild: The Story of Steppenwolf won’t yet be available at cinemas […]
SBIFF’s Cinema Society dips back into streaming sensations at the Riviera Theatre with a power-packed pair of evenings devoted to popular AppleTV+ series that have very different ways of showing how folks cope with the loss of a spouse. First up: Severance, the eerie, imaginative and provocative science fiction psychological thriller that has captivated audiences […]
