The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) will be celebrating its 40th year February 4-15. The festival will showcase 33 world premieres and 74 U.S. premieres from 60 countries with 52% of films directed by women, along with tributes, panel discussions, and free community education and outreach programs.
When releasing their line up, SBIFF addressed the current wildfires in Los Angeles:
“As the tragic events in our sister city of Los Angeles were unfolding, we debated about moving forward with SBIFF. Film has always been a conduit for comfort and renewal, and film festivals play a vital role in fostering a sense of connection. Festivals build community, and create an outlet for the process of feelings. In light of this, it became clear that we must move forward with our 40th edition. The twelve days of the festival will be dedicated to the City of Angels, and we will put in place an initiative during it to raise funds for LA in partnership with Direct Relief.” – Roger Durling, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
SBIFF and Direct Relief are partnering in a response to the wildfires in and around Los Angeles. Throughout the Festival, all donations to this effort will be doubled through the generosity of a $100,000 matching grant.
Programming Director, Claudia Puig, shares, “This year’s lineup, featuring films from Peru to Kazakhstan, showcases a diverse range of globally relevant themes, from thought-provoking explorations of social justice to pressing environmental challenges. We are confident that these films—a record number of which were made by women—will be loved by audiences as much as they are by our programming team.”
The full schedule and film descriptions can be found here.
Check out our interviews with honorees and filmmakers from SBIFF 2024.
See the full list of tributes below. We spoke with Paul Giamatti (Cinema Vanguard Award) and Jeffrey Wright (Montecito Award) last year.
THE TRIBUTES
- Maltin Modern Master Award honoring Angelina Jolie – Wednesday, February 5 at 8:00pm. Moderated by Leonard Maltin.
- Outstanding Performer of the Year Award honoring Ralph Fiennes – Thursday, February 6 at 8:00pm. Moderated by Scott Feinberg.
- American Riviera Award presented by Lexus honoring Zoe Saldaña – Friday, February 7 at 8:00pm. Moderated by Anne Thompson.
- Variety Artisans Award – Saturday, February 8 at 8:00pm. Honorees to be announced. Moderated by Jazz Tangcay.
- Virtuosos Award presented by Manitou Fund honoring Kieran Culkin [A REAL PAIN], Harris Dickinson [BABYGIRL], Karla Sofía Gascón [EMILIA PÉREZ], Selena Gomez [EMILIA PÉREZ], Ariana Grande [WICKED], Clarence Maclin [SING SING], Mikey Madison [ANORA], and John Magaro [SEPTEMBER 5] – Sunday, February 9 at 8:00pm. Moderated by Dave Karger.
- Arlington Artist of the Year Award presented by FIJI Water honoring Timothée Chalamet – Tuesday, February 11 at 8:00pm. Moderator to be announced.
- Cinema Vanguard Award honoring Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce – Thursday, February 13 at 8:00pm. Moderated by Pete Hammond.
- Montecito Award presented by Manitou Fund honoring Colman Domingo – Friday, February 14 at 8:00pm. Moderated by Roger Durling.
- Outstanding Directors of the Year Award – Date and Honorees to be announced. Moderated by Scott Feinberg.
— Kari Lane