The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival screens over 200 films, including feature films and short films, from different countries and regions. Besides screenings, the festival also contains different sections, including celebrity tributes, industry panels and education programs. Santa Barbara International Film Festival tries to shines a light on independent and ethnic film-makers. In the past, Roger Durling saved a third of his festival's slots to films by Hispanic filmmakers in order to better represent Latino population in the area. Durling also decided to add nature films.
VIDEOS FROM THE RED CARPET
- Amy Adams
- Ben Affleck
- Leonard Maltin, Olivia Wilde, and Cate Blanchett
- Josh Brolin
- Sandra Bullock
- Penelope Cruz
- Johnny Depp
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Clint Eastwood
- Daniel Day Lewis and Sally Field
- Maggie Grace
- Hal Holbrook
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt
- Robert Redford
- Mickey Rourke
- Sylvester Stallone
- Kate Winslet
- Noah Wyle
- Opening Night Party
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit arts and educational organization. Over the past three decades,
SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States -
attracting 90,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes
and panels, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire people
through the power of film. SBIFF celebrates the art of cinema and provide
impactful educational experiences for our local, national and global
communities.
SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout
many free educational programs and events. SBIFF entered a new era with
the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. After a
capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF's new
state-of-the-art, year-round home, showing new international and
independent films every day. SBIFF also opened its own Education Center in
downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as a hub for creativity
and learning.
One feature of the film festival is the 10-10-10 competition. Students
currently enrolled at Santa Barbara area high schools and colleges are
invited to submit either a 10-page sample of writing for the Screenwriting
portion of the competition, or a five-minute sample of their best
filmmaking efforts for the directing portion.
Ten writers are selected to write one 10-minute script each; the scripts are then matched with the ten filmmakers. Those students then have ten days to shoot and edit the completed ten-minute short film, during the ten days of the festival. Films are screened and winners are announced on closing night.
