The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (February 8-18, 2023) has flourished thanks to veteran executive director Roger Durling, who has conducted a ton of onstage interviews with Oscar contenders.
This year's edition marks the return to a fully live, in-person film festival. It will feature 52 world premieres and 78 U.S. premieres from 43 countries, as well as free community education and outreach programs.
Screenwriters, directors, and producers promote their works on panels, and celebrities such as Kristen Stewart, Will Smith, Bong Joon Ho, Renée Zellweger, Viola Davis, Lupita Nyong'o, Viggo Mortensen, Rami Malek, Christopher Nolan, and many others submit to elaborate tributes.
Local cinephiles and Academy members are eager to see Oscar nominees talk about their creative process. All tributes and panels will be held in person at the Arlington Theatre.
On Saturday, February 11 at 11 a.m., I will moderate the annual Writers Panel, which includes Oscar nominees from such films as "All Quiet on the Western Front," "The Banshees of Inisherin," "Everything All at Once," "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," "Living," and "Women Talking."
During the 37th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Maggie Gyllenhaal speaks onstage during the Writers Panel.
SBIFF is sponsored by Getty Images.
The Montecito Award honors Oscar nominee Angela Bassett ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever"), moderated by Roger Durling.
The Outstanding Performer of the Year Award, honoring Oscar nominee Cate Blanchett ("TR"), will be presented on Friday, February 10th. Feinberg is the moderated guest speaker.
On Saturday, February 11, Leonard Maltin moderates the Maltin Modern Master Award honoring Oscar nominee Jamie Lee Curtis.
On Tuesday, February 14, the American Riviera Award, presented by Pete Hammond, will be presented.
The Virtuosos Awards, presented by TCM's Dave Karger, are presented on February 16 for Austin Butler (“Elvis”), Kerry Condon (“The Banshees of Inisherin”), Nina Hoss (“TR”), Jeremy Pope (“The Inspection”), Ke Huy Quan (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”), and Jeremy Strong (“Armageddon Time”).
The Cinema Vanguard Award honoring Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson on February 16 and moderated by Karger.
The Annual Writers, Producers, and Women's Panels at SBIFF's Arlington Theatre, as well as the New International Directors Panel, are all returning to the theater.
The 38th edition of The Kidnapping Drama "Miranda's Victim," directed by Michelle Danner, will premiere on Wednesday, February 8 with Abigail Breslin, Ryan Phillippe, Luke Wilson, Donald Sutherland, Mireille Enos, and Andy Garcia.
The film "I Like Movies" will be released on Saturday, February 18, along with Isaiah Lehtinen, Krista Bridges, and Percy Hynes White.
The whole program can be found here.