| Location | Santa Barbara, California, United States |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1986[1] |
| Founded by | Phyllis de Picciotto[2] |
| Directors | Roger Durling (Executive Director)[3] |
| Language | English |
| Website | sbiff |
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986.
The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF also includes celebrity tributes, industry panels and education programs.
Over the years, SBIFF has invited numerous potential award-winning celebrities, including Cate Blanchett,[4] Guillermo Del Toro, Laura Dern,[5] Leonardo DiCaprio,[6] Angelina Jolie,[7] Jennifer Lawrence,[8] Heath Ledger,[9] Eddie Redmayne, Martin Scorsese,[10] and Kate Winslet.[11]
In 2006, a third of the festival's slots were dedicated to films by Hispanic filmmakers. Programming categories at that time included Nature films, "surf flicks" and adventure-sports films.[12]
In addition to its annual festival in February, the SBIFF "Cinema Society" hosts programming year round at the Riviera Theater in Santa Barbara.[13][5]
One feature of the film festival is the 10-10-10 competition.[16] Students 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. A selection committee consisting of representatives from each school, Industry professionals and SBIFF representatives select the participants.[17]
The program was extended into a summer camp where area youths from schools and local Boys & Girls Clubs learned filmmaking skills.[18]
