Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Location	Santa Barbara, California, United States
Founded	1986; 40 years ago (1986)[1]
Founded by	Phyllis de Picciotto[2]
Most recent	2025
Directors	Roger Durling (Executive Director)[3]
Festival date	Opening: 4 February 2025 (2025-02-04) Closing: 15 February 2025 (2025-02-15)
Language	English
Website	sbiff.org
Current:41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival chronology
2027 2025

TheSanta Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held inSanta Barbara, California in February annually, since 1986. The festival screens 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', includingCate 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]Michelle Yeoh^[11] andKate Winslet.^[12]

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.^[13]

In addition to its annual festival in February, the SBIFF "Cinema Society" hosts programming year round at the Riviera Theater in Santa Barbara.^[14][5]

Sources^[15][16]

• Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence In Film
• Maltin Modern Master Award
• Montecito Award
• Outstanding Performer(s) of the Year Award
• The American Riviera™ Award
• Cinema Vanguard Award
• Virtuosos Award
• Variety Artisans Award
• Arlington Award started in 2024
• The Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema
• The Best International Film Award
• The Nueva Vision Award for the best Spanish/Latin American film
• Best Documentary Film Award
• Bruce Corwin Award for Best Live Action Short Film
• Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animation Short Film
• The Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award
• The Audience Choice Award
• 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking Competition
• 10-10-10 Student Screenwriting Competition

The annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film has been awarded since 2006 to a lifelong contributor to cinema through their work in film industry.^[17] The inaugural award of 2006 was awarded toKirk Douglas himself.^[18]

The award, first named as Modern Master Award was established in 1995 to honor accomplishments of individuals in the motion picture industry for enriching culture. It was re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 to recognize film critic, author and historianLeonard Maltin's long association with the festival.^{[26][27][28][29][30]}

Annette Bening was awarded the inaugural Montecito Award during the 20th annual festiva on January 29, 2005.^[32]

Sources^[33][34]

Sources^[15]

Sources^[37]

Sources^[38][39]

In 2026, the award was renamed as "Hammond Cinema Vanguard Award" after Pete Hammond and Madelyn Hammond, collaborators of the festival.^[40]

The award was established to honor a select group of performers whose standout work in films has elevated them to the center of the national cinematic spotlight.^[41][42]

The Award celebrates outstanding behind‑the‑scenes creators whose artistry and technical skill make films truly come alive. Whether shaping production design, costumes, editing, sound, or visual effects, these professionals build the worlds, textures, and emotional resonance that give film its distinctive magic.

The Award presented byThe Hollywood Reporter, since 2009, is given to the year’s directorial trailblazers to celebrate their contributions to the film world.

Inaugurated in 2024, it is named for the historic venue where all the fest’s annual tributes timed to Oscar season take place. The award honors "an artist who is greatly admired and who has demonstrated an incomparable commitment to film and its craft".^[58]

One feature of the film festival is the 10-10-10 competition.^[59] 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.^[60]

The program was extended into a summer camp where area youths from schools and localBoys & Girls Clubs learned filmmaking skills.^[61]

• Official website
• Santa Barbara Film Commission
• Santa Barbara International Film Festival – A Photoessay by Scott London

• 1986 establishments in California
• Cinema of Southern California
• Culture of Santa Barbara, California
• Film festivals established in 1986
• Film festivals in California
• Organizations based in Santa Barbara County, California
• Organizations established in 1986
• Santa Barbara International Film Festival
• Tourist attractions in Santa Barbara, California

• CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list
• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata