Matt Kettmann

FLOORED BY FILM FEST: Though a fan of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) since 1999, it wasn’t until 2005 that Senior Editor Matt Kettmann took over the hefty job of planning for The Independent’s extensive, three-issue coverage of the 10-day event, an annual task that combines his movie-buff mentality with the ability to simultaneously juggle writers’ assignments, interview requests, screeners, and filmmaker politics. “Preparing for the fest can be stressful,” said Kettmann, who’s already watched more than three dozen films at home to preview SBIFF 2011 and plans to watch many more in the theater with everyone else. “But it’s an enviable burden,” he said. “Who can complain about having to watch movies for a living?” Our coverage starts on here. Cover image by Thatcher Hillegas (see thatcherhillegas.com).