Short Cuts
Julie Christie
Perhaps best known for her role as Lara Antipova in the 1965 movie Doctor Zhivago, British actress Julie Christie is back in the limelight with her Golden Globe-winning portrayal of a woman battling Alzheimer’s in Away From Her. Christie will chat with film critic Leonard Maltin about her career during a Tribute to Julie Christie on Friday, January 25, at 8 p.m., at the Lobero Theatre.
Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling turned in award-winning performances as a Jewish white supremacist (The Believer) and a heroin-addicted teacher (Half Nelson). Now there’s his heart-rending portrayal of a painfully shy, emotionally wounded man who finds solace in a life-sized doll. Lars and the Real Girl confirms Gosling’s standing as a brilliant, multifaceted actor. He will be given the Independent Award and discuss his work with Entertainment Weekly’s Sean Smith on Tuesday, January 29, at 8 p.m., at the Lobero Theatre. For The Indy’s interview with Gosling, see independent.com/gosling.
The 10-10-10 Battle Royale
In the days to come, watch for kids with digital cameras all around town. They’re participants in SBIFF’s annual 10-10-10 student filmmaking competition, where 10 students are given 10 days to shoot a 10-minute film. The filmmaking contest comes on the heels of the 10-10-10 screenwriting contest, which pitted 10 Santa Barbara students from high school and college against each other in a 10-page script showdown. Winners will be announced and screened at the Closing Night ceremony on Sunday, February 3, at 6 p.m., at the Arlington Theatre.
Downtown Discounts
Even the most dedicated film geeks need to eat at some point in the day, and thanks to the Downtown Organization, they can do so on the cheap. The DO is passing out coupon booklets throughout the festival, with great discounts at State Street’s popular restaurants and retailers. Better yet, the proceeds this year will go to the Santa Barbara Firefighters Alliance. See SantaBarbaraDowntown.com or call 962-2098.
Apple Box Free Family Fest for Kids
Forget weekend morning cartoons during SBIFF. Instead, take your kids to the movies on the upcoming Saturday and Sunday mornings, January 26-27 and February 2-3, for films aimed at children between the ages of 2 and 15, which will screen simultaneously each weekend morning starting at 9:30 a.m. This year’s offerings include The Hairy Tooth Fairy, about losing a tooth; A Plumm Summer, about the FBI’s search for a missing puppet; All Roads Lead Home, Peter Boyle’s final homage to growing up; and a series of shorts on Saturday, February 2. There are also two from Santa Barbara: The Wheels on the Bus: Mango’s Big Dog Parade and the world premiere of Mark Stouffer’s Diamond Dog Caper. It’s totally free, but first-come, first-served. See sbiff.org for more details.
And the Winners Are :
There’s a slew of award categories for SBIFF’s various films, and most-such as best foreign, independent, documentary, and animated films-are judged by a jury of industry experts, namely jury chair Dave Stein; UCSB grad/animator Don Hertzfeldt; actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (House of Sand & Fog); producer Ron Yerxa (Little Miss Sunshine); writers Mark Fergus Hawk Ostby (Children of Men); actor Anthony Zerbe (The Matrix Reloaded); actress/director/writer Domenica Cameron-Scorsese; director of the Mill Valley Film Festival Mark Fishkin; and producer Clark Peterson (Monster). But watch out for two other, arguably more meaningful, awards: the Audience Choice Award (proudly sponsored by The Independent), which is the result of tallied votes from you, the film-goer; and the Fund for Santa Barbara’s Social Justice Award, which selects the best social justice doc. There’s a nominating reception for that award-free to Platinum Pass holders, $25 for others-at the Frameworks Gallery on Sunday, January 27, from 4-6 p.m. Call 962-9164 for tickets to that.
