Looking to the Local
for Docs to Watch
A First Peek at Some of the Films
of Special Interest to Santa Barbarans
By Leslie Dinaberg | February 2, 2023
Read all of the stories in our “Locals-Only Sneak Peek at SBIFF” cover here.
We’re just starting to scratch the surface of the treasure trove of films to look forward to at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. A few things to mark your calendars for (with many more to come):
It’s always a treat to see short films on the big screen, and it’s double the entertainment when our friends and neighbors are involved. Among the local highlights to look forward to is the “Turning Trauma Into Resiliency” themed Santa Barbara Shorts 1 program (February 16 at 7:40 p.m. at Fiesta 5; February 18 at 11:40 a.m. at Metro 4) featuring Voces de Old Town Carpinteria, which preserves and bears witness to a small slice of Carpinteria and — as co-producer Leslie A. Westbrook says — “the important and stunningly horrible history through interviews with the living former students from the town’s segregated schools, which lasted until 1947.” The film stars five Carpinterians, including 102-year-old Josephine Villegas and narrator/historian Dr. Jim Campos. Westbrook worked on the film with director Brent Winebrenner and co-producer Suzanne Requejo, whose mother went to Aliso Elementary School when it was segregated.
Also in the “Turning Trauma Into Resiliency” program are: The Golden Cage (a mother and son travel to the Mexican-U.S. border to reunite after decades), directed by Francisco Lopez and Mitchka Saberi; Lamara (ex-rebels in Uganda), directed by Bo Yoon Ha; Telos (entrepreneurs on a wilderness adventure guided by Joshua Johnson), directed by Jesse Hovey; and Waves Apart (a Jewish surfer confronts the anti-Semitic history of the sport), directed by Josh Greene.
Director Gareth Kelly, a frequent Independent contributor, has a short, titled Locals Only: The Big Little Pub, about the fight to save The Press Room. It’s part of the “Community, Art & Connection” themed Santa Barbara Shorts 2 program (February 14 at 7:40 p.m. at Fiesta 5; February 15 at 5:40 p.m. at Metro 4). Also in that program are Bourn Kind (about a street artist), directed by Rachel Myers; This is Not a House (one of the most unique homes in the world), directed by Morgan Neville; and Whale-Roads (whale and ship strikes in the Santa Barbara Channel), directed by Michael Lee, Ethan Takekawa, Meg Kievman, and Emma Holm-Olsen.
S.B.’s own Kathy Ireland and her production company have partnered with the creators of the documentary Anxious Nation to help spread the word about this film about everyday kids and families from different socio-economic groups that are dealing with anxiety. “Anxiety does not discriminate. It impacts the lives of everyone regardless of race, religion, social status, or political affiliation,” states co-director Laura Morton, the author of 21 New York Times bestselling books, who makes her feature directing debut with Anxious Nation. Morton’s daughter is the inspiration for the film. Her co-director is award-winning documentarian Vanessa Roth. The film screens February 12 at 1:20 p.m. at Fiesta 5 (Q&A to follow, featuring Morton and Ireland) and February 14 at 4:20 p.m. at Fiesta 5.
Local literacy advocate Ruth Green is working to get the word out about the documentary The Right to Read, which has its world premiere at SBIFF. She shares that, “On hand at the screening (Feb. 11 at 2:40 p.m. at Metro 4)will be Executive Producer LeVar Burton, who cares deeply about reading and literacy as well as racial justice. Director Jenny Mackenzie will also be there with our protagonist, NAACP activist and former teacher/principal, Kareem Weaver. …we also have TikTok star Oliver James attending the premiere, as well as several California lawmakers who can help to implement education legislation focused on evidenced-based reading instruction.” The Right to Read also screens on February 12 at 11:40 a.m. at Metro 4.
UCSB alum Matthew Mishory’s philanthropy/water science documentary Who are the Marcuses? also looks very compelling. Screening on February 13 at 8:30 a.m. at Metro 4 and on February 15 at 3 p.m. at Metro, the film tells the story of Israel’s historic and primary role in water research, conservation and delivery enhanced by the Marcus family’s half-billion dollar gift in support of efforts at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). “Screening at Santa Barbara is a homecoming for me and a dream come true for the production team,” states Mishory. “The region is both a growing eco-technology hub and fragile coastal ecosystem.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.