Ojai Film Festival Fun

The Ojai Film Festival, taking place November 2-6, has quite a few elements that are of special interest to Santa Barbara, starting with the free opening-night festivities at Libbey Bowl, where music by Santa Barbara’s own Spencer the Gardener welcomes patrons starting at 5:30 p.m. That will be followed by Diane Ladd (who appeared with her daughter Laura Dern in a special UCSB Arts & Lectures event last spring) accepting the 2023 Distinguished Artist Award at 6:30 p.m., accompanied by a screening of her latest film Isle of Hope and followed by a Q&A. 

The festival then moves to the Ojai Art Center for the next four days, November 3-6, for a program featuring 86 short and long films, including narratives, documentaries, and animations, plus seminars. Among those documentaries is More than Just a Party Band, which tells the story of Santa Barbara’s beloved troubadour Spencer Barnitz (a k a Spencer the Gardener). Screening November 6 at 7 p.m., the film headlines the close of the live component on the Ojai Film Festival and features familiar faces and new stories from folks like Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket), Marko DeSantis (Sugarcult), and Brad Nack (artist and member of The Tan), as well as the Independent’s own Josef Woodard and Matt Kettmann (who even had Barnitz’s The Wedding Band play at his own wedding). 

In addition to film screenings, panels include Luis Ramón Quintero, a director, writer and producer from Pacoima, leading a dialogue about Latin filmmakers in America on November 4 at 4 p.m.

Online streaming of films begins Tuesday, November 7. While the virtual festival takes place in cyberspace until November 19, some live events will continue in Ojai. For complete information and the schedule, see ojaifilmfestival.com.