Feast Your Eyes on All That Santa Barbara International Film Festival Has to Offer

SBIFF’s Fabulous Films, Starry Tributes, Excellent Panels, Educational Programs, and More — All Taking Place February 7-17

The 2024 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Poster designed by Angela Perko | Photo: Courtesy

The big-name stars (at least the majority of them) have been announced, the movie selections have been made (with a whopping 45 world premieres and 77 U.S. premieres from 48 countries), and the gorgeous surrealist-influenced poster (by our August 11, 2022, featured cover artist Angela Perko) is popping up all over town. It’s safe to say that the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) looks like another terrific one!

It has been aptly described by SBIFF Programming Director Claudia Puig as a “wonderfully eclectic program this year,” with special attention being paid to including a diversity of perspectives. “We are especially proud that half of our slate of films are directed by women, and a large percentage by under-represented filmmakers. We know there will be something for everyone at our festival — and likely quite a lot for most. Nearly three-quarters of the films we’re showcasing have never been seen before in the U.S. We’re excited to introduce these films to audiences and thrilled that filmmakers from nearly every continent will be on hand to meet those attending SBIFF, and share in the communal love of film.”

Opening Night Film: Madu

That sharing of the moviegoing experience of SBIFF starts on Wednesday, February 7, at 8 p.m. with the world premiere of the international dance-themed documentary Madu. Co-directors Matt Ogens and Joel Kachi Benson will be at the Arlington for the debut of their film about 12-year-old Anthony Madu, who, after becoming a viral Internet sensation after a video showed him dancing ballet barefoot on a rainy street outside Lagos, goes from practicing barefoot on the streets to leaving his home in Nigeria to study at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world, where he finds himself thrust into a new world where his wildest dream is suddenly within reach.

The Festival Films

The rest of the films begin screening at 8 a.m. the next morning, February 8, primarily at the Metro 4 and Fiesta 5 theaters, along with daily free screenings at 2 p.m. at The Arlington Theatre (visit sbiff.org; here’s the schedule grid; or use the SBIFF app to keep track of all the films as well as updates to the program throughout the festival). The app is a great way to keep track of the movies you want to see, as well as additional screenings, which are added often, with particular attention given to popular films. Directors, producers, and actors often attend screenings as well, so it’s worth your while to make the time to hang out for Q&As afterward if you can.

Outstanding Performer of the Year Award: Bradley Cooper

The first tribute of the festival is Bradley Cooper, who will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award on Thursday, February 8, at 8 p.m. at the Arlington, where all of the tributes will be held. The director and star of Maestro, about the life of the great Leonard Bernstein, is a 12-time Oscar nominee — he just received three nominations this year for Best Actor, Best Picture, and Best Original Screenplay for Maestro. A Star Is Born was Cooper’s directorial debut — he co-wrote, produced, starred in, and directed it — and he will be interviewed on stage by Pete Hammond, the Awards Columnist and a film critic for Deadline, the evening’s sponsor.

Bradley Cooper in ‘Maestro’ | Photo: Netflix

Maltin Modern Master Award: Robert Downey Jr.

Three-time Academy Award nominee (including a Best Supporting Actor nod for Oppenheimer) and Golden Globe winner Robert Downey Jr. (whom the younger set adores as Iron Man) will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award on Friday, February 9. This prestigious award, presented by the Manitou Fund, is SBIFF’s highest accolade. Downey will be interviewed on stage by legendary film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, for whom the award is named.

“Robert Downey Jr. has staged one of the most spectacular second acts in show business history … and we in the audience are the beneficiaries. He commands the screen without any visible effort, which is perhaps the greatest feat of all,” said Maltin of Downey’s five-decade acting career. Downey’s most recent on-screen appearance was as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s global blockbuster Oppenheimer.

Virtuosos Award

One of my favorite festival evenings is always the Virtuosos Award, which recognizes a wide range of breakout performances. Affable television journalist Dave Karger does an excellent job with individual interviews of each honoree, followed by a high-energy panel discussion with the whole group. This year’s lineup, on Saturday, February 10, at 8 p.m., includes Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple, which she just received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for), Colman Domingo (The Color Purple and Rustin, which he just received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for), America Ferrera (Barbie, which she just received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon, which she just received a Best Actress Academy Award nomination for), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Charles Melton (May December), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers, which she just received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for), and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers).

Variety Artisans Award

The Variety Artisans Award, taking place on Sunday, February 11, at 11 a.m. has a super impressive group this year. Honorees include:

Stephane Ceretti – VFX – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Academy Award nominee)

Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell – Songwriter – Barbie (Academy Award nominee)

Ludwig Göransson – Composer – Oppenheimer (Academy Award nominee)

Sarah Greenwood/Katie Spencer – Production Designer – Barbie (Academy Award nominee)

Kazu Hiro – Hairstyling/Makeup – Maestro (Academy Award nominee)

Jennifer Lame – Editor – Oppenheimer (Academy Award nominee)

Rodrigo Prieto – Cinematography – Killers of the Flower Moon (Academy Award nominee)

Michael Semanick – Re-Recording Mixer – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Holly Waddington – Costume Designer – Poor Things (Academy Award nominee)

American Riviera Award: Mark Ruffalo

That same evening, Sunday, February 11, at 8 p.m., Mark Ruffalo will be honored with the American Riviera Award. Ruffalo co-stars in Yorgos Lanthimos’s film Poor Things and will be seen later this year in Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17. In addition to his Academy Award nominations for his roles in Spotlight, Foxcatcher, The Kids Are All Right, and the just-announced 2023 Best Supporting Actor nomination for Poor Things, Ruffalo is also respected for his environmental and social justice activism.

“Ruffalo has been such a remarkable performer for years — deserving all the honors year after year — but his go-for-broke acting in Poor Thing is a revelation,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. “An extraordinary talent that just keeps outdoing himself.”

Outstanding Directors of the Year Award

Still to be announced are the recipients of the Outstanding Directors of the Year Award, which takes place on Monday, February 12, at 8 p.m. This award is given to a director or directors not afraid to push the envelope in the cinematic world. Past recipients include Steven Spielberg, Paul Thomas Anderson, Spike Lee, Christopher Nolan, Adam McKay, and Kathryn Bigelow, among many others.

Writers Panel

Also still to be announced is the consistently excellent Writers Panel, which takes place on Tuesday, February 13, at 8 p.m. Last year’s “Super Bowl of SBIFF panels” included Academy Award–nominated writers Kazuo Ishiguro (Living), Rian Johnson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Tony Kushner (The Fabelmans), Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness), Lesley Paterson (All Quiet on the Western Front), Sarah Polley (Women Talking), Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin), and Todd Field (Tár). The bar is high for this one.

Montecito Award: Jeffrey Wright

Jeffrey Wright, the oh-so-talented and just Oscar nominated star of American Fiction, will be honored with the Montecito Award on Thursday, February 15 at 8 p.m. Wright is a Tony, Emmy, AFI, and Golden Globe Award–winning actor who has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning the worlds of theater, film, and television, including a critically acclaimed role in Westworld, as well as this year’s ensemble film by West Anderson, Asteroid City. Durling will moderate a discussion with the actor.

Cinema Vanguard Award

The announcement of this award, including when it will take place, is still pending. The award primarily honors actors who have forged new ground in their craft, and previous winners include Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Carey Mulligan, Laura Dern, Michael B. Jordan, Willem Dafoe, Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, Rooney Mara, Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones, Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams, Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo, Nicole Kidman, Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Stanley Tucci, and Christoph Waltz, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Ryan Gosling, who recently received the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film from SBIFF (see my story here).

The Panels

The film industry panels at SBIFF are always chock-full of smart, interesting storytellers, including many Oscar contenders. In addition to the Writers Panel discussed above, also returning are the annual Producers, Women’s, and International panels. All panels will be in person at the historic Arlington with panelists, dates, and times still to be announced.

Closing Night Film: Chosen Family

The World Premiere of Chosen Family — a film directed by Heather Graham about a yoga teacher who is trying to find her inner peace despite what the logline describes as “having a manic family, a miserable dating life, and an inability to say no that keeps her busy trying to fix everyone else’s problems” — will close the festival on Saturday February 17 at 8 p.m. Graham and her stars Julia Stiles, Thomas Lennon, and Michael Gross will all attend the event.

Director and Actor Heather Graham in ‘Chosen Family,’ the Closing Night Film | Photo: Courtesy

We’ll have plenty more coverage of individual films and filmmakers, as well as the numerous educational programs and free community offerings from SBIFF in the weeks to come, so stay tuned for updates. Meanwhile, passes and tickets for events are now available here.