El Encanto Celebrates Cinematic Arts with New Speaker Series

From Page to Silver Screen Begins February 7 with Stephen Cornwell

Stephen Cornwell | Photo: Courtesy

Poster for ‘A Most Wanted Man’ | Photo: Courtesy

An expert at breathing life into the big screen, Ink Factory filmmaker Stephen Cornwell will be speaking at El Encanto to kick off the From Page to Silver Screen speaker series. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the hotel is hosting its Cinematic Celebrations program, where attendees can engage in discussion and a Q&A with notable figures in the film world. Cornwell, who is the son of spy novelist John Le Carré, will be speaking on February 7 from 10 a.m. to noon in conversation with award-winning journalist and author Andrew Gumbel. Cornwell will be discussing his work adapting Le Carré’s works for film and television series.

“It’s always a question with adaptation, how you find those stories and characters in adaptive contexts,” Cornwell said. But his attention to detail and care in bringing stories from page to screen has translated well. He has seen major success in various Le Carré adaptations, including The Little Drummer Girl, A Most Wanted Man, and The Night Manager, with the last being edited for the release of its second season.

From directing, producing, screenwriting, and more, Cornwell’s filmmaking journey began in his undergraduate years where he studied media, design, and photography in London. His time working as a student photojournalist allowed him to travel around the world, sparking his curiosity and interest in filmmaking. From there he studied film as a graduate student at the University of Southern California and began his journey directing, then some screenwriting, and now he is also producing.

Along with his brother Simon, they founded the Ink Factory in 2010, an independent studio that’s had global reach. Tackling adaptations felt like a natural next step for the brothers, who brought their individual expertise to the table.

“Working with my dad was always challenging, and I say that in a good way because he was always focused on doing the very best that could be done,” Cornwell said. But it made the experience all the more rewarding and interesting for him as a writer and producer. “The way to [create the adaptation] was to really empower that process rather than try to control it,” he said.

Posters for ‘The Night Manager’ and ‘The Little Drummer Girl’ | Credit: Courtesy

Cornwell recalled a note that his father had slipped into his pocket after a screening of one of his projects that read, “I hate to admit it, but it’s really good.”

Looking for and maintaining a sense of interest is the foundation for Cornwell’s golden rule of filmmaking. He explained, “Cinema is a very visceral experience. And with television, you need to keep earning the interest of the audience.” His emphasis on seeking out “what’s interesting” has led to more collaborations with international filmmakers. In 2023, a Hindi adaptation of The Night Manager was released, making it Cornwell’s first project in a different language.

For Cornwell, this path of continuing to seek something new and interesting continues to lead him to discovering and thinking about new things.

“[I see] story as a unifier in a world of increasing untruth and distorted truth,” Cornwell reflected on his filmmaking journey. “Fiction is often where we’re going to find the truth and what holds up the mirror.”

He expressed his enthusiasm to come to Santa Barbara both as a speaker and a filmmaker. “I think SBIFF has done an amazing job bringing an exceptional range of filmmakers and projects into the Santa Barbara community. It’s become a place where people can celebrate in a creative rather than commercial way.”

More information about the From Page to Silver Screen speaker series can be found here along with the admission tickets.