SBIFF Celebration of Cinema Continues

There has never been a more apt adage than “the show must go on” regarding this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF). Coming on the heels of two distressing and tragic months, the 10-day cinema celebration has given the community something to rally around that offers joy, conversation, and fantastic films.

The first week saw The Arlington Theater lit up nightly with actors being awarded for exceptional screen work, including Willem Dafoe, Gary Oldman, Saoirse Ronan, and the wonderful slate of Virtuosos, Mary J. Blige, Timothée Chalamet, John Boyega, Daniel Kaluuya, Kumail Nanjiani, and Hong Chau (Gal Gadot had the flu and wasn’t able to make it). Festivalgoers were also treated to engaging discussions from folks who work behind the scenes in Hollywood — screenwriters, producers, cinematographers, costumers, hair and makeup artists, and more. And, of course, there were so many movies to see.

Heading into the last, long weekend of events, there is still plenty to do, including free programs such as filmmaker seminars, a screening of Coco, the 10-10-10 student competition, and daily movies, including Breath and Guerrero.

Read on to find out more about what’s happened so far and what’s to come.

• SBIFF 2018 So Far: Tributes, Panels, and Films Light Up the City
• SBIFF’s 10-10-10 Competitors Meet Multiple Challenges: The Fire and Its Aftermath Made This Year’s Competition Special