Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California in February annually, since 1986. The festival screens over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF also includes celebrity tributes, industry panels and education programs.

History
Over the years, SBIFF has invited numerous 'potential award-winning celebrities', including Cate Blanchett, Guillermo Del Toro, Laura Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Lawrence, Heath Ledger, Eddie Redmayne, Martin Scorsese, Michelle Yeoh  and Kate Winslet.

In 2006, a third of the festival's slots were dedicated to films by Hispanic filmmakers. Programming categories at that time included Nature films, "surf flicks" and adventure-sports films.

In addition to its annual festival in February, the SBIFF "Cinema Society" hosts programming year round at the Riviera Theater in Santa Barbara.

Awards
Sources


 * Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence In Film
 * Maltin Modern Master Award
 * Montecito Award
 * Outstanding Performer(s) of the Year Award
 * The American Riviera™ Award
 * Cinema Vanguard Award
 * Virtuosos Award
 * Variety Artisans Award
 * Arlington Award started in 2024
 * The Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema
 * The Best International Film Award
 * The Nueva Vision Award for the best Spanish/Latin American film
 * Best Documentary Film Award
 * Bruce Corwin Award for Best Live Action Short Film
 * Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animation Short Film
 * The Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award
 * The Audience Choice Award
 * 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking Competition
 * 10-10-10 Student Screenwriting Competition

Kirk Douglas Award
The annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film has been awarded since 2006 to a lifelong contributor to cinema through their work in film industry. The inaugural award of 2006 was awarded to Kirk Douglas himself in Santa Barbara International Film Festival's fundraiser ceremony at Goleta, California.
 * 2007: Kirk Douglas
 * 2008: John Travolta
 * 2009: Ed Harris
 * 2010: Quentin Tarantino
 * 2011: Harrison Ford
 * 2012: Michael Douglas
 * 2013: Robert De Niro
 * 2014: Forest Whitaker
 * 2015: Jessica Lange
 * 2016: Jane Fonda
 * 2017: Warren Beatty
 * 2018: Dame Judi Dench
 * 2019: Hugh Jackman
 * 2020: Martin Scorsese
 * 2023: Michelle Yeoh
 * 2024: Ryan Gosling

Maltin Modern Master Award
The award, first named as Modern Master Award was established in 1995 to honor accomplishments of individuals in the motion picture industry for enriching culture. It was re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 to recognize film critic, author and historian Leonard Maltin's long association with the festival.


 * 1995: Michael Douglas
 * 1997: Jodie Foster
 * 2000: Anthony Hopkins
 * 2001: Diane Keaton
 * 2004: Peter Jackson
 * 2006: George Clooney
 * 2007: Will Smith
 * 2008: Cate Blanchett
 * 2009: Clint Eastwood
 * 2010: James Cameron
 * 2011: Christopher Nolan
 * 2012: Christopher Plummer
 * 2013: Ben Affleck
 * 2014: Bruce Dern
 * 2015: Michael Keaton
 * 2016: Johnny Depp
 * 2017: Denzel Washington
 * 2018: Gary Oldman
 * 2019: Glenn Close
 * 2020: Brad Pitt
 * 2021: Bill Murray
 * 2022: Nicole Kidman
 * 2022: Javier Bardem
 * 2023: Jamie Lee Curtis
 * 2024: Robert Downey Jr.

Montecito Award
Annette Bening was awarded the inaugural Montecito Award during the 20th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival in Santa Barbara on January 29, 2005.

Sources


 * 2005 : Annette Bening
 * 2006 : Naomi Watts
 * 2007 : Bill Condon
 * 2008 : Javier Bardem
 * 2009 : Kate Winslet
 * 2010 : Julianne Moore
 * 2011 : Geoffrey Rush
 * 2013 : Daniel Day-Lewis
 * 2014 : Oprah Winfrey
 * 2015 : Jennifer Aniston
 * 2016 : Sylvester Stallone
 * 2017 : Isabelle Huppert
 * 2018 : Saoirse Ronan
 * 2019 : Melissa McCarthy
 * 2020 : Lupita Nyong'o
 * 2021 : Amanda Seyfried
 * 2022 : Penélope Cruz
 * 2023 : Angela Bassett
 * 2024 : Jeffrey Wright

Outstanding Performer(s) of the Year Award
Sources
 * 2004 : Charlize Theron for The Italian Job and Monster
 * 2005 : Kate Winslet for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Finding Neverland
 * 2006 : Heath Ledger for Brokeback Mountain
 * 2007 : Helen Mirren for The Queen
 * 2008 : Angelina Jolie for A Mighty Heart
 * 2009 : Penélope Cruz for Elegy and Vicky Cristina Barcelona
 * 2010 : Colin Firth for A Single Man
 * 2011 : James Franco for 127 Hours
 * 2012 : Viola Davis for The Help
 * 2013 : Jennifer Lawrence for Silver Linings Playbook and The Hunger Games
 * 2014 : Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
 * 2015 : Steve Carell for Foxcatcher
 * 2016 : Brie Larson for Room & Saoirse Ronan for Brooklyn
 * 2017 : Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone for La La Land
 * 2018 : Allison Janney & Margot Robbie for I, Tonya
 * 2019 : Rami Malek for Bohemian Rhapsody
 * 2020 : Adam Driver & Scarlett Johansson for Marriage Story
 * 2021 : Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and The Trial of the Chicago 7
 * 2022 : Will Smith & Aunjanue Ellis for'' King Richard
 * 2023 : Cate Blanchett for Tár
 * 2024 : Bradley Cooper for Maestro

American Riviera Award
Sources


 * 2004 : Diane Lane
 * 2005 : Kevin Bacon
 * 2006 : Philip Seymour Hoffman
 * 2007 : Forest Whitaker
 * 2008 : Tommy Lee Jones
 * 2009 : Mickey Rourke
 * 2010 : Sandra Bullock
 * 2011 : Annette Bening
 * 2012 : Martin Scorsese
 * 2013 : Quentin Tarantino
 * 2014 : Robert Redford
 * 2015 : Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke
 * 2016 : Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo
 * 2017 : Jeff Bridges
 * 2018 : Sam Rockwell
 * 2019 : Viggo Mortensen
 * 2020 : Renée Zellweger
 * 2021 : Delroy Lindo
 * 2022 : Kristen Stewart
 * 2023 : Brendan Fraser
 * 2024 : Mark Ruffalo

Cinema Vanguard Award
Sources


 * 2024 – Paul Giamatti
 * 2023 – Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson
 * 2022 – Benedict Cumberbatch
 * 2021 – Carey Mulligan
 * 2020 – Laura Dern
 * 2019 – Michael B. Jordan
 * 2018 – Willem Dafoe
 * 2017 – Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams
 * 2016 – Rooney Mara
 * 2015 – Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones
 * 2014 – Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio
 * 2013 – Amy Adams
 * 2012 – Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo
 * 2011 – Nicole Kidman
 * 2010 – Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Stanley Tucci, and Christoph Waltz
 * 2009 – Kristin Scott Thomas
 * 2008 – Ryan Gosling

Virtuosos Award
Sources


 * 2024 – Lily Gladstone, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Greta Lee, Charles Melton, Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, America Ferrera, and Andrew Scott
 * 2023 – Austin Butler (Elvis), Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin), Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Nina Hoss (Tár), Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Jeremy Pope (The Inspection), Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Jeremy Strong (Armageddon Time)
 * 2022 – Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Ariana DeBose (West Side Story), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), Emilia Jones (CODA), Troy Kotsur (CODA), Simon Rex (Red Rocket), and Saniyya Sidney (King Richard)
 * 2021 – Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal), Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Kingsley Ben-Adir (One Night in Miami...), Andra Day (The United States vs. Billie Holiday), Sidney Flanigan (Never Rarely Sometimes Always), Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman), Tahar Rahim (The Mauritanian), and Zendaya (Malcolm & Marie)
 * 2020 – Awkwafina (The Farewell), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Cynthia Erivo (Harriet), Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart), Aldis Hodge(Clemency), George MacKay (1917), Florence Pugh (Midsommar), and Taylor Russell (Waves)
 * 2019 – Yalitza Aparicio (Roma), Sam Elliott (A Star is Born), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade), Claire Foy (First Man), Richard E. Grant (Can You Ever Forgive Me?), Thomasin McKenzie (Leave No Trace), John David Washington (BlacKkKlansman), and Steven Yeun (Burning)
 * 2018 – Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Hong Chau (Downsizing), John Boyega (Detroit), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), and Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name)
 * 2017 – Aaron Taylor Johnson, Dev Patel, Janelle Monáe, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Ruth Negga, Simon Helberg, and Stephen McKinley Henderson
 * 2016 – Elizabeth Banks, Paul Dano, Joel Edgerton, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Géza Röhrig, Jacob Tremblay, and Alicia Vikander
 * 2015 – Chadwick Boseman, Ellar Coltrane, Logan Lerman, David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, J.K. Simmons, and Jenny Slate
 * 2014 – Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, Jared Leto, and June Squibb
 * 2013 – Ann Dowd, Elle Fanning, Ezra Miller, Eddie Redmayne, Omar Sy, and Quvenzhané Wallis
 * 2012 – Demian Bichir, Rooney Mara, Shailene Woodley, Andy Serkis, and Patton Oswalt
 * 2011 – John Hawkes, Lesley Manville, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jacki Weaver
 * 2010 – Emily Blunt, Carey Mulligan, Saoirse Ronan, Gabourey Sidibe, and Michael Stuhlbarg
 * 2009 – Viola Davis, Rosemarie DeWitt, Richard Jenkins, Melissa Leo, and Michael Shannon
 * 2008 – Casey Affleck, Marion Cotillard, James McAvoy, Elliot Page and Amy Ryan

Variety Artisans Award
Sources:

2024


 * Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell – Songwriter – Barbie
 * Stephane Ceretti – VFX – Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
 * Ludwig Göransson – Composer – Oppenheimer
 * Sarah Greenwood/ Katie Spencer – Production Designer – Barbie
 * Kazu Hiro – Hairstyling/Makeup – Maestro
 * Jennifer Lame – Editor – Oppenheimer
 * Rodrigo Prieto – Cinematography – Killers of the Flower Moon
 * Michael Semanick – Re-recording Mixer – Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
 * Holly Waddington – Costume Designer – Poor Things

2023


 * M. M. Keeravani – Songwriter – RRR
 * Frank Kruse – Sound Designer – All Quiet on the Western Front
 * Son Lux – Composer – Everything Everywhere All at Once
 * Catherine Martin – Costume Designer – Elvis
 * Florencia Martin – Production Designer – Babylon
 * Claudio Miranda – Cinematography – Top Gun: Maverick
 * Adrien Morot – Hairstyling/Make Up The Whale
 * Paul Rogers – Editing – Everything Everywhere All at Once
 * Eric Saindon – VFX – Avatar: The Way of Water

2022


 * Frederic Aspiras and Göran Lundström for makeup and hairstyling in House of Gucci
 * Tamara Deverell for production design in Nightmare Alley
 * Germaine Franco for score in Encanto
 * Greig Fraser for cinematography in Dune
 * Lin-Manuel Miranda for song in Encanto
 * Paul Massey for sound in No Time to Die
 * Kelly Port for visual effects in Spider-Man: No Way Home
 * Peter Sciberras for editing in The Power of the Dog
 * Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan for costume design in Dune

2021


 * Alan Baumgarten (The Trial of the Chicago 7 – Editing)
 * Nicolas Becker (Sound of Metal – Sound)
 * Alexandra Byrne (Emma – Costume Design)
 * Sean Faden (Mulan – VFX)
 * Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale (Mank – Production Design)
 * Mia Neal (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom – Hair/Makeup)
 * Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth (One Night in Miami – Original Song)
 * Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (Mank and Soul – Original Score)
 * Joshua James Richards (Nomadland – Cinematography)

2020


 * Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez – Songwriting – FROZEN 2
 * Michael Giacchino – Composing – JOJO RABBIT
 * Kazu Hiro – Makeup/Hairstyling – BOMBSHELL
 * Barbara Ling – Production Design – ONCE UPON A TIME… IN HOLLYWOOD
 * Steve Morrow – Sound Mixing – FORD V. FERRARI
 * Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell – Costume Design – THE IRISHMAN
 * Lawrence Sher – Cinematography – JOKER
 * Lee Smith – Editing – 1917
 * Adam Valdez – VFX – THE LION KING

2019


 * Barry Alexander Brown – Editing – BlackKklansman
 * Ruth Carter – Costume Design – Black Panther
 * Fiona Crombie – Production Design – The Favourite
 * Lukasz Zal – Cinematography – Cold War
 * Patricia Dehaney – Hair/Make-Up – Vice
 * Marc Shaiman – Score – Mary Poppins Returns
 * Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and Jose Antonio Garcia – Sound Mixing – Roma
 * Sergio Diaz and Skip Lievsay – Sound Editing – Roma

Outstanding Directors of the Year
Sources:


 * 2024 – Martin Scorsese (Killers of the Flower Moon) and Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall)
 * 2023 – Todd Field (Tár) and Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin)
 * 2022 – Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza), Kenneth Branagh (Belfast), Jane Campion (The Power of the Dog), Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car), and Steven Spielberg (West Side Story)
 * 2021 – Chloé Zhao (Nomadland), David Fincher (Mank), Lee Isaac Chung (Minari), and Thomas Vinterberg (Another Round)
 * 2020 – Bong Joon-ho Parasite
 * 2019 – Alfonso Cuaron (Roma), Yorgos Lanthimos (The Favourite), Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman), Adam McKay (Vice), and Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War)

Arlington Award
Inaugurated in 2024, it is named for the historic venue where all the fest’s annual tributes timed to Oscar season take place. The award honors "an artist who is greatly admired and who has demonstrated an incomparable commitment to film and its craft".


 * 2024 – Annette Bening

10-10-10 Student Film Competition
One feature of the film festival is the 10-10-10 competition. Students enrolled at Santa Barbara area high schools and colleges are invited to submit either a 10-page sample of writing for the Screenwriting portion of the competition, or a five-minute sample of their best filmmaking efforts for the directing portion. Ten writers are selected to write one 10-minute script each; the scripts are then matched with the ten filmmakers. Those students then have ten days to shoot and edit the completed ten-minute short film, during the ten days of the festival. Films are screened and winners are announced on closing night. A selection committee consisting of representatives from each school, Industry professionals and SBIFF representatives select the participants.

The program was extended into a summer camp where area youths from schools and local Boys & Girls Clubs learned filmmaking skills.