Tag Archive for 'santa barbara international film festival'

SBIFF’s New Dates and New Pass

Published on May 11, 2013 in Cultural Calendar, Film, Recreation and Web Exclusives.

Courtesy of SBIFF

Do you miss the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) already?! No worries! The festival is in it for the long haul, recently announcing the dates for 2014 AND 2015. The 29^th edition will be held Thursday, January 30 through Sunday, February 9, 2014 and the 30^th edition is slotted for Thursday, January 22 through Sunday, February 1, 2015. As the festival grows in size and prestige, it is important for the SBIFF team to plan ahead to ensure quality film entries that we all expect from the festival.

In addition to the standard preparation that goes into this huge event, 2015 promises to boast an even more extravagant festival (and even more planning), seeing as it is SBIFF’s 30^th birthday!

To top off the exciting announcements, SBIFF is also introducing a new way of attending the festival with the Concierge Pass. This pass holds its place between the festival’s Platinum Pass and impressive Private Access Pass. The Concierge Pass will not only come with its own personal concierge service but also reserved seating and priority access to all screenings, tributes and panels.

Although the festival may be a ways away, now is the time to buy tickets—all festival passes are currently on sale and discounted at 25% until June 28!

The SBIFF team has started preparing and so should you! For more information on SBIFF and how to purchased tickets, visit the website.

-Alexis O. Kafkis

Cocktail Corner: Red Carpet Cocktails

Published on February 22, 2013 in Cocktail Corner and Web Exclusives.

Basil Hayden’s Lincoln Manhattan (courtesy photo)

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

The Academy Awards are on Sunday. My money’s on Argo to take home the biggest prize of the night—and firmly cement the Santa Barbara International Film Festival as the must-stop red carpet event to strut your stuff on the way to the Oscars. I’m still marveling at how many Oscar-bound stars made it to the festival this year.

Meanwhile, for those of us who won’t be at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre this weekend, the competition for Oscar-inspired libations is every bit as fierce as the race for Best Picture. Here are some red carpet cocktails to make your home viewing party a hit! Continue reading ‘Cocktail Corner: Red Carpet Cocktails’

Film Feast: A Cinematic and Culinary Experience at Wine Cask

Published on February 1, 2013 in Cultural Calendar, Datebook and Web Exclusives.

Inspiring, eye-opening documentaries; heart-wrenching foreign films; quirky animated film shorts… Whew! Take a break from feasting your eyes on film and satisfy your taste buds. Wine Cask, one of Santa Barbara’s culinary jewels, is offering moviegoers an amazing Film Feast menu! Designed in conjunction with this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the menu is available nightly from 5:30 to 9 p.m., and ends along with the festival on Sunday, February 3.

Photo courtesy of Wine Cask

Wine Cask’s executive chef Brandon Hughes offers a delicious reprieve from film and invites guests along for an indulgent adventure. A three-part meal, the menu features local ingredients prepared especially for the occasion.

Coming in cool with a fresh start, Chef Hughes begins with a local organic roots salad with roasted beets and baby carrots, shaved fennel, crumbled goat cheese and a tarragon emulsion. Following the salad is a poached Santa Barbara Channel black cod prepared with market beans aligote, fresh leek salad, cauliflower velouté and chive oil. And just as the final scene of a movie can sweep you up in emotion or delight, so does Chef Hughes’s dessert: pumpkin spice doughnuts with McConnell’s cinnamon ice cream.

How about a glass of wine and a charming film? Wine lovers and film buffs alike can visit Wine Cask’s more casual next-door neighbor, Intermezzo Bar + Café, to catch the film Sideways. Guests can sip local wines featured in the movie (such as Tantara, Hitching Post and Sea Smoke), as the film’s stars trapeze around Santa Barbara Wine Country. Wine will be paired with Intermezzo’s gourmet flatbreads, which are made from local Santa Barbara ingredients.

For more information about Wine Cask and Intermezzo Bar + Café’s Film Feast offerings, call 805/ 966-9463.

-Grace Piro Delia

Quentin Tarantino Accepts American Riviera Award From SBIFF

Published on January 31, 2013 in Cultural Calendar and Web Exclusives.

I have to admit, I did not know much about Quentin Tarantino until I saw Django Unchained over the holiday season. The movie blew my mind. I left the theater feeling exhilarated and exhausted at the same time—in need of more. The following day, I indulged in a Tarantino marathon, going back in time with Inglorious Basterds, then Pulp Fiction, then all the way back to Reservoir Dogs. I couldn’t believe what I had been missing.

When I learned Tarantino was coming to Santa Barbara for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, I grabbed my wallet and my roommates and headed to the Arlington Theatre.

(Please be advised that some clips may contain strong language.)

The dialogue between Tarantino and LA Times staff writer John Horn was informative, entertaining and down to earth, focusing more on the writing process of films and less on the direction. At times, it was hard to follow the winding thought process behind this creative genius, but I guess that’s what separates him from the rest—or maybe it was just the result of the bottomless margarita in his gold chalice.

He mentioned that, in writing, his problem is never writer’s block, but always in writing too much—aiming to write in a way similar to literature (“maybe bad literature, but literature”). The goal, he said, is to write a story that he would be satisfied just to publish. While writing long hand, he finds himself taking characters in directions where he did not originally intend for them to go, and the best actors (Sam Jackson), he says, play the character best when they know what might have happened if the script went right instead of left.

In addition to the dialogue, the film clips and presentation of the American Riviera Award by Roger Durling made the evening perfect. Durling’s words to Tarantino were heartfelt and summed up what most people in the audience would want to tell Tarantino if they ever got the chance—a little bit of film-geek admiration, and a little bit of “damn, you’re the man.”

For more chances to hear and learn about the film festival’s honorees, head to the Cinema Vanguard Award tribute with Amy Adams tonight at 8 p.m., or snag one of the last tickets to see Jennifer Lawrence win the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award on Saturday, February 2 at 8 p.m., both at the Arlington.

–Colette Taylor

Lights, Camera and a Screenplay: Students Take Over the Film Festival with 10-10-10

Published on January 28, 2013 in Cultural Calendar, Datebook, Recreation and Web Exclusives.

Santa Barbara International Film Festival is chock-full of celebrities, film aficionados, locals and—just as important—student filmmakers and screenwriters. Thanks to the 10-10-10 Student Competition, local high-schoolers and college students can showcase their talents both behind the camera and on the page, sharing festival time with some of their own inspirations and idols.

Students of the 10-10-10 competition

The 10-10-10 Student Competition, now in its tenth year, is composed of both the Student Filmmaking Competition and the Student Screenwriting Competition. As Guy Smith and Michael Stinson (10-10-10 representatives at SBCC and Antioch University, respectively) say, the student competition has “grown into a unique and important part of the film festival.” Out of 42 screenwriting submissions and 46 film making applicants, ten high school students and ten college students (five for each competition) were selected to collaborate on a ten-minute film in the comedy genre, with only one catch: they had to finish it in the ten days of the festival.

The twenty talented and currently very busy students chosen to participate include Genevieve Hatfield (Anacapa School), Blake Benlan (Dos Pueblos High), Ainslee Scott (Dos Pueblos High), Jillian Fisher (San Marcos High), Leanne Sturman (San Marcos High), Gabriella Guillen (SBCC), Mia Bolton (Brooks Institute), Corie Anderson (UCSB), Paula Ersly (UCSB) and Jeffrey Lovelace (Antioch University) for screenwriting, and Patrick Alcerro (Anacapa School), Patrick Hall (Santa Barbara High), Jackson Duneier (Santa Barbara High), Jason Phreaner (San Marcos High), Kendall Weaver (Dos Pueblos High), Kevin Huang (Brooks Institute), Johan Bodell (SBCC), Kit Larson (SBCC), Nick Funk (Brooks Institute) and Ben Goalabre (SBCC) for filmmaking.

Please join us in congratulating these exceptional students for their hard work and dedication, especially with all the work cut out for them over the next six days. A winner from each category will be selected on February 3 after the 1 p.m. screening of all ten films at the Lobero Theatre, and the winning film will be shown at the Closing Night ceremonies at the Arlington Theatre that evening.

Santa Barbara students, taking the world (and Hollywood) by storm! Get your tickets for Closing Night here.

-Taylor Micaela Davis

Daniel Day-Lewis Reflects on Career at SBIFF Fete

Published on January 28, 2013 in Cultural Calendar and Web Exclusives.

Daniel Day-Lewis reflecting on the career and life of Daniel Day-Lewis was every bit as engaging as any character he’s ever played on film (and that’s a very high bar) at Saturday night’s presentation of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival‘s Montecito Award.

Day-Lewis, interviewed by Scott Feinberg of the Hollywood Reporter in front of a packed house at the Arlington Theatre, charmed the audience as he discussed his childhood in England and the teenage delight he found in “… the discovery that there was an alternative universe. And that’s what the theater is—it’s an alternative universe.”

With an incredible resume of memorable film characters to his credit—My Beautiful Laundrette’s Johnny,

There Will Be Blood‘s Daniel Plainview,

My Left Foot‘s Christy Brown,

Gangs of New York‘s Bill “The Butcher” Cutting and most recently, Lincoln‘s Abraham Lincoln,

to name a few—all of which were highlighted in a series of film clips, Day-Lewis maintains that he doesn’t have any kind of grand design or strategy for his career, but rather works when he can’t get a character out of his mind.

“No one’s ever had to sell it to me. Anyone that’s ever had something of value, doesn’t have to sell it. I’d say it’s true of everything I’ve ever done. These directors that have given me these incredible opportunities, they’ve never tried to sell them to me; they didn’t need to,” he says.

And as for his famous long absences between roles, Day-Lewis, who has three sons with his writer/director wife Rebecca Miller, says, “I cannot do the work I love without getting away from it. As much as I love the work is as much as I love to stay away from it. It allows me to come back to it.”

Capping off the evening, Lincoln co-star Sally Field presented Day-Lewis with the Montecito Award, a career nod given for a series of classic performances. She called his deep immersion into his characters “simply astonishing.” She’s right.

We can’t wait to see what this guy does next.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Cocktail Corner: Toasting the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Published on January 25, 2013 in Cocktail Corner, Restaurants, Web Exclusives and Wineries.

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

Even movie stars shine a little brighter when you give them a perfect cocktail. Since the stars will be out in full force this week, here’s where I would take some of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival VIPs out for drinks:

Harry’s (courtesy photo)

Golden Globe winning director Ben Affleck, whose terrific film Argo seems to be the Oscar front runner at the moment, is a down-to-earth guy who would appreciate the local charm and flavor of Harry’s—not to mention the generous drinks. Perhaps after he receives the Modern Master Award on January 25 he’ll join us for a Dirty Martini at Harry’s. Made the old-fashioned way, with Bombay Gin, Dry Vermouth, a splash of olive juice, and a “family of olives,” like Affleck, this drink is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

The Biltmore’s Smoked Maple Manhattan (courtesy photo)

This Saturday night the whole town’s got a date with Daniel Day Lewis when he accepts the Montecito Award on January 26.

Be still my heart.

After years of lusting after Daniel Day Lewis (for his brain, of course, not to mention his smoldering Irish accent) I think its only fitting that before he takes the stage at the Arlington that night we should enjoy an ocean view sunset cocktail together at Four Seasons Resort the Biltmore in Montecito. I think Daniel would appreciate the poetry of a Smoked Maple Manhattan, made with hickory smoked Maker’s Mark bourbon, Bliss maple syrup infused vermouth, shaken straight up and garnished with a brandied cherry or two.

Quentin Tarantino will receive the American Riviera Award on January 30. He’s a great raconteur in any setting, but I think he’d revel in both the view and the cocktails at The Boathouse at Hendry’s Beach, one of Santa Barbara’s loveliest spots for drinks. My personal favorite is the Blood Orange Margarita, made from El Charro 100% Agave Tequila, with fresh blood orange juice, fresh lime, Triple Sec and a splash of sweet and sour, served on the rocks. I also love the Honeycomb Mojito: Myers Platinum Rum with honeycomb simple syrup, a squeeze of lime, mint, and a splash of club soda.

The enchanting Amy Adams is in town next Thursday, January 31, to receive the Cinema Vanguard Award for her work in The Master. This woman’s versatility is amazing. I’ve loved her in everything from serious dramas (Doubt, The Fighter) to lighthearted films (Enchanted, The Trouble With the Curve). I’d take Amy to Kunin Wine Tasting Room on the Urban Wine Trail. I think she’d appreciate the elegance and local flavor of this great spot, as well as a glass of Seth Kunin’s 2007 Santa Barbara County Syrah. Crafted from three different local vineyards, it’s a smoky, spicy taste of Syrah—and Santa Barbara.

Kunin Tasting Room (courtesy photo)

Finally Jennifer Lawrence, who was fabulous in both the Hunger Games and Silver Linings Playbook this year, will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year award on Saturday, February 2. I think she’d enjoy cocktails on the patio at Blush. I have a feeling she’d like one of their fruity fun libations, like the Melted Popsicle (Stoli Raspberry Vodka, Cointreau, fresh oranges, cranberry and lemonade) or Pineapple Smash (Pineapple-infused Skyy Vodka, agave nectar, lime juice, pineapple and jalapeno). Who knows, we might even go ballroom dancing later … when Bradley Cooper shows up.

Seriously, if any of you are reading this—especially Daniel Day Lewis—drinks are on me. Cheers!

Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg, hard at work. Photo by Derek Johnson.

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

SBIFF Stacks Another 15 Films Onto This Year’s Lineup!

Published on January 23, 2013 in Cultural Calendar, Datebook and Web Exclusives.

Already eager for Santa Barbara International Film Festival‘s opening day? Well, there are 15 more reasons to get excited. SBIFF, which begins its two-week cinematic explosion this Thursday, January 24, adds 15 films to the already unbelievable lineup. New additions include three Academy Award nominees, two world premieres and two U.S. Premieres, really stacking the program with back-to-back masterpieces.

South African documentary poster “Angels in Exile”masterpieces.

Michael Albright, SBIFF’s Director of Programming, expresses how the additional films positively impact the festival as a whole. “We’ve added some fantastic new films that broaden the scope of the program and embody the international spirit of the festival.”

Want some details? The added world premieres include films from South Africa and Canada. Angels in Exile, a world premiere film from South Africa, is directed by Billy Raftery and narrated by well-known South African actress Charlize Theron. The film depicts an eight-year journey that strips down the identity of homeless youth and depicts them as the children they are, challenging viewers to reassess their idea of young people living without homes.

Retreat, the world premiere coasting down from Canada, is a documentary directed by David Cherniack. Retreat chronicles the tumultuous journey of 35 Westerners experiencing Alan Wallace’s intense eight-week meditation retreat in Thailand. An unlikely setting for such a group of characters, this documentary shines in its unique set-up.

There are also a handful of films that have never been seen in the states, films from France and India, that constitute the U.S. premieres. Maddened By His Absence (J’enrage de son Absence) is directed by Sandrine Bonnaire and illustrates Jacques’s (William Hurt) struggle to cope with the death of his son while coming to terms with the past. A U.S. premiere hailing from India is Shyamal Uncle Turns Off The Lights, directed by Suman Ghosh. In this film, 80-year-old Kolkata battles indifference and complacency in his fervent quest to turn off the streetlights after sunrise.

Lastly, SBIFF gladly adds three Oscar-nominated films. A Royal Affair (En kongelig affære) is an Academy Award nominee from Denmark/Sweden/Czech Republic/Germany and directed by Nikolaj Arcel. This historical drama follows the outrageous love triangle between a queen, her German doctor and the mad King of Denmark.

How To Survive A Plague, an American documentary, is nominated for Best Documentary. Directed by David France, this documentary focuses on AIDS activist coalitions ACT UP and TAG, showcasing their radical yet crucial initiatives that paved a new path in the fight against HIV in the 1980s and 1990s.

Canadian film War Witch is nominated for an Academy Award as well. Set in Sub-Saharan Africa, the film profiles a 14-year-old girl telling her unborn child the story of her life at war, beginning with her abduction by the rebel army. The film is directed by Kim Nguyen and sure to captivate the entire theatre.

Additional program adds include West Coast premiere from China Beijing Flickers, Romanian/French film Beyond The Hills, Mumbai’s King from India, Italian film Steel, West Coast premiere of Sound City, Canada’s Still Mine, Kazakhstan’s film Student and The Punk Syndrome from Finland/Norway/Sweden.

Beijing Flickers, directed by Yuan Zhang, depicts the story of a soul-broken man who finds comfort in a circle of equally ill-fated comrades. Beyond The Hills, directed by Cristian Mungiu, tells the story of a young Romanian woman bent on finding her childhood friend and releasing her from a remote Romanian monastery. Mumbai’s King, directed by Manjeet Singh, is set in a Mumbai slum and portrays a young boy dealing with his suffering mother and violent father. Italian film Steel, directed by Stefano Mordini, features Anna and Francesca, two teenage girls spending their last summer before high school.

Rock out at the movies! Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters front man and Nirvana‘s drummer, directs his own film, Sound City, in an effort to reestablish the connection between the human condition and the creation of music. Still Mine, directed by Michael McGowan, is a tale of an elderly couple that meets conflict when trying to build their final home in rural New Brunswick. Directed by Darezhan Omirbayev, Student follows a philosophy student who commits a violent crime in Kazakhstan’s ruthless underworld, a contemporary adaptation of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.

The Punk Syndrome, directed by Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi, is all about genre outcast Punk. The mentally challenged members of Pertti Kurikka’s Name Day turn Punk on its head, finding acceptance through the creation of music.

Whew! The festival kicks off on Thursday night! For information about purchasing tickets, as well as a complete schedule of films, click here.

-Grace Piro Delia

Green Tuesday: Tonight’s Eco-Friendly Events

Published on January 22, 2013 in Cultural Calendar, Datebook, nonprofits, Web Exclusives and Wineries.

The farmers’ market isn’t the only thing green this Tuesday. Two organizations are spending their Tuesdays promoting eco and social awareness tonight, with Design Within Reach hosting Green Living with Blu Homes, and LoaTree welcoming Geoff Green from Fund for Santa Barbara to their Santa Barbara Green Drinks event.

Design Within Reach, a modern design store on State Street, introduces the public to Blu Homes, a company specializing in creating easily built and shipped eco-friendly homes. These pop-up homes, amazingly constructed so that they can fold up to be shipped all over, are affordable, LEED-certified and super chic. Representatives from Blu Homes will provide insight into their customizable, modern homes, discussing everything from their environmentally friendly use of steel and wood and their incredible computer software that allows them to map out models of these foldable homes. Questions are encouraged, and a brief design lesson will leave you wishing you could snatch up everything in the shop. Green Living goes from 5—8 p.m., with cocktails and appetizers circulating. Interested? RSVP to mlindstrum@dwr.com.

Down in the Funk Zone, Municipal Winemakers opens its doors for the first Green Drinks event of the year. Geoff Green comes to play with the latest news on the Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Fund for Santa Barbara‘s Social Justice Award for Documentary Film, a prestigious honor awarded to a film striving to contribute to the advancement of social justice. To see what films are nominated and read more info on the award, head here. Green Drinks runs from 6—8 p.m.

Hit the farmers’ market and keep up the green vibe by finishing your Tuesday night at one of these events. Mother Nature will approve.

-Taylor Micaela Davis

Santa Barbara International Film Festival Schedule Announced

Published on January 21, 2013 in Cultural Calendar, Datebook and Web Exclusives.

Past SBIFF Marquee, photo by R. Sapp

The moment is finally here, where we all yank out our day planners and smart phones and pinpoint and plot the precise times that we will plop ourselves into velvety chairs in front of huge screens to witness all the splendor that the Santa Barbara International Film Festival has to offer. With the schedule officially online, it’s time to plan your next two weeks of viewing experiences, starting this Thursday, January 24 and continuing through February 3.

Head here to pick and choose which films will garner your attention (and your critiques), and feel free to rate the films after your viewing. Be sure to check back every few days, as times and films are updated frequently.

For more film festival frenzy, check out our post on the Social Justice Award or this post on the Oscar-nominated people and films waltzing into Santa Barbara in just a few short days.

Tickets for the festival are still available, so be sure to grab them before Thursday’s Opening Night!

-Taylor Micaela Davis

Tag Archive for 'santa barbara international film festival'

SBIFF’s New Dates and New Pass

Cocktail Corner: Red Carpet Cocktails

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

Film Feast: A Cinematic and Culinary Experience at Wine Cask

Quentin Tarantino Accepts American Riviera Award From SBIFF

Lights, Camera and a Screenplay: Students Take Over the Film Festival with 10-10-10

Daniel Day-Lewis Reflects on Career at SBIFF Fete

Cocktail Corner: Toasting the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

SBIFF Stacks Another 15 Films Onto This Year’s Lineup!

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Tag Archive for 'santa barbara international film festival'

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

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