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Santa Barbara International Film Festival facts for kids

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Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Sbiff logo.jpg
Location Santa Barbara, California, United States
Founded 1986
Language English

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a super cool event that happens every year in Santa Barbara, California. It's a film festival, which means it's a big celebration of movies! For eleven days, people get to watch over 200 films from all over the world.

Besides showing movies, the festival also has special events. You can see famous actors and filmmakers honored. There are also talks where experts share their knowledge. Plus, there are programs to help people learn more about making films.

How the Festival Started and Grew

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival began in 1986. Over the years, it has changed and grown a lot.

When Roger Durling became the head of the festival in 2002, not many people were coming. He noticed that another big film festival, the Sundance Film Festival, was very popular in January. So, he decided to move the Santa Barbara festival to late January.

Roger Durling thought that if the festival happened just before the Academy Awards (the Oscars), famous actors who might win awards would come. This would give audiences a chance to see them up close! Many big stars have visited SBIFF, like Cate Blanchett, Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Angelina Jolie.

Why the Festival is Important

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival wants to show movies made by independent filmmakers. These are people who make films outside of big Hollywood studios. The festival also likes to show films from different cultures.

For example, Roger Durling once made sure that one-third of the festival's movies were by Hispanic filmmakers. This was to better represent the Latino community in the area. He also added nature films, even though he joked they made him sleepy! But, he knew they brought in a lot of people.

Later, he added movies about surfing and adventure sports. These films attracted many young college students. Durling believes that film festivals should be for everyone, not just a small group. He said, "It should be like a candy store. Anyone should be able to walk in and grab whatever they want."

The festival has also honored many independent filmmakers. The organizers say that some of these honorees might not be the most famous stars. However, they have all made huge contributions to the movie world.

Awards Given at the Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival gives out many different awards. Here are some of them:

  • Maltin Modern Master Award
  • Montecito Award
  • Outstanding Performer(s) of the Year Award
  • The American Riviera™ Award
  • Cinema Vanguard Award
  • Virtuosos Award
  • 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

Montecito Award Winners

This award honors actors who have given amazing performances in their careers.

Outstanding Performer(s) of the Year Award Winners

This award celebrates actors for their incredible work in specific movies.

American Riviera Award Winners

This award recognizes actors who have made a significant impact on American cinema.

The 10-10-10 Student Film Competition

A really cool part of the festival is the 10-10-10 competition for students! High school and college students from the Santa Barbara area can join.

Students can either submit a 10-page writing sample for screenwriting. Or, they can submit a five-minute video of their best filmmaking work for directing. Ten writers are chosen to write a 10-minute script each. These scripts are then given to ten filmmakers.

These student filmmakers then have just ten days to shoot and edit their short films. This all happens during the ten days of the festival! The finished films are shown, and the winners are announced on the last night. A special group of people, including teachers and film experts, choose the students who get to take part.

Images for kids

  • Sbiff logo

    The official logo of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Festival Internacional de Cine de Santa Bárbara para niños

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