# 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
* 2025: Will Ferrell

## 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 and Javier Bardem
* 2023: Jamie Lee Curtis
* 2024: Robert Downey Jr.
* 2025: Angelina Jolie

## 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
* 2025 : Colman Domingo

## 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
* 2025 : Ralph Fiennes for Conclave

## 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
* 2025 : Zoe Saldaña

## Cinema Vanguard Award

Sources
* 2008 – Ryan Gosling
* 2009 – Kristin Scott Thomas
* 2010 – Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Stanley Tucci, and Christoph Waltz
* 2011 – Nicole Kidman
* 2012 – Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo
* 2013 – Amy Adams
* 2014 – Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio
* 2015 – Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones
* 2016 – Rooney Mara
* 2017 – Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams
* 2018 – Willem Dafoe
* 2019 – Michael B. Jordan
* 2020 – Laura Dern
* 2021 – Carey Mulligan
* 2022 – Benedict Cumberbatch
* 2023 – Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson
* 2024 – Paul Giamatti
* 2025 – Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce

## Virtuosos Award

Sources
2025
* Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Harris Dickinson (Babygirl), Karla Sofía Gascón and Selena Gomez (Emilia Pérez), Ariana Grande (Wicked), Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing), Mikey Madison (Anora), John Magaro (September 5), Sebastian Stan (The Apprentice) and Fernanda Torres (I'm Still Here)
2024 –
* Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Da'Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Charles Melton (May December), Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), Colman Domingo (Rustin), America Ferrera (Barbie), and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers)
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) and 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 (Nocturnal Animals), Dev Patel (Lion), Janelle Monáe (Moonlight), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Naomie Harris (Moonlight), Ruth Negga (Loving), Simon Helberg (Florence Foster Jenkins), and Stephen McKinley Henderson (Fences)
2016 –
* Elizabeth Banks (Love & Mercy), Paul Dano (Love & Mercy), Joel Edgerton (Black Mass), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Géza Röhrig (Son of Saul), Jacob Tremblay (Room), and Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina and The Danish Girl)
2015 –
* Chadwick Boseman (Get on Up), Ellar Coltrane (Boyhood), Logan Lerman (The Perks of Being a Wallflower), David Oyelowo (Selma), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), and Jenny Slate (Obvious Child)
2014 –
* Michael B. Jordan (Fruitvale Station), Brie Larson (Short Term 12), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club), and June Squibb (Nebraska)
2013 –
* Ann Dowd, Elle Fanning, Ezra Miller (We Need to Talk About Kevin), Eddie Redmayne, Omar Sy, and Quvenzhané Wallis (Beats of the Southern Wild)
2012 –
* Demian Bichir (A Better Life), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Shailene Woodley (The Decendants), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Patton Oswalt (Young Adult)
2011 –
* John Hawkes (Winter's Bone), Lesley Manville (Another Year), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), and Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)
2010 –
* Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones), Gabourey Sidibe (Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire), and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man)
2009 –
* Viola Davis (Doubt), Rosemarie DeWitt (Rachel Getting Married), Richard Jenkins (The Visitor), Melissa Leo (The Wrestler), and Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road)
2008 –
* Casey Affleck (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford), Marion Cotillard (La Vie En Rose), James McAvoy (Atonement), Elliot Page (Juno) and Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone)

## Variety Artisans Award

| Year | Artisan(s) | Work | Area |
| 2025 | Judy Becker | The Brutalist | Production Design |
| 2025 | Kris Bowers | The Wild Robot | Original Score |
| 2025 | Clément Ducol and Camille | Emilia Pérez | Original Song |
| 2025 | Nick Emerson | Conclave | Editing |
| 2025 | Jomo Fray | Nickel Boys | Cinematography |
| 2025 | Tod A. Maitland | A Complete Unknown | Sound |
| 2025 | Pierre-Olivier Persin | The Substance | Hair/Makeup |
| 2025 | Paul Tazewell | Wicked | Costume Design |
| 2025 | Erik Winquist | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes | VFX |
| 2024 | Stephane Ceretti | Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 | VFX |
| 2024 | Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell | Barbie | Songwriter |
| 2024 | Ludwig Göransson | Oppenheimer | Composer |
| 2024 | Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer | Barbie | Production Designer |
| 2024 | Kazu Hiro | Maestro | Hairstyling/Makeup |
| 2024 | Jennifer Lame | Oppenheimer | Editor |
| 2024 | Rodrigo Prieto | Killers of the Flower Moon | Cinematography |
| 2024 | Michael Semanick | Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse | Re-recording Mixer |
| 2024 | Holly Waddington | Poor Things | Costume Designer |
| 2023 | M. M. Keeravani | RRR | Songwriter |
| 2023 | Frank Kruse | All Quiet on the Western Front | Sound Designer |
| 2023 | Son Lux | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Composer |
| 2023 | Catherine Martin | Elvis | Costume Designer |
| 2023 | Florencia Martin | Babylon | Production Designer |
| 2023 | Claudio Miranda | Top Gun: Maverick | Cinematography |
| 2023 | Adrien Morot | The Whale | Hairstyling/Make Up |
| 2023 | Paul Rogers | Everything Everywhere All at Once | Editing |
| 2023 | Eric Saindon | Avatar: The Way of Water | VFX |
| 2022 | Frederic Aspiras and Göran Lundström | House of Gucci | Makeup and Hairstyling |
| 2022 | Tamara Deverell | Nightmare Alley | Production Design |
| 2022 | Germaine Franco | Encanto | Score |
| 2022 | Greig Fraser | Dune | Cinematography |
| 2022 | Lin-Manuel Miranda | Encanto | Song |
| 2022 | Paul Massey | No Time to Die | Sound |
| 2022 | Kelly Port | Spider-Man: No Way Home | Visual Effects |
| 2022 | Peter Sciberras | The Power of the Dog | Editing |
| 2022 | Jacqueline West and Bob Morgan | Dune | Costume Design |
| 2021 | Alan Baumgarten | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | Editing |
| 2021 | Nicolas Becker | Sound of Metal | Sound |
| 2021 | Alexandra Byrne | Emma | Costume Design |
| 2021 | Sean Andrew Faden | Mulan | VFX |
| 2021 | Donald Graham Burt and Jan Pascale | Mank | Production Design |
| 2021 | Mia Neal | Ma Rainey's Black Bottom | Hair/Makeup |
| 2021 | Leslie Odom, Jr. and Sam Ashworth | One Night in Miami... | Original Song |
| 2021 | Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross | Mank and Soul | Original Score |
| 2021 | Joshua James Richards | Nomadland | Cinematography |
| 2020 | Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez | Frozen II | Songwriting |
| 2020 | Michael Giacchino | Jojo Rabbit | Composing |
| 2020 | Kazu Hiro | Bombshell | Makeup/Hairstyling |
| 2020 | Barbara Ling | Once Upon a Time in Hollywood | Production Design |
| 2020 | Steven A. Morrow | Ford v Ferrari | Sound Mixing |
| 2020 | Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell | The Irishman | Costume Design |
| 2020 | Lawrence Sher | Joker | Cinematography |
| 2020 | Lee Smith | 1917 | Editing |
| 2020 | Adam Valdez | The Lion King | VFX |
| 2019 | Barry Alexander Brown | BlacKkKlansman | Editing |
| 2019 | Ruth E. Carter | Black Panther | Costume Design |
| 2019 | Fiona Crombie | The Favourite | Production Design |
| 2019 | Łukasz Żal | Cold War | Cinematography |
| 2019 | Patricia Dehaney | Vice | Hair/Make-Up |
| 2019 | Marc Shaiman | Mary Poppins Returns | Score |
| 2019 | Skip Lievsay, Craig Henighan and José Antonio Garcia | Roma | Sound Mixing |
| 2019 | Sergio Díaz and Skip Lievsay | Roma | Sound Editing |
| 2018 | Paul Denham Austerberry | The Shape of Water | Production Design |
| 2018 | Mark Bridges | Phantom Thread | Costume Design |
| 2018 | Alexandre Desplat | The Shape of Water | Original Score |
| 2018 | Rachel Morrison | Mudbound | Cinematography |
| 2018 | John Nelson | Blade Runner 2049 | Visual Effects |
| 2018 | Tatiana S. Riegel | I, Tonya | Editing |
| 2018 | Julian Slater | Baby Driver | Sound Mixing |
| 2018 | Arjen Tuiten | Wonder | Makeup and Hairstyling |
| 2018 | Matthew Wood | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | Sound Editing |
| 2017 | Alessandro Bertolazzi | Suicide Squad | Makeup and Hair |
| 2017 | Jess Gonchor | Hail, Caesar! | Production Design |
| 2017 | Justin Hurwitz | La La Land | Original Score |
| 2017 | Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul | "City of Stars" (from La La Land) | Original Song |
| 2017 | James Laxton | Moonlight | Cinematographer |
| 2017 | Robert Legato | The Jungle Book | Visual Effects |
| 2017 | Alan Robert Murray | Sully | Sound Editing |
| 2017 | Kevin O'Connell | Hacksaw Ridge | Sound Mixing |
| 2017 | Joe Walker | Arrival | Editor |
| 2017 | Mary Zophres | La La Land | Costume Design |
| 2016 | Carter Burwell | Carol | Original Score |
| 2016 | Hank Corwin | The Big Short | Editing |
| 2016 | Mark Mangini | Mad Max: Fury Road | Sound Editing |
| 2016 | Arthur Max | The Martian | Production Design |
| 2016 | John Seale | Mad Max: Fury Road | Cinematography |
| 2016 | Patrick Tubach | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | Visual Effects |
| 2016 | Diane Warren | "Til It Happens to You" (from The Hunting Ground) | Original Song |
| 2016 | Jacqueline West | The Revenant | Costume Design |
| 2015 | Shawn Patterson | "Everything Is Awesome" (from The Lego Movie) | Song |
| 2015 | Sandra Adair | Boyhood | Editing |
| 2015 | Bill Corso and Kathrine Gordon | Foxcatcher | Hair & Makeup |
| 2015 | Suzie Davies | Mr. Turner | Production Design |
| 2015 | Dion Beebe | Into the Woods | Cinematography |
| 2015 | Steven Noble | The Theory of Everything | Costume Design |
| 2015 | Joe Letteri | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | VFX |
| 2015 | Richard King and Mark Weingarten | Interstellar | Sound Mixing & Editing |

## Outstanding Directors of the Year

| Year | Director(s) | Work |
| 2025 | Brady Corbet | The Brutalist |
| 2025 | Coralie Fargeat | The Substance |
| 2025 | Sean Baker | Anora |
| 2025 | James Mangold | A Complete Unknown |
| 2025 | Jacques Audiard | Emilia Pérez |
| 2024 | Justine Triet | Anatomy of a Fall |
| 2024 | Martin Scorsese | Killers of the Flower Moon |
| 2023 | Martin McDonagh | The Banshees of Inisherin |
| 2023 | Todd Field | Tár |
| 2022 | Jane Campion | The Power of the Dog |
| 2022 | Ryusuke Hamaguchi | Drive My Car |
| 2022 | Steven Spielberg | West Side Story |
| 2022 | Paul Thomas Anderson | Licorice Pizza |
| 2022 | Kenneth Branagh | Belfast |
| 2021 | Chloé Zhao | Nomadland |
| 2021 | Thomas Vinterberg | Another Round |
| 2021 | Lee Isaac Chung | Minari |
| 2021 | David Fincher | Mank |
| 2020 | Bong Joon-ho | Parasite |
| 2019 | Alfonso Cuarón | Roma |
| 2019 | Paweł Pawlikowski | Cold War |
| 2019 | Yorgos Lanthimos | The Favourite |
| 2019 | Adam McKay | Vice |
| 2019 | Spike Lee | BlacKkKlansman |
| 2018 | Christopher Nolan | Dunkirk |
| 2018 | Greta Gerwig | Lady Bird |
| 2018 | Guillermo del Toro | The Shape of Water |
| 2018 | Jordan Peele | Get Out |
| 2018 | Paul Thomas Anderson | Phantom Thread |

## 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
* 2025 – Timothée Chalamet

## 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.