39TH ANNUAL SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE FEBRUARY 7-17, 2024

SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is pleased to announce the 39th annual festival will take place in Santa Barbara, CA from February 7 through February 17. With its beautiful central coastline and upscale sensibility as a backdrop, festival attendees and A-list guests have a long tradition of returning to The American Riviera® year after year.

The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will be happening LIVE February 7 – February 17, 2024. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre.

Earlier this year at the 38th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, it celebrated an array of top award contenders such as Oscar® winners Jamie Lee Curtis, Daniels, Brendan Fraser, Key Huy Quan, Cate Blanchett to cinema icons Angela Bassett, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Austin Butler, Kerry Condon, Stephanie Hsu, Jeremy Pope, Jermey Strong, Danielle Deadwyler, Nina Hoss. It had a program of 200 films from 43 countries. The festival drew filmmakers from as far as Turkey, India, Israel, and Sierra Leone, half of whom were women. Passes to the Festival will go on sale in August at 25% off. The festival lineup and schedule will be announced January, 2024.

“We just had a record year with packed houses showcasing over 200 films, and plenty of seminars, panels and tributes, and we hosted the eventual 2023 Oscar winners from 18 film categories; proving once again that the love of watching films in person and celebrating cinema is alive and well in Santa Barbara!” says Roger Durling, SBIFF’s Executive Director.

A Few Pics from 2023 Festival

Courtesy of SBIFF

SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 09: Honoree Angela Bassett speaks onstage at the Montecito Award Ceremony during the 38th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival at The Arlington Theatre on February 09, 2023 in Santa Barbara, California.

Courtesy of SBIFF

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 38 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. In 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. After a capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF’s new state-of-the-art, year-round home, showing new international and independent films every day. In 2019, SBIFF opened its own Education Center in downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as a home for its many educational programs and a place for creativity and learning.