SBIFF
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is pleased to announce the 40th annual festival will take place in Santa Barbara, CA from February 4 through February 15. In honor of the 40th year, the festival will run for 12 days to celebrate this landmark moment. The additional days will feature more exciting programming. 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.
“As we embark on our 40th year, we are proud of what we’ve accomplished and exhilarated for what is ahead of us. We will be announcing a few surprises in the next few months. Onward and upwards” says Roger Durling, SBIFF’s Executive Director.
The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will be happening LIVE February 4 – February 15, 2025. 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, the 39th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival celebrated an array of top award contenders such as Oscar® winners Robert Downey Jr., Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Billie Eilish, Finneas, Ludwig Göransson, Emma Thomas, Cord Jefferson, Arthur Harari, Jennifer Lame, Holly Waddington and other cinema icons such as Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Annette Bening, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, America Ferrera, Lily Gladstone, Greta Lee, Charles Melton, and Andrew Scott. It had a program of 200+ films from over 48 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, 2025.
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 39 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.
