The 24th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Story and photos by L Paul Mann

Article Category: Get Out Of Town Comments Off

There are a multitude of reasons to make Santa Barbara a coveted vacation destination. Known for its temperate climate, pristine mountains and coastline, and year-round cultural festivals, it has always been a top tourist mecca. The city exhibits its deep Spanish roots in art and architecture, and its historic treasures, like the County Courthouse, the Presidio, and the Santa Barbara Mission are an integral part of its draw. While Stearns Wharf and the Santa Barbara Harbor offer visitors access to the Pacific Ocean and the Channel Islands, defining the city’s ties to the ocean, the Santa Ynez Mountains behind the town are the gateway to the Los Padres National forest. This natural wilderness preserve, comprised of forests, waterfalls, lakes, streams and abundant wildlife, stretches for hundreds of miles to the north.

This compact city, situated on what is casually called the “American Riviera,” is bursting with shops, restaurants, and art galleries, and is easily accessible, by foot, bicycle, car, bus, or tram. There are a multitude of accommodations available, from historic bed and breakfasts to five-star exclusive hotels. It’s also a powerful cultural magnet, with a schedule of concerts, lectures, and events that would be the envy of cites five times its size. If that weren’t enough, Santa Barbara holds a wealth of festivals and ethnic showcases that bring throngs of visitors downtown throughout the year. One of these highlights: the Summer Solstice Parade and Festival, an irreverent weeklong celebration that attracts an audience of over 100,000 people each August. Indeed, every season brings another host of festivals to the town.

But for nearly 25 years, a relatively unknown festival has been bringing tourists in the know to this majestic coastal gem in increasing numbers. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which takes place in a normally slow tourism period at the end of January, has fast become one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.

The rise to international notoriety has accelerated, particularly in the last six years, under the tutelage of the festival’s current director, Roger Durling. Roger is an unlikely candidate for the directorship of such an elite festival. Born in Panama to a life of extreme poverty, he could only dream of the Hollywood world he saw unfold in the movies of his youth. He once joked that his family was “poor as dirt,” as their house literally had a dirt floor. He managed to convince his family to let him attend high school under a scholarship in New Jersey, and after graduating from Columbia University, he moved to Los Angeles. Once there, he began to feel isolated and unfulfilled and soon became disillusioned with the home of his Hollywood fantasies. Then Roger found Santa Barbara, and like many of us who have succumbed to her charms, he became a permanent resident, opening a Summerland coffee shop, “The French Bulldog” (now the Cafe Luna), and going on to find work as a writer and film studies teacher. I first met Roger when I photographed him for an interview in “Wine and Dine,” a Santa Barbara culinary magazine, just before his second year as the festival’s director.

When Roger took over the festival, it was poorly attended and losing money. He fist moved the festival up to its current late-January slot to coincide with the worldwide pre-Oscar hype prevalent in the international media. Other factors also helped enable him to turn the festival into a successful event, not the least of which was his uncanny ability to pick many of the Oscar nominees months before their announcement and commit them to awards ceremonies in Santa Barbara. The close proximity of Hollywood also enabled an easily accessible, steady pool of talent to choose from. But anyone who has met Roger knows what the real key to his success as director of the festival has been. He graciously and humbly shares his love of the movies with anyone and everyone who cares to chat with him, and in that respect, he is a true ambassador of film. Moving seamlessly and tirelessly from nearly every event associated with the festival, he seems nearly omnipresent. Accessible to anyone who approaches him, Roger is equally at ease talking with an elderly film fan, young volunteer, or legendary director or actor. That even-handed graciousness helped the festival attract some of the biggest names in the film industry.

The uniquely democratic small-town atmosphere that Santa Barbara residents have carefully crafted for generations allows visiting tourists unparalleled access to their favorite stars during the festival. Since it is common to see famous residents darting about town, there is very little of the frenzied paparazzi madness that consumes Hollywood. This respectful and low-key atmosphere was in evidence during Clint Eastwood’s unique arrival to his Modern Master awards ceremony at the Arlington Theater. Driving himself to the event, he got lost, ended up on the wrong street and had to plow his way through the waiting crowd. Not only did fans respectfully clear a path for him, but they actually helped lift the spry 78-year-old actor over the barricades, essentially crowd surfing him onto the red carpet. Other award presentations this year went to Penelope Cruz, Mickey Rourke, and director David Fincher. Award presenters included Francis Ford Coppola and Sean Penn. Penn, having just completed his own Oscar nominated appearance in the film “Milk,” lingered at Eastwood’s after party until well after 2 a.m. He delighted countless fans, energetically engaging in myriad conversations throughout the evening.

But the best parts of the festival are the hundreds of international film screenings, comprised of some of the world’s most interesting and diverse movies. Most of these pictures will never be seen in general release in the U.S. due to the astronomical costs of distribution and translation. The multitude of films screening at no less than six venues, on as many as 11 screens, offers a unique experience to be immersed in the global art of filmmaking.

Film buffs who can afford Platinum passes for the 11-day event are offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to mingle with their favorite stars. They can attend a seemingly endless array of film debuts, parties, award ceremonies, interviews, discussion panels and movie screenings. This premium pass includes admission to ornate after parties and events, organized nearly every day, to coincide with a film’s premiere or awards ceremony. One of the most elaborate parties — the opening night festivities — takes over the entire Paseo Nuevo shopping mall, providing unlimited open bars, live entertainment, and food from dozens of local culinary favorites. For those interested in attending events for a shorter period of time or only certain events, there are many festival passes available to fit any budget. Many local businesses also offer special discounts during the festival. Some are tied to festival tickets, while other deals are available to the general public.]

But perhaps the best deal for those in the know (including those reading this column) is the Third Weekend. This tradition was begun last year by Roger, as a thank-you to the Santa Barbara community for their enthusiastic support of the festival. The Riveria Theater plays host to a free weekend of films, selected by filmgoers as their personal favorites during the festival, inviting the public on a first-come basis to a variety of top film picks.

“Water Man,” a new surfing film featuring Laird Hamilton and a half dozen legendary surfers, debuted at the historic Arlington Theater as part of this year’s festival. The film, one of the most expensive 12-day surfing safaris ever, features stunningly beautiful water cinematography. Unfortunately, the story does not justify the immense cost of this glorified vacation. The film places the experienced surfers on a small ship (large yacht), complete with a helicopter, and nearly every modern device money can buy. The goal is to surf and shoot the ultimate surfing vacation in the Mentawais. Aside from the beautiful images there is little substance to this film. Long stoic interviews yield little more than philosophical banter and praise for one another’s surfing abilities. We don’t actually learn anything about these fascinating characters. Do any of them get seasick? What are their fears or aspirations? Has surfing inspired them to volunteer their time or money for any ocean related charities? There is so much we could have learned from these drawn-out interviews, if anyone had bothered to ask them any relevant questions.

Even more troubling, we find ourselves sailing through one of the most magical, almost mythical places on earth and we learn almost nothing about our destination. What is the geology and geography of the region which creates such a unique surfing environment? What about the people who have inhabited this region for more than a millennium? There is almost no interaction with the local population. Even the grand finale of the film was underwhelming. After surfing big, beautiful left-point waves, the trip culminates at a break named the Antichrist. Apparently it’s a difficult and dangerous break that had never been surfed. But with the latest tow-in equipment, Laird and some of the surfers were able to get there. The mediocre waves, however, were unimpressive and any able-bodied surfer could have paddled his way into these waves. In the end, the film was the epitome of the “Ugly American” stereotype, showing a group of wealthy tourists sailing through a foreign land on an expensive yacht without making any contact with the culture they invaded. Sitting in the lobby after the film, I listened to the comments of film goers as they filed out of the theater. For most, the general consensus was that everyone wished they had millions of dollars to spend on such a voyage. But the most astute comment came from a young man in the bathroom who turned to his friend and said: “It was like a bunch of models sitting around complaining about how hard their jobs are.”

In contrast to this big budget production, a trio of low-budget surfing-related films were shown the night before at the Victoria Theater. “Sanza Hanza (King Surfer),” is a 7-minute film about train surfing in South Africa. Filmmaker Nadia Hallgreen should win the brass balls award for traveling to one of the most notorious slums in the world, Soweto, to do this project without any permits. In this short, she reveals a lot about the young men who risk their lives and freedom to train surf. Always in danger of being beaten or jailed by police, the filmmaker rides the trains through Soweto as the young men perform their death-defying antics. The result is train surfing, a sport born out of boredom and necessity. Equally compelling was “Havana Surf,” a 53-minute documentary centered around Australian surfing transplant Bob Samin, who almost single-handedly brought modern surfing to Cuba. The film follows five young men and a girl from the Havana surf club on a safari across Cuba to the remote town of Baracoa. We learn much about them on the journey and the geography and people of as we travel into the interior of the island. The film leaves you wondering why we continue to boycott this poor agrarian society because of a 50-year old dispute that grows more irrelevant as each year passes.

Next year will the 25th Silver Anniversary of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and there’s no better time to plan a vacation to be part of the event. For more information, visit http://sbiff.org or www.santabarbara.com.