“And that’s a wrap” for the 27th Santa Barbara International Film Festival. A bittersweet farewell. It was a most enjoyable time for the locals, the celebrities, the fans, and even the tourists that just happen to stumble upon the Festival while visiting Santa Barbara. Closing night at the Arlington Theater on Sunday was quiet and simple, unlike all of the craziness of the past week. There was no Red Carpet, no celebrities, no fan-lined barricades, just the closing night film “Where Do We Go Now” being screened.
For the past week and a half, the Festival has seen panels, tributes, and movie screening from all over the world. It 
kicked off with the film “My Darling Companion” followed by the Outstanding Performer of the Year and Modern Master awards. That same weekend, Samuel L. Jackson made a brief appearance at the Lobero 
Theater to premiere his new movie “The Samaritan.” Fellow actor and funny man, David Koechner, was also in attendance. Santa Barbara welcomed Martin Scorsese Monday night to present him with the American Riviera Award. “Samsara” was this year’s centerpiece film, and was screened Wednesday night.
Demián Bichir (A Better Life), Rooney Mara (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), Patton Oswalt (Young Adult), Andy Serkis (Rise of the Planet of the Apes), and Shailene Woodley (The Descendants), graciously accepted their Virtuosos Award Friday night. The only no-show was Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids) who was ill and resting but sent a heartfelt letter, which Entertainment Today’s Dave Karger read to the audience. Karger did a fantastic job as moderator for the Q&A interviews. All Virtuosos were a delight to see on stage but it 
was Patton Oswalt who had the audience laughing hard. Oswalt, who is well known for playing Spence in sitcom 
King of Queens, provided an enjoyable and very entertaining night with perfectly timed one-liners and witty remarks. Andy Serkis, the go-to motion capture actor for filmmakers, decided to come out for his Q&A shirtless to a cheering crowd. Serkis 
treated the audience to his famous Ceasar pose from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Chris Weitz, A Better Life director, presented each recipient with their own Virtuosos Award. The 3-hour awards extravaganza could not have been any more fun to attend. The Vanguard Awards, the following night, saw The Artist’s Jean Dugardin, and Bérénice Bejo as this year’s recipients.
There were many great films and documentaries from around the globe, but there were three particular movies that stood out to me as being either groundbreaking and/or providing a fresh take on genres that have been done to death. Venezuela’s The Rumble of the Stones, The Samaritan, and Sassy Pants were the three winners in my book and I strongly commend the filmmakers of those movies for all of their hard work in creating a cinematic experience that surpassed my wildest expectations.
Indeed, this year’s Santa Barbara International Film Festival offered many great moments that will be forever engrained in the minds of all those that participated in it. SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling said that numbers are still being tallied up but that all indications point to another great successful year from the Film Festival, especially to the local economic impact it provides. Let’s all raise our champagne glass and welcome the 28th Santa Barbara International Film Festival peeking just around the corner.
SBIFF will be offering free screenings of the most popular movies at the Riviera Theater. Check out the schedule here.
Click here to see photos of the 27th Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
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