Catch Up With America Ferrera And Her Fellow Nominees At the SBIFF Red Carpet
We caught up with America Ferrera, Lily Gladstone, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph at the annual red carpet for Santa Barbara International Film Festival Virtuoso Award evening.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California in February annually, since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. The SBIFF, whose mission is to discover and showcase the “best in independent and international cinema,” has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting roughly 100,000 attendees for a packed week slatted with screenings, panels, red carpets and more!
The festival is considered an important showcase for Academy Award frontrunners, many of whom have arrived as nominees and gone on to win the Oscar. The 39th SBIFF proudly celebrates some of the year’s finest work in film. The special tributes lined up for 2024 included:
-Outstanding Performer of the Year Award honoring Bradley Cooper – Thursday, February 8
-Maltin Modern Master Award honoring Robert Downey Jr. – Friday, February 9
-Virtuosos Award honoring Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple), Colman Domingo (The Color Purple & Rustin), America Ferrera (Barbie), Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Charles Melton (May December), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers), and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) – Saturday, February 10
-Variety Artisans Award sponsored by Variety – Sunday, February 11
-American Riviera Award honoring Mark Ruffalo – Sunday, February 11
-Outstanding Directors of the Year Award honoring Martin Scorsese– Monday, February 12
-Cinema Vanguard Award honoring Paul Giamatti – Wednesday, February 14
-Montecito Award honoring Jeffrey Wright – Thursday, February 15
The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) ended on February 17, 2024, with the awards ceremony held at El Encanto, with both the jury members and Filmmakers in attendance. SBIFF’s Programming Director Claudia Puig stated how grateful they were to the jurors while touting the films that were considered this year. She elaborated,”The winning films tell stories that span the globe, from the magic of movie palaces in the Atacama Desert to the stunning mystery of ice caves in Antarctica to the social hazards of cancel culture in Indonesia. All are riveting tales told with verve and originality.”
This year’s jury members included, Lesley Chilcott, Alex Keledjian, Chris Landon, Lael Loewenstein, Jacqueline Lyanga, David Magdael, Gail Mancuso, Greg Nava, Pituka Ortega Heilbron, Carla Renata, Gil Robertson, Ondi Timoner, Clay Tweel, and Ali Wolfe.
2024 WINNING FILMMAKERS & FILMS
Audience Choice Award sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent: TRANSMEXICO directed by Claudia Sanchez
Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema: EDGE OF EVERYTHING directed by Sophia Sabella and Pablo Feldman *Comes with a prize of a $60,000 camera rental package from Panavision
Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award – Best International Feature Film: ANDRAGOGY directed by Wregas Bhanuteja
Best Documentary Award:DIVING INTO THE DARKNESS directed by Nays Baghai
Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema: THE BLUE STAR (La Estrella Azul) directed by Javier Macipe
Best Nordic Film Award: BEFORE IT ENDS (Når befrielsen kommer) directed by Anders Walter
Social Justice Award for Documentary Film: THE LAST DAUGHTER directed by Brenda Matthews and Nathaniel Schmidt
The ASC Award for Cinematography sponsored by The American Society of Cinematographers: THE MOVIE TELLER directed by Lone Scherfig
ADL Stand Up Award, sponsored by ADL Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties: THE LAST DAUGHTER directed by Brenda Matthews and Nathaniel Schmidt
Best Documentary Short Film Award: A MAN’S MAN directed by Myles Desenberg *Now eligible for the 2025 Academy Awards
Bruce Corwin Award – Best Live-Action Short Film: AREA BOY directed by Iggy London*Now eligible for the 2025 Academy Awards
Bruce Corwin Award – Best Animated Short Film: ON THE 8TH DAY (Au 8ème Jour) directed by Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin and Théo Duhautois *Now eligible for the 2025 Academy Awards