Film Festival kicks off 23rd year with world premiere

Daily Sound/Janelle Holcombe

BY COLBY FRAZIER
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

With searchlights cutting through a torrential rain and several blocks of downtown left black due to downed power lines, the 23rd Santa Barbara International Film Festival got off to a roaring start last night with a packed house at the Arlington Theatre.
“Rain is great weather for a movie,” said Roger Durling, executive director of the Film Festival. “It’s awesome. We live in a great city for a film festival.”


Kicking off the film festivities, which by the time the festival concludes on Feb. 3 will have showcased more than 200 films from nearly 50 countries, was the world premiere of “Definitely, Maybe.”
A romantic comedy chronicling a couple’s divorce and the father’s (played by actor Ryan Reynolds) attempt to explain the situation to his daughter (Abigail Breslin) was described last night by the film’s director, Adam Brooks, as a valentine.
“It’s a romantic valentine to broken families, second chances and to New York City,” Brooks told the audience before the film. “We hope you love it.”
Reynolds, who said he has viewed the film with a crowd prior to last night’s premiere, didn’t seem too worried about the reception it would receive from the audience.
“It’s a real crowd pleaser,” he said. “And that makes it a litter easier to come here.”
Rep. Lois Capps attended the film and said her favorite part about the Film Festival is the gathering of the community.
“I think it’s an amazing coming together of the community and films,” Capps said. “I’m a big fan.
“It can rain cats and dogs and people can still come together, watch the films and have a great time.”
Before the film began, Jeff Barbakow, president of the festival’s Board, noted the festival’s growth over the past two decades and credited Durling and the City of Santa Barbara for pushing it along.
“We hope to keep you very busy this week,” Barbakow told the audience. “I know it will be a very exciting 10 days.”
When asked what aspect of the festival he’s especially excited about, Durling said the question is like asking a parent with several children which is the favorite.
With his newly dyed blond hair, Durling said he’s excited for every single event, film, party and red carpet event.
But what Durling is most proud of, he said, is that he believes this year’s festival represents the diversity, uniqueness and beauty of Santa Barbara.
“This is about this city,” he said, adding that there are a number of films dealing with surfing, the environment and others that focus on this country’s growing Hispanic population. “”It’s a mosaic of our city.”