Organizers unveil film fest lineup

BY ERIC LINDBERG
DAILY SOUND STAFF WRITER

At a gathering in the lobby of Hotel Santa Barbara this morning, Roger Durling unveiled an impressive program for the 2008 Santa Barbara International Film Festival — 215 films representing 49 countries, including 20 world premieres.
“This is probably the most ambitious film festival we’ve done,” said Durling, head of the festival. “I am extremely proud of this lineup.”

Along with awards honoring Angelina Jolie, Cate Blanchett, Tommy Lee Jones, Ryan Gosling and others, the 11-day event will feature a tribute to Julie Christie, who Durling called an Academy Award frontrunner for her latest film, “Away From Her.”
Guest director Norman Jewison — of “In the Heat of the Night,” “The Thomas Crown Affair,” and “Moonstruck” fame — will also be in town for a screening and discussion on Jan. 27.
Picking a favorite among more than 200 films is undoubtedly a challenge, but Durling highlighted the opening and closing acts as among his most anticipated screenings.
The festival opens with the world premiere of Adam Brooks’ “Definitely, Maybe,” starring Ryan Reynolds, Elizabeth Banks, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, and Rachel Weisz. Reynolds portrays a Manhattan political consultant faced with explaining his life before marriage and impending divorce to his inquisitive 11-year-old daughter.
Closing the 11-day joyride will be Guiseppe Tornatore’s “An Unknown Woman (Sconosciuta, La),” which Durling described as “the most amazing film we’ve ever had.”
Tornatore’s award-winning film tells the story of Irena, a Russian woman who becomes the trusted maid and nanny for an affluent Italian family and must deal with ghosts from the past and a search for truth in the present.
Between those two bookends will be the typical panoply of independent films, international features, documentaries, and silver-screen showcases of nature, extreme sports, Asian and Eastern European cinema, and countless other categories.
“This is what I live, breathe and bleed,” Durling said. “…I’ve always had a passion for film and I’ve always loved sharing that experience.”
Panel discussions on screenwriting, producing, directing, creative women in filmmaking, and the “greening” of Hollywood will be sprinkled throughout the festival, featuring top behind-the-scenes film figures.
Local offerings include student screenwriting and filmmaking competitions, family-focused film screenings and a wide selection of work by local filmmakers, as well as a “field trip to the movies” for more than 3,000 local students.
Despite the whirlwind of activities and programs to discuss, Durling made special mention of two other films that will be screened during the festival ¬— “Stranded” and “Bustin’ Down the Door.”
“Stranded,” a French documentary, tells the story of a group of young men that survived for 72 days in the Andes after their plane crashed in October 1972.
“Bustin’ Down the Door” may cover familiar territory for many local residents; the documentary focuses on a group of young Australian and South African surfers that revolutionized the sport in the 1970s.
“I am super stoked to have ‘Bustin’ Down the Door,’” Durling said.
Narrated by Edward Norton, the film includes interviews with Wayne “Rabbit” Bartholomew, Mark Richards, Ian Cairns, and Montecito resident Shaun Tomson.
Candace Schermerhorn, the festival’s program director, said organizers received more than 2,000 film submissions this year.
“We go through every single film that comes through our admission process, and then we go out and solicit films,” she said.
Although she listed dozens of films as must-sees, such as “Amal” and “Short Circuits,” Schermerhorn also expressed excitement about the Eastern Bloc category as a whole, which features films from Eastern Europe.
“It’s exciting to look at the style, approach and subject matter coming out of that area,” she said.
At today's gathering, Durling also joined Barbara Boros in unveiling the poster for the 2008 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, a scene dominated by a regal purple background symbolic of the growing stature of the event.
“Initially, Roger had the vision of an old western film,” said Boros, who has designed the festival’s poster for the past five years.
Evoking visions of a Wild West sunset, the clock tower of the Santa Barbara Courthouse rises from the bottom of the image, its orange glow highlighted against a purple sky twinkling with stars.
“The poster kind of sets the theme for the whole festival,” Boros said. “It’s one of my favorites.”
The festival will kick off with the opening ceremony on Jan. 24 and will last through Feb. 3. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased at the festival’s website, the Lobero Theatre box office, and the Arlington Theater box office. For more information, visit www.sbiff.org.