Still to Come at SBIFF

Although there are only three days left in SBIFF 40, much remains to be seen. That includes a third screening on February 14 of The New Yorker Theater: The Talbots’ Legacy. This 26-minute short is about the movie theater founded by the couple – a theater that not only became one of the most influential art house cinemas in the country, but also led to the Talbots becoming pioneers in distributing indie films from around the world, in the process changing American film culture. 

Their work certainly changed the short’s director Sergio Maza, who grew up in Argentina watching the esoteric fare on a cable channel that showed independent and foreign movies 24 hours a day. 

“I became obsessed, and decided that I wanted to be a filmmaker,” Maza recalled. “So I moved to New York and eventually learned about the Talbots and realized I had to make a movie about them.”

Dan passed away at 91 in 2017, but Maza was able to meet with his widow Toby to help craft his short feature, an actor portraying Dan as the narrator in the informative but charmingly lighthearted movie. The short is meant as a teaser/fundraiser for a full-length documentary. 

“I believe, just as the Talbots did in the 1960s, that we need to change the way we see exhibiting in the United States and around the world – to try to better connect this amazing world of people, the directors, with audiences,” Maza said. 

Many other highly anticipated films are still coming up, including another Film on Film entry in the U.S. premiere of Michel Gondry: Do It Yourself, a sly take on the life and career of the Oscar-decorated filmmaker best known for writing and directing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Also recommended: I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol, about the British “disruptor” punk band; Mistress Dispeller, where you can hire a professional to go undercover and break up a lover’s affair;and I’m Your Venus, in which the three New Jersey brothers team up to reopen the unsolved case of Venus Xtravaganza, the 23-year-old star of the 1990 voguing documentary Paris is Burning.

Perhaps the timeliest film in the festival still has two screenings left, as Democracy Under Siege makes its North American premiere from February 12-14. The documentary from the Oscar-nominated filmmaker Laura Nix (Walk Run Cha-Cha; The Light in Her Eyes) connects our present-day crises with roots in American history via commentary with A-list political observers examining executive overreach, judicial ethics, and a media environment saturated with disinformation. The film – which was obviously completed before the new administration took power in January – is spearheaded by political commentary with Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist Ann Telnaes, who just left the Washington Post last month when one of her pieces was cut. The synopsis says the film uses innovative dark humor to dive into how democracy faces a renewed backlash, culminating in fears of an actual authoritarian takeover. Perhaps Nix and Telnaes, who will do post-screening Q&As following the screenings, can point to how that isn’t already happening. 

Also timely are the twin entries about firefighting and wildfires, both of which will be showing over the last days of SBIFF. Incandescence and In the Red have screenings February 13 and 14. With the latter making its world premiere, a huge contingent of filmmakers as well as several of the subjects – young men who got into early trouble but turned their lives around through a program that offers rigorous training to become firefighters – will also be on hand to support and share their experiences. 

And don’t forget… all of Saturday’s slots – save for the closing night film – are initially left open, to be filled by additional screenings for SBIFF’s award winners and other popular films. Check the app or boards at the theaters for updates.

Brody Is Brutal

Meanwhile, if you still want to see The Brutalist prior to Oscar nominated stars Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce being interviewed and honored with SBIFF’s Cinema Vanguard Award on February 13, you’ll have to scurry to Paseo Nuevo or Calle Real cinemas. SBIFF’s screening slated for that day has now been moved to the following morning at the Riviera, although Brody, still the Oscar front-runner, is sticking around town to do another Q&A at the end. The three hour-plus period epic about visionary architect László Toth just dipped from Best Picture favorite due to Anora’s stunning sweep of the DGA and PGA awards last Saturday.  

Montecito at the Movies

Kevin Costner, perhaps Padaro Lane’s most popular performer (and director, etc.), is heading back to SBIFF, this time to premiere Beyond the Horizon, the behind-the-scenes documentary about the making of Costner’s passion project Horizon, whose sequel had its U.S. premiere last week. Costner and doc director Mark Gillard will do a Q&A after the 9 am screening on February 13…. Montecito’s own mega-star Oprah Winfrey has been tapped to present the Montecito Award to Oscar nominee Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) on Valentine’s Day, which will surely be a labor of love for the longtime friends and co-stars in 2013’s The Butler and 2014’s Selma. 

Further Focus on Film: Subsequent to SBIFF

Just three days after the film festival wraps, there’s a screening of the latest output from The Odyssey Project at UCSB, which is sort of Santa Barbara’s version of the theatrical program in the Oscar-nominated movie Sing Sing. The incarcerated youth participants leverage storytelling and theater modalities to look at their lives through a heroic lens rather than a criminalized one – using themes from Homer’s Odyssey to explore the challenging elements in their lives and to reimagine the epic poem in their voices. The film A Trojan Woman juxtaposes the raw, real-life narrative of Shanice D. – a young woman incarcerated at 17 for two murders and one attempt – with the ancient tale of Cassandra, the tragic heroine from Euripides’ The Trojan Women. Facing the camera, the two women – prisoner and prophet – share stories about their lives, aspirations, and regrets while reflecting on their conditions, as well as the current state of youth incarceration in the U.S. The February 18 screening will be followed by a discussion with director Luc Walpoth beside UCSB professor and Odyssey Project creator Michael Morgan about the intersection of teaching, art and activism, and about fostering community engagement in academia. 

Visit www.classics.ucsb.edu/event/a-trojan-woman-screening-and-discussion

Cycling Without Age, the local doc shot on the streets and bike paths of Santa Barbara, follows retired teacher John Seigel Boettner and his group of volunteers who use pedal-powered rickshaws to give rides to those who have lost the ability to pedal themselves. Through the intimate moments of these rides, the film presents a unique portrait of aging, asking audiences to consider the importance of the outdoors for those who are all too often trapped inside. A panel discussion featuring the filmmakers, Seigel Boettner, and leaders from the local community will follow its Carpinteria premiere at the Alcazar Theatre on February 19.