SBIFF at the Oscars 

A throng of actors, writers, directors, producers and other folks will stroll up to the stage to receive an Oscar on Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. A large percentage of these will almost assuredly have spoken directly to us about their films on stage just a few weeks earlier at the Arlington – the 2,000-seat theater in the heart of town that hosts all of the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s tribute/award evenings and filmmaker panels. 

Normally, we’d throw a few quotes in from the favorites, which include Montecito’s own Zoe Saldana and Kieran Culkin (who skipped out on his Virtuoso Award) – two virtual locks for the supporting actor statuettes. But space prevents giving adequate time to all the likely winners, which surely number more than a dozen who attended SBIFF this year. So instead, feel free to check out SBIFF’s YouTube page (www.youtube.com/@officialSBIFF) to watch videos of the award evening and panels, and get to know the winners before they step up to the microphone. 

You can also re-live SBIFF by showing up at the Arlington to watch the Oscars telecast live on the big screen in the big venue for free, with doors opening at 3:30 pm. A VIP reception in the courtyard – where SBIFF had its red-carpet photo ops and stargazing – starts at 2, the better to not miss a moment of the red carpet arrivals in Hollywood. The $20 tickets include a drink, popcorn and a raffle ticket. 

Focus on Film: Pollock Projections 

The 2023 documentary American Homeboy explores the layered and rich history of Chicano culture in the United States over a period of more than a century. American Homeboy explores that culture’s having suffered the gauntlet of wartime sentiment, social alienation, and government discrimination – only to become a pop culture phenomenon. The film features interviews with leading Mexican American historians, academics, artists, activists, Cholos, and former law enforcement officers against a backdrop drawn from 50 hours of restored archival footage. UCSB’s Pollock Theater screens American Homeboy at 2 pm on March 1, followed by a discussion with director Brandon Loran Maxwell, subject Jerry Ramirez and moderator UCSB English prof Clint Terrell.

The musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch – which won the Best Director and Audience Awards at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, and later secured a Golden Globe nomination but flopped at the box office – remains both relevant to today’s socio-political environment and popular with its cult classic fans more than 20 years later. Writer-director John Cameron Mitchell, who adapted his own stage musical and stars as the gender and category-defying title character, talks about Hedwig with Carsey-Wolf Center director Patrice Petro following a free screening at Pollock on March 4. 

Sorkin Squawks on Stage

Andrew Ross Sorkin – the founder and editor-at-large of The New York Times’ DealBook, andco-anchor of CNBC’s Squawk Box – has been dubbed “The Oracle” for his insights into business and financial policy. Now he comes to UCSB’s Campbell Hall on March 1 fresh off his announcement on X that a follow-up to Too Big to Fail, his hugely influential bestseller about the 2008 financial crisis, will be published in October. He’ll undoubtedly clue us in about 1929, a prequel that covers the even bigger crisis triggered by the stock market crash. It’s almost assured that we’ll also hear his thoughts on the first five weeks of Trump’s second presidency, and the doings of DOGE dude Elon Musk, whose controversial $50 billion-plus Tesla compensation package is strongly supported by Sorkin, who co-created the Billions TV series.