The Santa Barbara International Film Festival Proves It’s Very Much a Stop on the Road to Oscars

Christian Blauvelt

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The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced the lineup for its 35th edition, which will take place from January 15 to 25. There will be 47 world premieres and 71 U.S. premieres, with 50 countries represented overall, in addition to starry tributes that serve as an awards season stop for top Oscar contenders. Among those feted in their respective categories will be Renée Zellweger (American Riviera Award), Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver (Outstanding Performers of the Year Award), Laura Dern (Cinema Vanguard Award), Brad Pitt (Maltin Modern Master Award), along with the winners of the Virtuosos Award: Awkwafina, Taron Egerton, Cynthia Erivo, Beanie Feldstein, Aldis Hodge, George MacKay, Florence Pugh, and Taylor Russell.

The SBIFF is also unique in its yearly celebration of below the line talent. The crafts artists who’ve won the Variety Artisans Award this year are Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (“Frozen II”), Michael Giacchino (“Jojo Rabbit”), Kazu Hiro (“Bombshell”), Barbara Ling (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Steve Morrow (“Ford v Ferrari”), Christopher Peterson and Sandy Powell (“The Irishman”), Lawrence Sher (“Joker”), Lee Smith (“1917”), and Adam Valdez (“The Lion King”). Bong Joon Ho will also be on hand for a retrospective of his films and will participate in a Q&A following a free screening of “Parasite.” Plus, there will be a 20th anniversary screening of David O. Russell’s “Three Kings.”

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The opening night film of SBIFF 2020 is “A Bump Along the Way,” a Derry, Northern Ireland-set comedy about an unexpected pregnancy directed by Shelly Love.

Here’s the lineup:

Amazing Grace, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Lynn Montgomery

Americaville, USA, China – World Premiere

Directed by Adam Smith

Bastard’s Road, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Brian Morrison

Born in a Ballroom, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Clara Lehmann and Jonathan Lacocque

By Hand, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Kellen Keene

The Delicacy, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Jason Wise

Exploring the Pacific Northwest, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Ian A. Nelson

Faith Based, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Vincent Masciale

The Lafayette Escadrille, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Darroch Greer

Man in the Field: The Life and Art of Jim Denevan, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Patrick Trefz

Medicating Normal, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Lynn Cunningham and Wendy Ractliffe

Mentors – Tony and Santi, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Andrew Davis

The Mustangs: An American Story, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Steven Latham

The Naturemakers, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Scott Saunders

The Night, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Kourosh Ahari

The Oratorio, USA, Italy – World Premiere

Directed by Mary Anne Rothberg

Overland, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Elisabeth Haviland James and Revere La Noue

The Prison Within, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Katherin Hervey

The Restoration (La restauracion), Peru – World Premiere

Directed by Alonso Llosa

Sergio Mendes in the Key of Joy!, UK – World Premiere

Directed by John Scheinfeld

Tell My Story, USA – World Premiere

Directed by David Freid

A Worm in the Heart, USA – World Premiere

Directed by Paul Rice

 

61 U.S. PREMIERE FEATURE FILMS

The Amber Light, UK – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Adam Park

Amundsen, Norway – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Espen Sandberg

The Art of Waiting (Neffilot), Israel – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Erez Tadmor

Back Towards Light (Takaisin valoon), Finland – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Arto Halonen

The Birdcatcher’s Son (Fågelfångarens son), Sweden – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Richard Hobert

Birth Wars, Mexico – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Janet Jarman

Black Conflux, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Nicole Dorsey

Born 2 Drive, Norway – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Daniel Fahre

A Brother’s Love, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Monia Chokri

A Bump Along the Way, UK – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Shelly Love

By a Sharp Knife (Ostrým nozom), Slovakia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Teodor Kuhn

Call Mom! (Ring mamma!), Sweden – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Lisa Aschan

Chronology (Kronoloji), Turkey – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Ali Aydin

The Clash (La bronca), Peru, Columbia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Daniel and Diego Vega

Collision (Kollision), Denmark – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Mehdi Avaz

Daniel, Denmark, Norway, Sweden – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Niels Arden Oplev and Anders W. Berthelsen

Disco, Norway – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Jorunn Myklebust Syversen

Easy Living, Italy – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Peter and Orso Miyakawa

The Exception (Undtagelsen), Denmark – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Jesper W. Nielsen

Fatei and the Sea, Russia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Alina Rudnitskaya and Sergey Vinokurov

The Flying Circus (Cirku Fluturues), Kosovo, U.S. Premiere

Directed by Fatos Berisha

The Good One (La volta buona), Italy – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Vincenzo Marra

The Goya Murders (El asesino de los caprichos), Spain – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Gerardo Herrero

Gutterbee, Denmark – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Ulrich Thomsen

Gipsy Queen, Germany, Austria – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Hüseyin Tabak

Hope Gap, UK – U.S. Premiere

Directed by William Nicholson

I Was, I Am, I Will Be (Es gilt das gesprochene wort), Germany – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Ilker Catak

If Only (Magari), Italy, France – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Ginevra Elkann

James Vs. His Future Self, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Jeremy Lalonde

Kuessipan, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Myriam Verreault

Land of Ashes (Ceniza Negra), Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, France – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Sofia Quiros

Lane 4 (Raia 4), Brazil – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Emiliano Cunha

The Last Mountain (Ostatnia góra), Poland – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Dariusz Załuski

Leaving Afghanistan (Bratstvo), Russia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Pavel Lungin

Liberté: A Call To Spy, USA – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Lydia Dean Pilcher

Love Beats (La banda), Spain – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Roberto Bueso

The Marijuana Conspiracy, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Craig Pryce

Master Cheng (Mestari Cheng), Finland, China – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Mika Kaurismaki

Mosh, Domican Republic – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Juan Antonio Bisonó

My Life (Mi Vida), Netherlands – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Norbert Ter Hall

My Life as a Comedian (En komikers uppväxt), Sweden – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Rojda Sekersoz

Nevia, Italy – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Nunzia De Stefano

Once in Trubchevsk, Russia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Larisa Sadilova

Only the Animals (Seules les bêtes), France, Germany – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Dominik Moll

Outdeh – The Youth of Jamaica, Germany – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Louis Josek

Outlaw (Autlo), Russia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Ksenia Ratushnaya

Pandora’s Box: Lifting the Lid on Menstruation, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Rebecca Snow

Paris: A Wild Story, France – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Frederic Fougea

The Pencil (Prostoy karandash), Russia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Natalya Nazarova

Psychosia (Psykosia), Denmark – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Marie Grahtø Sørensen

The Retirement (El retiro), Argentina – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Ricardo Diaz Lacoponi

River Silence, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Rogério Soares

Santa Clara, Bolivia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Pedro Antonio Gutierrez

The Songpoet, USA – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Paul Lamont

Sovereign Soil, Canada – U.S. Premiere

Directed by David Curtis

Stitches (savovi), Serbia, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Miroslav Terzić

Super Frenchie, USA – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Chase Ogden

Supernova, Poland – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Bartosz Kruhlik

That Click, USA – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Luca Severi

Towards the Battle (Vers la bataille), France, Columbia – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Aurélien Vernhes-Lermusiaux

White on White (Blanco en blanco), Spain, Chile, France, Germany – U.S. Premiere

Directed by Théo Court

2020 SBIFF FEATURE FILMS

14 Days, 12 Nights (14 jours, 12 nuits), Canada

Directed by Jean-Phillippe Duval

37 Seconds, Japan

Directed by Hikari

Antigone, Canada

Directed by Sophie Deraspe

Blow the Man Down, USA

Directed by Bridget Savage Cole and Danielle Krudy

Born in Jerusalem and Still Alive, Israel

Directed by Yossi Atia and David Ofek

Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn, USA

Directed by Ivy Meeropol

Burnt Orange Heresy, USA, UK

Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi

The Changin’ Times of Ike White, USA

Directed by Daniel Vernon

Finding Farideh, Iran, Netherlands

Directed by Kourosh Ataee and Azadeh Moussavi

Golda, Israel, Germany

Directed by Sagi Bornstein, Udi Nir, Shani Rozanes

The Grand Unified Theory of Howard Bloom, USA

Directed by Charlie Hoxie

Greed, UK

Directed by Michael Winterbottom

Invisible Life (A vida Invisível), Brazil, Germany

Directed by Karim Aïnouz

Kosher Beach, Israel

Directed by Karin Kainer

Lina From Lima, Chile, Peru, Argentina

Directed by Maria Paz Gonzalez

Lost Transmissions, USA

Directed by Katharine O’Brien

The Mayor of Rione Sanità (Il sindaco del rione sanità), Italy

Directed by Mario Martone

My Friend Fela, Brazil

Directed by Joel Zito Araújo

Papicha, France, Algeria, Belgium, Qatar

Directed by Mounia Meddour

Parasite, South Korea

Directed by Bong Joon-ho

Personhood, USA

Directed by Jo Ardinger

Red Penguins, USA

Directed by Gabe Polsky

She’s in Portland, USA

Directed by Marc Carlini

Shindisi, Georgia

Directed by Dito Tsintsadze

Show Me What You Got, USA

Directed by Svetlana Cvetko

System Crashers (Systemsprenger), Germany

Directed by Nora Fingsche

Truth and Justice, (Tõde ja õigus), Estonia

Directed by Tanel Toom

The Vast of Night, USA

Directed by Andrew Patterson

Verdict, France, Philippines

Directed by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez

The Wandering Chef, South Korea

Directed Hye-Ryoung Park

Whale Wisdom, USA

Directed by Rick Rosenthal

To see the list of shorts that will be playing head over to the Santa Barbara International Film Festival‘s website.

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