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For filmmakers with ties to Santa Barbara, SBIFF’s submission deadline is a huge bull’s-eye on the calendar, an annual challenge to come up with something worth showing the community at large, whether it’s a comedy about wizards or an investigation into saving our soil.
Filmmaker and journalist Russ Spencer, who helped create this corner of the fest nearly one decade ago, called the 2012 experience “very gratifying,” explaining, “More Santa Barbara filmmakers have begun to face the reality of the marketplace and are paying much closer attention to production values, marketability, and structure. It’s like, go big or go home.” He’s also proud to note the growing “interplay” between here and Hollywood, as fostering industry exposure was why SBIFF created this section roughly 10 years ago.
“We have a good core group of filmmakers who are working at a very high level, and another group of up-and-comers who are showing great promise,” said Spencer. “The shorts programs are where these filmmakers are excelling, both in docs and narrative films, as the best filmmakers hone their talent on short-form projects, building up experience for that feature on the horizon.”
Here’s a breakdown of what your friends and neighbors have to show you in 2012
Family Band: The Cowsills Story: An engaging, in-depth, and fascinating look at how one of the most popular bands of the 1960s — and probably the most ambitious and inclusive family-based group — crumbled under the weight of an abusive father-manager.
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