31st SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL RELEASES 2016 PROGRAM
XAVIER GIANNOLI’S “MARGUERITE” TO CLOSE THE FESTIVAL WITH
TERRENCE MALICK’S “KNIGHT OF CUPS” AS CENTERPIECE FILM
Santa Barbara, CA –The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), presented by UGG,
announced today the highly-anticipated line-up for the 31st edition, which will run February 3rd to
February 13th, 2016. The festival will offer a vast array of films representing 60+ countries, 52
world premieres and 53 US premieres, along with tributes with the year’s top talent, panel
discussions, and free community education and outreach.
SBIFF 2016 will kick off on Wednesday, February 3rd, at the historic Arlington Theatre with the
US Premiere of THE LITTLE PRINCE, directed by Mark Osborne and featuring the voices of
Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Ricky Gervais, James Franco, Mackenzie Foy
and Benicio Del Toro. THE LITTLE PRINCE is based on the classic tale of the same name by
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
On Sunday, February 7th, Terrance Malick’s experiential KNIGHT OF CUPS will have its US
Premiere at the Arlington Theatre as the festival’s Centerpiece Film. The highly anticipated film
stars Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Frieda Pinto, Isabel Lucas, Imogen
Poots, Wes Bentley, Brian Dennehy and Teresa Palmer, among others. KNIGHT OF CUPS
follows writer Rick (Bale) on an odyssey through the playgrounds of Los Angeles and Las Vegas
as he undertakes a search for love and self. Even as he moves through a desire-laden landscape
of mansions, resorts, beaches and clubs, Rick grapples over complicated relationships with his
brother (Bentley) and father (Dennehy). His quest to break the spell of his disenchantment takes
him on a series of adventures with six alluring women: rebellious Della (Poots); his physician exwife, Nancy (Blanchett); a serene model Helen (Pinto); a woman he wronged in the past Elizabeth
(Portman); a spirited, playful stripper Karen (Palmer); and an innocent Isabel (Lucas), who helps
him see a way forward.
Xavier Giannoli’s funny and emotional drama MARGUERITE will close out the festival on
Saturday, February 13th. 1921, the beginning of the Golden Twenties. Not far from Paris. It is
party day at Marguerite Dumont’s castle. Like every year, an array of music lovers gathers
around a great cause at the owner’s place. Nobody knows much about this woman except that
she is rich and that her whole life is devoted to her passion: music. Marguerite sings. She sings
wholeheartedly, but she sings terribly out of tune. In ways quite similar to the Castafiore,
Marguerite has been living her passion in her own bubble, and the hypocrite audience, always
coming in for a good laugh, acts as if she was the diva she believes she is. When a young,
provocative journalist decides to write a rave article on her latest performance, Marguerite starts
to believe even further in her talent. This gives her the courage she needs to follow her dream.
Despite her husband’s reluctance, and with the help of a has-been divo, both funny and mean,
she decides to train for her first recital in front of a crowd of complete strangers.
THE TRIBUTES
SBIFF has become an important showcase for Academy-Award® frontrunners, many of whom
have arrived as nominees and gone on to win the Oscar. The 31st Santa Barbara International
Film Festival proudly celebrates some of the year’s finest work in film. The complete list of 2016
Honorees (in date order) is as follows:
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Scott Cooper will present Johnny Depp with the esteemed Maltin Modern Master
Award sponsored by UGG, moderated by longtime friend and film historian Leonard
Maltin on Thursday, February 4th.
Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams will receive the American Riviera
Award sponsored by Engel & Völkers on Friday, February 5th.
The 2016 Virtuosos Award sponsored by Travel + Leisure will be presented to Elizabeth
Banks (LOVE & MERCY), Joel Edgerton (BLACK MASS), Paul Dano (LOVE & MERCY,
YOUTH), Jacob Tremblay (ROOM), Alicia Vikander (THE DANISH GIRL, EX
MACHINA), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON) and Géza Röhrig
(SON OF SAUL) in recognition of the year’s emerging film artists. The evening will be
moderated by Dave Karger, Chief Correspondent and host of "The Frontrunners" on
Fandango on Saturday, February 6th.
Brie Larson and Saoirse Ronan will receive the Outstanding Performers of the Year
Award, moderated by Pete Hammond, on Monday, February 8th.
The Montecito Award will be Tuesday, February 9th and is sponsored by Hennessy.
Honoree to be announced.
The Variety Artisans Awards will take place on Wednesday, February 10th and will be
moderated by Variety’s Sr. VP Awards Editor, Tim Gray. Honorees to be announced.
The Outstanding Director of the Year Award sponsored by The Hollywood reporter will
be Thursday, February 11th and will be moderated by THR’s Scott Feinberg. Honorees to
be announced.
Rooney Mara will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award, presented to her by Cate
Blanchett, on Saturday, February 12th.
All tributes take place at the historic Arlington Theatre except the Variety Artisans Award which
will be at the Lobero Theatre.
THE PANELS
SBIFF has become renowned for creating smart, insightful panels that feature a who’s who in the
world of filmmaking, including many Oscar® contenders.
The panel series begins on Saturday, February 6th with the “Movers and Shakers,” (Producers
Panel), bringing together the industry’s most prolific producers to talk about current projects,
hopes for the future of filmmaking, and insights into the creative process. Moderated by Los
Angeles Times film writer Glenn Whipp.
That same day proceeds with “It Starts With the Script” (Screenwriters Panel), bringing together
top writers to discuss their craft. The panel will be moderated by indieWIRE’s Anne Thompson.
On Saturday February 13, with Creative Forces: Women in the Business (Women’s Panel),
moderated by Madelyn Hammond, President, Madelyn Hammond & Assoc., and Former Chief
Marketing Officer for Variety. The Women’s Panel is sponsored by Brooks Institute.
All panels take place at the Lobero Theatre.
HIGHLIGHTS & LOCAL OFFERINGS
Student Film Studies Program – Returning for its second year, the student film studies program
will bring undergraduate film students from across the country for a three day symposium with a
focus on film appreciation, criticism, and analysis. Students will have the opportunity to learn from
notable industry professionals and get a behind-the-scenes look at the Santa Barbara
International Film Festival through a unique mix of guided and self-guided opportunities, allowing
students to customize the experience and benefit from all the Festival has to offer. Students will
have access to screenings, panels, Q&A sessions, celebrity tribute events, and private sessions
with filmmakers and media professionals in a classroom setting. Due to the generosity of Lynda
Weinman and Bruce Heavin, the amount of students allowed has doubled and the program will
be completely FREE including travel and lodging.
Free Public Screenings – Sponsored by Cox Business, SBIFF will again offer critically acclaimed
films FREE to the public at the Lobero Theatre everyday throughout the Festival..
Seminars - SBIFF will again present educational seminars that will be FREE to the public and
will take place in the Visit Santa Ynez Valley Lounge at the Engel & Völkers Pavilion throughout
the Festival at 11:00am.
The Jury – Films in several of the Festival’s film categories are in competition. These categories
are viewed by a hand selected group of industry professionals including: Sean Baker, James
Morrison, Johannes Kuhnke, Neil Konigsberg, Margaret Lazarus, Geoffrey Cowper, Alan
Marshall, Anthony Zerbe, Perry Lange, Mimi deGruy, and Phyllis de Picciotto. On the last day of
the Festival, the award winning films will be announced at the annual SBIFF awards breakfast.
SBIFF Acquisitions Program - SBIFF presents the 5th Annual Acquisitions Program on the
first weekend of the festival, February 5 - February 7. Since it began five years ago, this weekend
long event has grown significantly with a number of films from last year’s program going on to
receive distribution. The program was created to allow the acquisitions community easy, industryfriendly access to films at SBIFF.
Super Silent Sunday – On Sunday February 7th, SBIFF will present a classic silent film at the
Arlington Theatre completely FREE to the public. Live accompaniment will be provided by Adam
Aceto on the theatre’s Wonder Morton pipe organ, which is one of only five in existence, and is a
unique opportunity to connect with the rich history of cinema.
Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies – More than a decade ago, SBIFF first introduced “Field Trip to
the Movies,” the brainchild of renowned nature cinematographer Mike deGruy, whose passion for
exploring and sharing those adventures with audiences through filmmaking was the inspiration
for this fascinating and thought-provoking program. Now renamed “Mike’s Field Trip to the
Movies,” the goal of the program, which is offered to 4,000 5th and 6th grade students from
throughout Santa Barbara County, is to use filmmaking to stimulate creative, confident and
culturally aware thinkers and empower students and teachers with a novel approach to education.
Award winning filmmakers have participated each year - including James Cameron, Lee Unkrich,
Gore Verbinski, Peter Ramsey, Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Chris Miller and Phil Lord among others.
SBIFF provides FREE transportation to students from Title I schools. This year, SBIFF is once
again including an educational outreach program that will reach students in participating schools.
Here, SBIFF staff and special guests will conduct an interactive film-related seminar within their
own classroom. For the 31st Festival, SBIFF is thrilled to present the critically-acclaimed hit
animated comedy adventure, Inside Out, featuring writer/director Pete Docter, who will
participate in a Q&A following the screenings with the students and talk about the craft of animated
filmmaking. This annual free event, which takes place Friday, February 5 at the Arlington
Theatre, is sponsored by Santa Barbara Foundation, Union Bank, Wells Fargo, Bentson
Foundation, Macy’s, and The Volentine Family Foundation.
The Tribute Awards were once again specially designed by Santa Barbara’s own Daniel
Gibbings Jewelry. The Award is inspired by the iconic steeple of Santa Barbara’s historic
Arlington Theatre and is handcrafted in metal and is 24 karat gold-plated, with a custom marble
base. “We wanted to create an award that is not only quintessential to Santa Barbara’s beautiful
culture and performing arts, but also embodied the passion and creativity we use in crafting our
unique jewelry designs,” states CEO and Creative Director Daniel Gibbings and Setenay
Ozdemir-Osman. “Just as the Arlington Theatre takes our imagination to new places, so do the
visionary filmmakers and actors that are honored each year by the Santa Barbara International
Film Festival. We are truly honored to design and create all of the awards for SBIFF.”
AppleBox Family Films – FREE family films on the weekends of the Festival. This year, SBIFF
will screen Animated Feature frontrunners Inside Out (10:00am Feb. 6), Minions (1:00pm Feb.
6), The Peanut Movie (10:00am Feb. 7), and The Good Dinosaur (10:00am Feb. 13) Sponsored
by Cox, KPMR Univision, Metropolitan Theatres, MOXI, and Rincon Broadcasting.
Santa Barbara Filmmakers - The Santa Barbara filmmaking community continues to captivate
and inspire audiences with this year’s impressive line-up. Santa Barbara filmmakers provide a
diverse, thought-provoking series of features and shorts. Their programs underscore the
emerging talent of up-and-coming filmmakers as well as seasoned veterans, and will be part of
the juried competition this year for the very first time.
10-10-10 Student Screenwriting and Filmmaking Competition sponsored by Montecito Bank
& Trust, Final Draft, and The Riordan Foundation. The Competition is comprised of 20 high school
and college students chosen from 120 submissions. The filmmakers and screenwriters were then
paired and they will then produce a 10-minute film. They will then produce a 10-minute film during
the 10 days of the Festival. On Tuesday, February 2 the 10-10-10 Press Conference will introduce
the screenwriting and filmmaking finalists. On Saturday, February 13 at the Arlington Theatre, all
ten completed films will be screened and the winners will be announced.
The Stand Up Award sponsored by the Anti-Defamation League - The Santa Barbara TriCounties Region of the Anti-Defamation League will be sponsoring and presenting the new
'ADL Stand Up Award' to a dramatic film in the festival that represents an important addition to
the efforts of the ADL "to secure justice and fair treatment for all." ADL has a one hundred year
history of standing up to bigotry, hatred, and discrimination. The purpose of this award is to
recognize and celebrate the impact that story telling can have in fostering mutual understanding
and respect.
Irish Animated Short Films - Santa Barbara’s Irish sister city of Dingle will make a
presentation of Ireland’s top animators at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. From
The West Coast of Ireland, sitting along The Wild Atlantic Way, Dingle International Film
Festival will bring its showcase of Irish Animation to The West Coast of America in California.
The selection of animation films by Maurice Galway, Director Dingle IFF, includes some of the
top names in animation here in Ireland today whilst also giving a nod to up and coming talent.
Santa Barbara Local Heroes: Documentary Shorts - Directed by Phyllis de Picciotto and
Stan Roden, these sixteen short documentaries are inspired, guided and determined by
the Santa Barbara Independent’s 30-year tradition of honoring Local Heroes. The 2015 Santa
Barbara Local Heroes are: Diana Basehart, Dr. Joe Blum, Don Bushnell, Rodney Chow, Frank
Goss, David Hopkins, Jimmy Jennings, Santa Barbara High School Don’s Net Cafe (Lee Ann
Knodle), Irene Macias, Marcel Meier, Lady Leslie Ridley-Tree, Suzanne Riordan, Santa Barbara
Conservancy, Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol (Jan Martinez and Anthony Lombardi), Josette
Tkacik, Friends of the Carpinteria Library (April Ueoka and Susan Williams). These short
documentary portraits will screen periodically throughout the festival before the Santa Barbara
Features/Shorts.
Youth CineMedia – SBIFF presents a documentary film series produced entirely by teens
involved in the Youth CineMedia program. Striving to help children transition away from gang life,
drugs and alcohol and into college and careers in music, photography and video production, the
organization offers creative tools, training and support for underprivileged and at-risk teens. Free
to the public with Q&A following.
3RD Weekend - SBIFF will once again present “3RD Weekend,” which will feature the highlights of
the 31st Festival for Santa Barbara residents. The films will be screened throughout the weekend
of February 19-21 at the Riviera Theatre. Screenings are FREE and seating is available on a first
come, first served basis. Screening times will be posted sbiff.org in the days following Closing
Night.
FILM CATEGORIES AND SIDEBARS
SBIFF features exciting, culturally enlightening, and entertaining programming and sidebars.
207+ films from around the world will be brought together to form an incredibly unique and diverse
festival experience.
2016 FEATURE FILM SECTIONS
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ABOVE AND BEYOND: A selection of exhilarating documentaries that capture the
challenges of endurance sports as well as the adventure, beauty and thrills of the
outdoors.
APPLEBOX: A series of free award-winning animated films for families.
CINEMATIC OVERTURES: A selection of films that showcase the world of performance
including, music, theater and dance.
DOCUMENTARY: A selection of US and International documentaries.
GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD: A selection of documentaries that explore key figures from
Hollywood history as well as the global dimensions of Hollywood.
INDEPENDENT: A selection of Independent feature films.
INTERNATIONAL: A selection of International feature films.
KOLNOA: A selection of feature films and documentaries that examine Israel from a
variety of diverse historical, cultural and political perspectives.
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NOIR: An international selection of neo-noirs filled with gritty underworlds, hard-boiled
criminals, femme fatales and moral nihilists.
NORDIC: A selection of contemporary cinema from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway,
and Sweden.
REEL NATURE: A selection of natural history documentaries that highlight key issues
facing the environment and wildlife.
SANTA BARBARA FEATURES: A selection of films from Santa Barbara filmmakers.
SCREEN CUISINE: An international selection of feature films and documentaries that
examine the cultural layers of cuisine and craft spirits.
SOCIAL JUSTICE: A selection of international documentaries that address critical social
justice issues, including activism, environmentalism, equality, freedom of speech and
human rights.
SPANISH/LATIN AMERICA: A selection of Spanish language films from Spain and
Latin America.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: A selection of international award winning feature films
and documentaries.
Below is the list of World and US Premiere Feature films, followed by the list of remaining
Features and Shorts. For the complete list of films, along with their descriptions and a
preliminary screening schedule, visit www.sbiff.org. Please note that this is subject to change.
WORLD PREMIERES
A Classy Broad, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Global Hollywood
Directed by Anne Goursaud
Cast: Tony Bill, James Carabatsos, Glenn Close, Rob Cohen, John Dean, Lucy Fisher,
Lawrence Kasdan, Marcia Nasatir, Michele Nasatir, Daniel Petrie Jr
In 1974 Marcia Nasatir made history by becoming the first woman vice-president at United
Artists. This film tells how a Jewish girl from San Antonio shattered Hollywood's glass ceiling.
A Single Frame, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Documentary
Directed by Brandon Dickerson
Featuring: Jeff Bowden, Alexandra Boulat, Gary Knight, Ron Haviv, Wade Goddard
Visiting Dubrovnik in 2007, Jeff Bowden encounters a photograph of a refugee boy taken during
the war in Kosovo. Driven by this haunting image, Bowden sets out to find the child.
Alex and Eve, Australia (World Premiere)
Section: Independent
Directed by Peter Andrikidis
Cast: Richard Brancatisano, Andrea Demetriades
In suburban Sydney, Australia, a Greek man and a Muslim woman fall in love. When things start
to get serious, they must somehow make their prejudiced families see the world differently.
Bad Seeds (Les mauvaises herbes), Canada (World Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Louis Bélanger
Cast: Alexis Martin, Gilles Renaud, Emmanuelle Lussier-Martinez, Luc Picard
An indebted man flees Montreal and finds himself in an isolated farmhouse that belongs to a
misanthropic hermit who cultivates marijuana plants--leaving them no choice but to collaborate.
Battlecreek, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Independent
Directed by Alison Eastwood
Cast: Bill Skarsgård, Paula Malcomson, Claire van der Boom, Delroy Lindo, Toby Hemingway,
Dana Powell, Jeremy Sande, Susan McPhail, Amye Gousset,
Henry--a loner and night owl--has been sheltered by his fiery mother his entire life. One night, a
young woman's car breaks down, and Henry's life changes forever.
Being George Clooney, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Documentary, Global Hollywood
Directed by Paul Mariano
Featuring: Francesco Pannofino, Detlef Bierstedt, Samuel Labarthe, Marco Antonio Costa,
Tamer Karadagli, Shakti Singh, Martin Umbach
Meet the many voices of George Clooney in this documentary that goes behind the scenes to
the world of audio dubbing, where American hits are translated into international blockbusters.
Bizarre: A Circus Story, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Documentary, Cinematic Overtures
Directed by Meg Pinsonneault
Cast: Master Lu Yi
This magical tale shows the extraordinary life of Master Lu Yi, the father of modern acrobatics,
and the vast community of big top lovers who share his dream of a thriving US circus industry.
The Challenge, UK (World Premiere)
Section: Above and Beyond
Directed by Peter Williams
Featuring: Alex Smith, Donna Smith, Harrison Smith, William Smith, Kay Davies
In June 2015, Alex Smith completed an Ironman, known as the toughest single day challenge
you can undertake, carrying his disabled son the whole way.
Craft: The California Beer Documentary, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Jeff Smith
This documentary explores the exciting world of craft beer told by the brewers that are setting
the standards.
Crossing Bhutan, USA/Bhutan (World Premiere)
Section: Documentary, Above and Beyond
Directed by Ben Henretig
Featuring: Terri Schneider, David Kelly, Tony Lillios, Greg Thomas
Four veteran athletes explore Bhutan’s enigmatic policy of Gross National Happiness by making
the first 485-mile crossing entirely by foot and bike.
Floyd Norman: An Animated Life, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Documentary, Global Hollywood
Directed by Erik Sharkey and Michael Fiore
Featuring: Floyd Norman, Whoopi Goldberg, Sergio Aragones, Richard Sherman, Don Hahn,
Ralph Guggenheim, Leonard Maltin, Paul Dini, Gary Trousdale, Scott Shaw
This intimate journey through the life and career of 80-year-old Floyd Norman, the first AfricanAmerican animator at Disney Studios, shows that this Disney legend is still influencing
animation.
High Strung, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Cinematic Overtures
Directed by Michael Damian
Cast: Jane Seymour, Keenan Kampa, Sonoya Mizuno, Paul Freeman, David Lipper, Maia
Morgenstern, Nicholas Galitzine
When a hip hop violinist busking in the New York subway encounters a classical dancer on
scholarship at the Manhattan Conservatory of the Arts, sparks fly.
Interlude, Argentina (World Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Nadia Benedicto
Cast: Leticia Mazur, Lucía Frittayón, Sofía Del Tuffo
Sofia, recently separated, travels with her daughters Irina and Pachi to a coastal town out of
season. The time they spend there mark a turning point in their relationship.
The Lost City of Cecil B. DeMille, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Features, Global Hollywood
Directed by Peter L. Brosnan
Featuring: Cecil B. DeMille, Charlton Heston, Jesse Lasky Jr., Peter L. Brosnan
In 1982 Peter Brosnan heard about an ancient Egyptian City buried in the Guadalupe dunes in
Santa Barbara County, which was constructed as the set for Cecil B. DeMille’s THE TEN
COMMANDMENTS (1923). Bronson embarked on what turned out to be a thirty year battle to
unearth these Sphinxes.
Miso Hungry, Australia/Japan (World Premiere)
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Tim Delmastro
Featuring: Craig Anderson
Miso Hungry chronicles one man’s journey towards a healthier lifestyle through eating nothing
but traditional, authentic Japanese cooking for 12 weeks.
The Pickle Recipe, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Independent, Screen Cuisine
Directed by Michael Manasseri
Cast: Jon Dore, Lynn Cohen, David Paymer, Eric Edelstein
Desperate for cash, a down-on-his-luck party emcee is corrupted by his shameless uncle to
steal his grandmother's top secret pickle recipe.
Stereotypically You, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Independent
Directed by Benjamin Cox
Cast: Aaron Tveit, Abby Elliott, Lauren Miller, Kal Penn, Shane McRae, Kelen Coleman,
Annaleigh Ashford, Lewis Black, Chris Elliott
This NYC dating comedy follows one man, who quit his job and his girlfriend in the same day, in
his hallucination-fueled, post-breakup quest to find new love…and himself.
Vinyl Generation, Czech Republic/USA (World Premiere)
Section: Social Justice
Directed by Keith Jones
Featuring: Otto M. Urban, Ondřej Šturma
In 1980s Czechoslovakia an emerging generation took inspiration from alternative culture to
create their own worldview, politics, and eventually, a revolution.
Wheels Over Paradise, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Above and Beyond
Directed by Paul Mathieu
Featuring: Thomas Flinchbaugh
Skateboarders battle negative public perception and a recent ban on the sport while pushing
their limits on the dramatic and dangerous mountain roads above Santa Barbara, California.
Who’s Driving Doug, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Independent
Directed by David Conley
Cast: RJ Mitte, Paloma Kwiatkowski, Daphne Zuniga, Ray William Johnson
In this coming-of-age drama, a sheltered wheelchair-bound college student changes his life
when he goes on a spontaneous road trip where drugs, gambling, and romance await.
U.S. PREMIERES
10 Billion: What’s On Your Plate?, Germany (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Screen Cuisine, Social Justice
Directed by Valentin Thurn
Featuring: Valentin Thurn
Given our limited resources, how can we meet every person’s need for healthy food? With
almost 10 billion humans on Earth by 2050, we must decide now how to shape the future of
agriculture.
25 April, New Zealand (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Leanne Pooley
Cast: Fraser Brown, Andrew Grainger, Chelsie Preston-Crayford, Gareth Reeves, Tainui
Tukiwaho, Matt Whelan
In this animated documentary, the tragic 1915 Gallipoli Campaign of WWI is told through the
letters and diaries of six New Zealanders who were involved.
A los 40, Peru (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Bruno Ascenzo
Cast: Carlos Alcántara, Carlos Carlín, Katia Condos, Lali Espósito, Gianella Neyra, Wendy
Ramos, Johanna San Miguel, Stefano Salvini, Gabriela Velasquez
A group of friends face their past, present, and future at a twenty-fifth school reunion that leads
them to wonder where their lives are heading.
A Matter of Time, Canada (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Documentary
Directed by Casey Cohen
Featuring: Kathryn Calder, Blaine Thurier, Brooke Gallupe, Carl Newman
The story of Kathryn Calder (of The New Pornographers) and her mother's battle with ALS.
Against Your Will, Israel (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Social Justice, Kolnoa
Directed by Assaf Banitt
Cast: Gilles Alexandre, Esther Alexandre
Gilles and Esther Alexandre struggle with the loss of two sons to suicide and launch a public
campaign to reshape Jewish Orthodoxy’s discourse on suicide.
Amerika, Czech Republic (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Documentary
Directed by Jan Foukal
Featuring: Jan Foukal, Barbara Adler
AMERIKA tells the story of the Czech men and women who, in search of a “better and freer
world,” adopted the lifestyle and music of the American Wild West.
Arabic Movie, Israel (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Kolnoa
Directed by Eyal Sagui Bezawe and Sara Tsifroni
This film traces how Israelis became devoted fans of Egyptian movies during a time of hostility
between the two countries in the 1970s through the Friday night “Arab Film” mania.
The Assistant (La volante), France/Belgium (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Noir
Directed by Christophe Ali and Nicolas Bonilauri
Cast: Nathalie Baye, Malik Zidi, Jean-Stan Du Pac, Johan Leysen, Sabrina Seyvecou, PierreAlain Chapuis, Hervé Sogne, Aïssatou Diop
As he is driving his wife to the maternity ward, Thomas runs over and kills a young man. Nine
years later, the boy's mother becomes Thomas's assistant, and she begins to exact her
revenge.
Chucks, Austria (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Sabine Hiebler and Gerhard Ertl
Cast: Anna Posch, Markus Subramaniam, Thomas Schubert, Steffi Reinsperger, Susi Stach,
Lola Khittl
Mae roams the streets of Vienna as a punk, only interested in extreme experiences. When sent
to an AIDS center for community service, she meets and falls in love with an AIDS patient.
The Culpable (Verfehlung), Germany (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Gerd Schneider
Cast: Sebastian Blomberg, Kai Schumann, Jan Messutat
THE CULPABLE tells a story about the controversial behaviour of the Catholic Church,
examining friendship, responsibility, faith, betrayal.
The Dark Side of the Ocean, USA (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Features, Reel Nature
Directed by Rick Rosenthal
Billions of bizarre and beautiful animals migrate from the ocean's depths to its surface each
night. This documentary reveals this rarely seen world of exceptional beauty.
Dream Land, USA/Cambodia (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Steve Chen
Cast: Lida Duch, Hak Kim, Sokun Nhem, Sambath Sem, Kanitha Tith
In the metropolis of Phnom Penh, Lida sells modern real estate developments. With her
relationship deteriorating, she escapes to the beach, but finds that specters from the past haunt
in beautiful ways.
Early Winter, Canada (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Independent
Directed by Michael Rowe
Cast: Suzanne Clément, Ambrosio De Luca, Paul Doucet
David, a man in his forties, who has sacrificed his life to his wife and kids fights to keep them
close to him.
Eva Doesn’t Sleep (Eva no duerme), Argentina/Spain/France (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by: Pablo Agüero
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Denis Lavant, Imanol Arias
The embalmed corpse of Eva Peron is taken to various cities throughout Europe before
returning to her home in Argentina, where it is ultimately abducted.
The Final Lesson, France (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Pascale Pouzadoux
Cast: Marthe Villalonga, Sandrine Bonnaire, Antoine Duléry, Gilles Cohen, Grégoire Montana,
Sabine Pakora, Jonas Dinal
Ninety-two-year-old Madeleine has decided to set the date and the conditions for her demise,
but to her family it is a shock, and conflicts ignite.
Guaraní, Argentina/Paraguay (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Luis Zorraquín
Cast: Emilio Barreto, Jazmin Bogarín, Hebe Duarte
Desperate to pass on his cultural heritage to the next generation, Atilio goes on a long journey
to convince his daughter to give birth to his grandchild on Guaraní land.
Hotline, Israel/France (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Social Justice, Kolnoa
Directed by Silvina Landsmann
HOTLINE gets to the heart of the small-scale NGO Hotline for Refugees and Migrants in Tel
Aviv that deals with enormous issues as well as an enormous number of people seeking help.
I Eat, Therefore I Am, South Korea (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Cheol-ha Lee
Cast: Young-mi An, Min-woo Nho
In her journey in achieving her dream to become a writer, despite the desperation and
challenges, Yoo Yang never misses a meal. This isn’t a story about food, but about the people
who eat.
Isla Bonita, Spain (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Fernando Colomo
Cast: Olivia Delcan, Fernando Colomo, Nuria Román, Miguel Ángel Furones, Lilian Caro, Tim
Betterman, Lluís Marquès
In Menorca, a man stays at the guesthouse of a female sculptor and her daughter and interacts
with both of them in this charming, wonderfully cheerful comedy full of misunderstandings.
Knight of Cups, USA (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Centerpiece Film
Directed by Terrence Malick
Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, Brian Dennehy. Antonio Banderas, Freida
Pinto, Wes Bentley, Isabel Lucas, Teresa Palmer, Imogen Poots
A screenwriter living in LA tries to make sense of the strange events occurring around him.
Koza, Slovakia/Czech Republic (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Ivan Ostrochovský
Cast: Peter Baláž, Zvonko Lakčević, Ján Franek, Stanislava Bongilajová, Nikola Bongilajová,
Tatiana Piussi
This subtle fusion of documentary and fiction follows a young Roma boxer as he embarks on a
tragicomic return to the ring in order to pay for his girlfriend's abortion.
Lazar, Republic of Macedonia (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International, Noir
Directed by Svetozar Ristovski
Cast: Vedran Živolić, Goran Navojec, Dejan Lilik, Nataša Petrović, Vlado Jovanovski, Toni
Mihajlovski, Krasimira Kuzmanova, Aleksandar Sano, Aleksandra Balmazovič
While smuggling immigrants into Europe, Lazar will face an impossible choice.
The Little Prince, France (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Opening Night Film
Directed by Mark Osborne
Cast: Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, Marion Cotillard, James Franco, Benicio Del
Toro, Ricky Gervais, Bud Cort, Paul Giamatti, Riley Osborne, Albert Brooks
A little girl lives in a very grown-up world with her mother, who tries to make sure she is
prepared for it. Her neighbor The Aviator, introduces the girl to an extraordinary world where
anything is possible, the world of The Little Prince.
Mad Dogs, Brazil (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Above and Beyond
Directed by Roberto Studart
Three pioneer surfers have risked their lives for years to prove to the world it was possible to
paddle surf in Jaws, the world's largest and heaviest wave, retiring Laird Hamilton and the entire
“tow in” gang.
Making an Ancient Forest, Austria (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Reel Nature
Directed by Rita Schlamberger
Cast: Andrew Solomon (narrator)
Unmanaged for over a quarter of a century, the forests of the Kalkalpen National Park have
relied on natural dynamics--luring the lynx to return “home” after 115 years of absence.
Midnight Return, USA/UK/Turkey (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Global Hollywood
Directed by Sally Sussman Morina
Featuring: Billy Hayes, Alan Parker, Oliver Stone, Giorgio Moroder
Join Billy Hayes on a daring journey as he returns to Turkey thirty years after his escape from
prison and faces the country still haunted by the film based on his life, MIDNIGHT EXPRESS.
The Midwife (Kätilö), Finland (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Nordic
Directed by Antti J. Jokinen
Cast: Krista Kosonen, Lauri Tilkanen, Pirkka-Pekka Petelius, Leea Klemola, Seppo Pääkkönen,
Elina Knihtilä, Tommi Korpela, Johannes Brotherus
Based on a novel by Katja Kettu, a Finnish midwife falls in love with a German soldier during
The Lapland War in the aftermath of WW2.
Modris, Latvia/Germany (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Juris Kursieti
Cast: Kristers Pikša, Rezija Kalnina
In this tough but compassionate coming-of-age drama, a Latvian teenager with a serious
gambling addiction sets out to find his long-lost father.
Monitor, Italy (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Alessio Lauria
Cast: Michele Alhaique, Valeria Bilello, Riccardo De Filippis, Davide Grillo, Caterina E.
Capodilista, Ettore Nicoletti, Claudio Gioè
In an alternate present, Paolo's job is to anonymously counsel the employees of his company-but an employee's suicide attempt might call into question his life as he knows it.
Oyster Factory (Kaki kouba), Japan (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Documentary, Screen Cuisine
Directed by Kazuhiro Sôda
Featuring: Shinsuke Hirano, Koichi Watanabe, Yukiko Watanabe
This documentary observes the rich and complex world of small oyster factories, closely
following fishermen’s and workers’ daily lives as they face gradual, inevitable changes.
Payback, Brazil (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by André Moraes
Cast: Deborah Secco, Lúcio Mauro Filho, Júlio Andrade, Bruno Torres, Ana Carolina Machado,
Marcos Veras, Tadeu Mello, Tonico Pereira, Thogun, João Guilherme Ávila
A film director meets his old team to make a “road movie.” With no money, they will have to
scam in order to make the production possible while at the same time plotting revenge.
Pikadero, Spain/UK (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Ben Sharrock
Cast: Bárbara Goenaga, Joseba Usabiaga, Lander Otaola, Zorion Eguileor, Itziar Lazkano, Peio
Arnaez
A quirky take on a young couple’s ability to nurture their relationship in the context of an
economic crisis.
She Walks (La marcheuse), France (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Naël Marandin
Cast: Yannick Choirat, Lan Qui, Louise Chen
Lin Daiyu, an illegal Chinese immigrant is a prostitute living on the streets of Belleville with her
teenage daughter. Their life changes when one night when a wounded stranger brutally breaks
into their home.
Showroom, Argentina (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Fernando Molnar
Cast: Diego Peretti, Roberto Catarineu, Andrea Garrote, Pablo Seijo
Without work, Diego has a single goal: to live in the capital again. He becomes a seller in the
showroom of a new building, almost driven to madness living in a mock-up apartment.
Silent Heart (Stille hjerte), Denmark (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Nordic
Directed by Bille August
Cast: Ghita Nørby, Paprika Steen, Danica Curcic, Morten Grunwald, Jens Albinius, Pilou
Asbæk, Vigga Bro, Oskar Sælan Halskov
A sick mother's wish to die before her disease worsens gets harder to handle as old conflicts
come to the surface.
Spear, Australia (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Independent, Cinematic Overtures
Directed by Stephen Page
Cast: Aaron Pedersen, Hunter Page-Lochard, Djakapurra Munyarryun
A young man reconciles ancient tradition with the modern, urban world in this debut feature from
Stephen Page, artistic director of Australia’s renowned Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Standing on Water, Denmark (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Above and Beyond
Directed by Peter Alsted
Featuring: Casper Steinfath
In this story of overcoming fears and following passions, Casper Steinfath becomes the only
Danish professional stand up paddle surfer and waterman--despite his fear of water.
Talión, Chile (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Martín Tuta
Cast: Viviana Rodríguez, Tiago Correa, Ramon González, Manolo Cruz
A masked vigilante deals out punishment for pedophiles and a journalist is determined to
uncover the truth behind the mask--leading her to doubt whether she is on the right side.
Too Close to Our Son, France (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Noir
Directed by Yves Angelo
Cast: Sylvie Testud, Gregory Gadebois, Mathilde Bisson, Zacharie Chasseriaud
The biological mother of an adopted teen feuds with his adoptive mother--a magistrate
investigating a case involving her--and begins an affair with his adoptive father.
The Translator (Il traduttore), Italy (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Massimo Natale
Cast: Claudia Gerini, Kamil Kula, Silvia Delfino, Anna Safroncik, Marcello Mazzarella
When Andrei’s tutor puts him in touch with someone who wants to translate the diary of her
German husband who died, Andrei is thrown into a world he did not dare to dream.
Un-Wished (Nakhaste), Iran (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Borzu Niknejad
Cast: Mehrdad Sedighian, Elnaz Habibi, Mahtab Keramati, Farhad Ghaemian, Setareh
Eskandari, Seyed Mohamad Seyedzadeh
As a young woman and her brother travel in a taxi to their hometown five hours from Tehran, we
learn that the young woman has rejected an older man’s offer for marriage, which results in a
series of unexpected situations.
Ville-Marie, Canada (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Guy Édoin
Cast: Monica Bellucci, Pascale Bussières, Aliocha Schneider, Patrick Hivon, Louis Champagne,
Frédéric Gilles, Stéphanie Labbé
An actress tries to mend ties with her estranged son, but after an unexpected tragedy, their lives
intersect with those of an ambulance driver and a nurse--and all four lives are changed.
Vita Activa: The Spirit of Hannah Arendt, Israel/Canada (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Documentary
Directed by Ada Ushpiz
A documentary about Hannah Arendt, one of the most influential thinkers of the 20th century,
who coined the controversial phrase "The Banality of Evil.” With an abundance of archival
materials, Arendt’s insights into the nature of evil, totalitarianism, ideologies, and the perils
faced by refugees are more relevant than ever.
Voice of the Eagle: The Enigma of Robbie Basho (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Documentary
Directed by Liam Barker
Featuring: Will Ackerman, Liam Barker, Robbie Basho, Pete Townshend
A documentary on the extraordinary life and visionary music of the American guitarist and singer
Robbie Basho.
Wild Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Reel Nature
Directed by Mike Birkhead and Joe Loncraine
Sri Lanka is smaller than the state of West Virginia, yet it’s one of the most biologically diverse
places on the planet. This documentary explores the land of the largest mammal on earth, the
blue whale, to the smallest, the etrusan shrew, and discovers how Sri Lanka has always been
ruled by one unstoppable force: water.
You Carry Me (Ti mene nosis), Croatia/Slovenia/Serbia/Montenegro (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International
Directed by Ivona Juka
Cast: Helena Beljan,Lana Barić, Nataša Dorčić, Vojislav Brajović, Filip Križan, Goran
Hajduković, Juraj Dabić, Nataša Janjić, Sebastian Cavazza
Three daughters battle for acceptance, redemption and new opportunities, as they are living
plots more intricate than the soap opera interconnecting them.
FEATURES
A Decent Man (Nichts passiert), Switzerland
Section: Noir
Directed by Micha Lewinsky
Cast: Devid Striesow, Maren Eggert, Annina Walt, Lotte Becker, Max Hubacher, Beat Marti,
Oriana Schrage, Therese Affolter, Stéphane Maeder
A War (Krigen), Denmark
Section: Nordic, Special Presentations
Directed by Tobias Lindholm
Cast: Pilou Asbæk, Tuva Novotny, Dar Salim, Søren Malling, Charlotte Munck, Alex Høgh
Andersen, Dulfi Al-Jabouri, Jakob Frølun, Phillip Sem Dambæk
An Unexpected History: The Story of Hennessy and African Americans, USA
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Llewellyn Smith
Featuring: Jason P. Chambers, PhD, Herbert P. Douglas Jr., Noel Hankin, Rhonda McDonald,
Rodney Williams
Be Here Now (The Andy Whitfield Story), USA/Australia
Section: Global Hollywood
Directed by Lilibet Foster
Featuring: Andy Whitfield, Vashti Whitfield
Blush, Israel
Section: Kolnoa
Directed by Michal Vinik
Cast: Sivan Noam Shimon, Jade Sakori, Dvir Benedek, Irit Pashtan, Bar Ben Vakil
Body (Cialo), Poland
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Malgorzata Szumowska
Cast: Janusz Gajos, Maja Ostaszewska, Justyna Suwala
The Brand New Testament (Le tout nouveau testament), Belgium/France/Luxembourg
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Jaco Van Dormael
Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, Yolande Moreau, Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens, Pili Groyne
The Champions, USA
Section: Social Justice
Directed by Darcy Dennett
Featuring: Susan Weidel, Rebecca J. Huss, Donna Reynolds, Tim Racer, Nicole Rattay
City of Gold, USA
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Laura Gabbert
Featuring: Jonathan Gold, Allen Salkin
The Clan (El clan), Argentina/Spain
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Pablo Trapero
Cast: Guillermo Francella, Peter Lanzani
Cooking Up A Tribute, Spain
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Luis González and Andrea Gómez
Featuring: Joan Roca, Josep Roca, Jordi Roca
Embrace of the Serpent (El abrazo de la serpiente), Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina
Section: Special Presentations, Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Ciro Guerra
Cast: Nilbio Torres, Jan Bijvoet, Antonio Bolivar, Brionne Davis, Yauenkü Migue, Nicolás
Cancino, Luigi Sciamanna
The Fencer, Finland/Estonia
Section: Nordic, Special Presentations
Directed by Klaus Härö
Cast: Märt Avandi, Ursula Ratasepp, Liisa Koppel, Lembit Ulfsak
Fire Birds, Israel
Section: Kolnoa, Noir
Directed by Amir I. Wolf
Cast: Oded Teomi, Gila Almagor, Devora Keidar, Miriam Zohar, Amnon Wolf
Lazar, Macedonia/Croatia/Bulgaria/France
Directed by Svetozar Ristovski
Cast: Vedran Živolić, Goran Navojec, Dejan Lilik, Nataša Petrović, Vlado Jovanovski, Toni
Mihajlovski, Krasimira Kuzmanova, Aleksandar Sano, Aleksandra Balmazovič
Golan: A Farewell to Mr. Cinema, UK/Israel
Section: Kolnoa, Global Hollywood
Directed by Christopher Sykes
Cast: Menahem Golan, Christopher Sykes, Naomi Golan
The Good Dinosaur, USA
Section: Applebox (Free Screening)
Directed by Peter Sohn
Cast: Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Marcus Scribner, Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright,
Steve Zahn, AJ Buckley, Anna Pacquin, Sam Elliott
Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Story, USA
Section: Global Hollywood
Directed by Daniel Raim
Featuring: Lillian Michelson, Harold Michelson, Danny DeVito, Mel Brooks, Francis Ford
Coppola
The High Sun (Zvizdan), Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Dalibor Matanić
Cast: Tihana Lazovic, Goran Markovic, Nives Ivankovic, Dado Cosic, Stipe Radoja, Trpimir
Jurkic, Mira Banja, Slavko Sobin
Home Care, Czech Republic/Slovakia
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Slávek Horák
Cast: Alena Mihulová, Boleslav Polívka, Tatiana Vilhelmová
Huntwatch, USA
Section: Social Justice/Reel Nature
Directed by Brant Backlund
Featuring: Ryan Reynolds (narrator)
Inside Out, USA
Section: Applebox (Free Screening)
Directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen
Cast: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Kaitlyn
Dias, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan
It Had To Be You, USA
Section: Independent
Directed by Sasha Gordon
Cast: Cristin Milioti, Dan Soder, Halley Feiffer, Mark Gessner, Kyle Mooney, Kate Simses, Erica
Sweany, Nick Mennell, Danny DeFerrari, Rachel York
King Georges, USA
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Erika Frankel
Featuring: Georges Perrier, Nicholas Emi, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, Eric Ripert, Ed
Rendell
Lamb, Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway/Qatar
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Yared Zeleke
Cast: Rediat Amare, Kidist Siyum, Welela Assefa, Surafel Teka, Rahel Teshome, Indris
Mohamed
The Look of Silence, Denmark/Indonesia/Finland/Norway/UK
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Joshua Oppenheimer
Louder Than Bombs, Norway/France/Denmark
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Joachim Trier
Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Gabriel Byrne, Jesse Eisenberg, Amy Ryan, Devin Druid, David
Strathairn, Rachel Brosnahan, Ruby Jerins, Megan Ketch
Ma Ma, Spain
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Julio Medem
Cast: Penélope Cruz, Luis Tosar, Asier Etxeandia
Mammal, Ireland/Netherlands/Luxembourg
Section: Independent
Directed by Rebecca Daly
Cast: Rachel Griffiths, Barry Keoghan, Michael McElhatton, Gintare Parulyte, Larisa Faber,
Janine Horsburgh, Sam Steen
Marguerite, France
Section: Closing Night Film
Directed by Xavier Giannoli
Cast: Catherine Frot, André Marcon, Michel Fau
Minions, USA
Section: Applebox (Free Screening)
Directed by Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin
Cast: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer
Saunders, Geoffrey Rush, Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin
The Missing Ingredient, Canada/USA
Section: Screen Cuisine
Directed by Michael Sparaga
Featuring: Gael Greene, John Pizzarelli, Alfred Portale, Daniel Glass
Mr. Six (Lao pao er), China
Section: Noir
Directed by Hu Guan
Cast: Ju-Gang Bai, Xiaogang Feng, Shan Jiang
Mustang, Turkey/France/Germany/Qatar
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
Cast: Güneş Şensoy, Doğa Doğuşlu, Tuğba Sunguroğlu, Elit İşcan, İlayda Akdoğan, Ayberk
Pekcan, Nihal Koldaş
My Golden Days (Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse), France
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
Cast: Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet, Mathieu Amalric
One More Time, USA
Section: Cinematic Overtures
Directed by Robert Edwards
Cast: Christopher Walken, Amber Heard, Kelli Garner, Hamish Linklater, Ann Magnuson, Oliver
Platt, Henry Kelemen, Kelli Garner
Parched, India/USA/UK
Section: International
Directed by Leena Yadav
Cast: Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla, Adil Hussain, Lehar Khan, Riddhi
Sen, Mahesh Balraj, Chandan Anand
The Peanuts Movie, USA
Section: Applebox (Free Screening)
Directed by Steve Martino
Cast: Noah Schnapp, Bill Melendez, Hadley Belle Miller, Mariel Sheets, Anastasia Bredikhina,
Noah Johnston, Rebecca Bloom, Mar Mar, William Wunsch
Projections of America, USA
Section: Global Hollywood
Directed by Peter Miller
Featuring: John Lithgow (narrator), Victoria Riskin, Robert Riskin Jr., Susan Riskin, David
Rintels, Kenneth Turan, Ian Scott, Cecile Starr, Marja Roholl
Rebel Citizen, USA
Section: Social Justice/Global Hollywood
Directed by Pamela Yates
Featuring: Haskell Wexler
Remember, Germany/Canada
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Atom Egoyan
Cast: Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, Dean Norris, Bruno Ganz, Jurgen Prochnow, Heinz
Lieven
Rendez-vous, Netherlands
Section: Noir
Directed by Antoinette Beumer
Cast: Pierre Boulanger, Mark van Eeuwen, Loes Haverkort, Peter Paul Muller, Jennifer
Hoffman, Eva Duijvestein
Resilience, USA
Section: Social Justice
Directed by James Redford
Featuring: Nadine Burke Harris, Robert Anda, Jack Shonkoff, Laura Lawrence, David Johnson,
Victor Carrion
Son of Saul, Hungary
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by László Nemes
Cast: Géza Röhrig, Levente Molnar, Urs Rechn, Todd Charmont, Sándor Zsoter, Marcin
Czarnik
Sparrows (Þrestir), Iceland/Denmark/Croatia
Section: Nordic
Directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson
Cast: Atli Óskar Fjalarsson, Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, Kristbjörg Kjeld, Rade Šerbedžija, Rakel
Björk Björnsdóttir
Speed Sisters, USA/Palestine
Section: Documentary
Directed by Amber Fares
Featuring: Marah Zahalka, Betty Saadeh, Maysoon Jayyusi, Noor Daoud, Mona Ennab
Sunset Song, UK/Luxembourg
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Terence Davies
Cast: Agyness Deyn, Peter Mullan, Kevin Guthrie
Thank You for Your Service, USA
Section: Social Justice
Directed by Tom Donahue
Featuring: Mark Russell, Mike Mullen, Robert Gates, David Petraeus, Loree Sutton, Sebastian
Junger, Nicholas Kristof, Dexter Filkins, Patty Murray
The Violin Teacher (Heliopolis), Brazil
Section: Spanish/Latin America, Cinematic Overtures
Directed by Sérgio Machado
Cast: Elzio Vieira, Fernanda de Freitas, Lázaro Ramos, Sandra Corveloni, Kaique Jesus
Virgin Mountain, Iceland/Denmark
Section: Nordic
Directed by Dagur Kári
Cast: Gunnar Jónsson, Ilmur Kristjánsdóttir, Sigurjón Kjartansson, Franziska Una Dagsdóttir,
Margrét Helga Jóhannsdóttir, Arnar Jónsson, Thórir Saemundsson
Viva, Cuba/Ireland
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Paddy Breathnach
Cast: Héctor Medina, Jorge Perugorría, Luis Alberto García
The Wait (L'Attesa), Italy
Section: Special Presentations
Directed by Piero Messina
Cast: Juliette Binoche, Lou De Laâge, Giorgio Colangeli
Walking Distance, Mexico
Section: Spanish/Latin America
Directed by Alejandro Guzmán Alvarez
Cast: Luca Ortega, Mauricio Issac, Joel Figueroa, Martha Claudia Moreno
The Wave (Bølgen), Norway
Section: Nordic
Directed by Roar Uthaug
Cast: Kristoffer Joner, Ane Dahl Torp, Jonas Hoff Oftebro
We Monsters (Wir monster), Germany
Section: Noir
Directed by Sebastian Ko
Cast: Mehdi Nebbou, Ulrike C. Tscharre, Janina Fautz, Ronald Kukulies, Britta Hammelstein,
Marie Bendig, Daniel Drewes
Wedding Doll, Israel
Section: Kolnoa
Directed by Nitzan Gilady
Cast: Asi Levi, Moran Rosenblatt, Roy Assaf, Arie Tcherner, Aviva Ger, Oded Leopold, Udi
Persi, Yehuda Nehari
2016 SHORT FILM SECTIONS
ANIMATED SHORTS
COMEDIC SHORTS
DRAMATIC SHORTS
GLOBAL HOLLYWOOD DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
IRISH ANIMATED SHORTS
SANTA BARBARA SHORTS
SANTA BARBARA DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
SCREEN CUISINE SHORTS
SURFING SOUTH AMERICA: DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
US DOCUMENTARY SHORTS
2016 SHORTS
1916, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Patrick O’Callaghan
Cast: Willie McNeive, Peter McDonald
A Coat Made Dark, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Jack O’Shea
Cast: Hugh O'Connor, Declan Conlon, Antonia Campbell Hughes
A Filmmaker’s Odyssey, USA/Jamaica (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Global Hollywood Documentary Shorts
Directed by David Garonzik and Arthur Gorson
Featuring: Perry Henzell, David Garonzik, Justine Henzell, Wayne Jobson (narrator)
Accidents, Blunders and Calamities, New Zealand (World Premiere)
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by James Cunningham
Cast: Ryan Mullany, Phillip Greeves, Finn O'Leary, Janet Kidd, Simon Nunns
Alzheimer’s: A Love Story, USA
Section: US Documentary Shorts
Directed by Amanda Le, Monica Petruzzelli, Gabe Schimmel, Riani Singgih
Featuring: Michael Horvich, Gregory Maire
Anchored, USA (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Rodrigo Oyanedel
Featuring: Hunter Lenihan, Spencer Middleton, Arlo Bender-Simon, Rodrigo Oyanedel
(narrator), Miguel Gomez (narrator)
Bacon & God’s Wrath, Canada
Section: Screen Cuisine Shorts
Directed by Sol Friedman
Featuring: Razie Brownstone
Behind Closed Doors, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Michele Ly
Cast: Marshall McCabe, Ivy Vahanian, Cory David
Best Mates, Australia (World Premiere)
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Benedict Wall
Cast: Benedict Wall, Tai Hara, Jessica Grace Smith
Boy Niño, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Tucker Ford and Connor McCurdy
Cast: Demetris Hartman, Allen Negrete, Bryce Owen, James Phillips
Breakthrough: The Snowy Plover and the Oil Spill, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Michael Love
Featuring: Cristina Sandoval, Helene Schneider
Brothers, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Adam Stumle
Cast: Daniel Quijas, Arthur Balyan, Cody Medler, Jimmy Waern, Joakim Leopold
Chapa (The Grill Man), Brazil
Section: Screen Cuisine Shorts
Directed by Fabio Montanari
Cast: Francisco Gaspar, Antônio Destro, Joice Jane Teixeira, Felipe Reis
Chelleh, Iran (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Dramatic Shorts
Directed by Davood Khayyam
Cast: Ali Barghi, Parisa Rezayi, Mohammad Amir Khosro Abadi, Hoda Noorizadeh
Coda, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Alan Holly
Cast: Brian Gleeson, Orla Fitzgerald, Donie Ryan, Joseph Dermody
Continuous Excavation, Italy/USA (World Premiere)
Section: International Documentary Shorts
Directed by Nick Manley
The Crossing, USA
Section: US Documentary Shorts
Directed by Kadri Koop
Cuddle Party, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Matthew Irving Epstein
Cast: Michaela Watkins, Rob Huebel, Yvette Nicole Brown
Daisy Chain, Australia (World Premiere)
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Galvin Scott Davis
Featuring: Kate Winslet (narrator)
Deadly, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Aidan McAteer
Cast: Brenda Fricker, Peter Coonan
Did You Hear About Her Dad?, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Jessica Patterson
Double Barrel, Australia (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Surfing South America: Documentary Shorts
Directed by Angie Davis and Dustin Hollick
Featuring: Angie Davis, Harold Koechlin
The Duke: Based on the Memoir “I’m The Duke” by J.P. Duke, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Max Barbakow
Cast: LaMonica Garrett, Catherine Urbanek, Jeff Marlow, Amy Goddard
Eat White Dirt, USA
Section: Screen Cuisine Shorts
Directed by Adam Forrester
Featuring: Tammy Wright, William Rawlings, Mamie Lee Hillman, Sera Young
Eva Haller: A Work in Progress, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Jeanne Meyers
Featuring: Eva Haller
Eyes Open, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by T.S. Meeks
Cast: Megan Messmer, T.S. Meeks, Jessica Belkin
The Fisherman’s Son, USA/Chile
Section: Surfing South America: Documentary Shorts
Directed by Chris Malloy
Featuring: Ramón Navarro, Kelly Slater
Follow Your Heart, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Rob O'Neill
Free To Laugh, USA (World Premiere)
Section: US Documentary Shorts
Directed by Lara Everly
Go Glean, USA (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Brendan Byrne
Featuring: Chuck Asmus, Ken Hiltner, Neal Macdougal, Tom Ikeda, Andrea Chavez, Jeanine
Lacore, Alexa Senter, David Cleveland
Goodnight Sweetheart, Australia (World Premiere)
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Bec Peniston-Bird
Cast: Gillian Jones, Jack Charles, Damian Walshe-Howling, Emily Wheaton
Graffiti, Spain (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Dramatic Shorts
Directed by Lluis Quilez
Cast: Oriol Pla
Hobart, Hungary (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Hajnalka Harsanyi
The House Is Innocent, USA
Section: US Documentary Shorts
Directed by Nicholas Coles
Featuring: John Cabrera, Barbara Holmes, Tom Williams
How to Survive a Breakup, USA
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Deena Adar, Kai Collins
Cast: Bre Blair, Ryan Gaul, Adam Herschman, Amir Talai, Chinedu Unaka, Daniel Kash
I Am Walker, Finland (World Premiere)
Section: Global Hollywood Documentary Shorts
Directed by Arthur Franck
Cast: Andrew Krasne
If You’re Underwater, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Benjamin Goalabré
Cast: Scott Puckett, Monique Rosario
Je Suis Un Crayon (I Am a Pencil), France/Denmark/Australia (US Premiere)
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Joe D'arcy
Cast: Carol D'Arcy, Pierre Maubouche
John, USA
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Lara Firestone
Featuring: John Bramblitt
Just a Song, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Gina Hirsch
Cast: Greg Felden, Phoebe Neidhardt
Killer, USA
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Matt Kazman
Cast: Hale Lytle
Last Door South, Belgium
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Sacha Feiner
Cast: Aaron Duqaine, Haruki Gamano
Lebanon Wins the World Cup, Lebanon/USA (U.S. Premiere)
Section: International Documentary Shorts
Directed by Tony ElKhoury and Anthony Lappé
Let’s Not Panic, USA
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Heather Jack
Cast: Lyle Friedman, John Anderson, Doug Moe, Griffin Newman, Shacottha Fields, Alexis
Pereira
Lift Off: Behind the Scenes of Launch Pad, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Christopher Jenkins
Lifeline, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Ian Mayta, Mariel Polifroni
The Loneliest Stoplight, USA
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Bill Plympton
Cast: Patton Oswalt, Jim Lujan
Lost in a Sense, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Andréa Fordham
Cast: Alex Schemmer, Melissa Carnell, Alexis del Vecchio, Andrea Bowling, Bill Oberst Jr.,
Brendan Robinson
Loud and Clear, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by David Medina
Cast: Eddie Buck, David Morwick, Sara Stuckey, Amanda McDonough, Carolyn Matini
Love Me When I’m Down, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Kevin Tran
Cast: Jacob Halpren, Jess Magee
Madam Black, New Zealand
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Ivan Barge
Cast: Jethro Skinner
Mama Agatha, Netherlands
Section: International Documentary Shorts
Directed by Fadi Hindash
The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano, USA
Section: US Documentary Shorts
Directed by Joshua Seftel
Featuring: Phillip Toledano
Misfit / Landscape, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Global Hollywood Documentary Shorts
Directed by Kimberly Shively
Featuring: Marilyn Monroe, Clark Gable, Montgomery Clift
Mr. Overton, USA (World Premiere)
Section: US Documentary Shorts
Directed by Matt Cooper
Featuring: Richard Overton
Nascent, USA/Central African Republic (World Premiere)
Section: International Documentary Shorts
Directed by Lindsay Branham and Jonathan Kasbe
Ode to Love, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Matthew Darragh
One Way: A Journey to This Moment, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Todd Hannigan
Featuring: Michelle Grinsel
Orange Art, USA (World Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Hannah Jaffe
Featuring: Hannah Jaffe
The Orchestra, Australia
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Mikey Hill
Cast: John Power, Kate Cawley
Prestige Ingredients, France/USA (World Premiere)
Section: Screen Cuisine Shorts
Directed by Adrian Rubi-Dentzel, Danielle Rubi-Dentzel
Cast: Alia Shawkat, Pierre Jancou
The Red Witch, USA (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Aron Bothman
Cast: David Davis, Heather Ehlers, Kyler Spears, Sadie Schwolsky
Sandorkraut, USA
Section: Screen Cuisine Shorts
Directed by Ann Husaini, Emily Lobsenz
Featuring: Sandor Ellix Katz
Saving Sasquatch, USA (U.S. Premiere)
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by Justin Minor and Alberto Lopez
Seide, Kyrgyzstan
Section: Dramatic Shorts
Directed by Elnura Osmonalieva
Cast: Kanat Abdrakhmanov, Razha Alieva, Kaliman Kalybek Kyzy, Stanbek Toichubaev
Skateboarding in Pine Ridge, USA
Section: Documentary Shorts
Directed by Greg Hunt
Featuring: Walt Pourier, Jeff Ament, Emily Earring, Brian Sherman, Jim Murphy, Marius
Syvanen, Josh Matthews, Joey Pepper, Pat Moran, Jerry Mraz
Snowfall, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Conor Whelan
Somewhere Down the Road, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Julien Regnard
Cast: Niamh Moroney, Kevin Mooney, Nora Twomey, Michael McGrath
Sour Puss, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Emily Lynch
Soy Cubana, USA (World Premiere)
Section: International Documentary Shorts
Directed by Jeremy Ungar, Ivaylo Getov
Featuring: Koset Munoz Columbie, Ana Hernandez Rosillo, Maryoris Mena Faez, Annia Del
Toro Leyva
Spearhunter, USA
Section: US Documentary Shorts
Directed by Adam Roffman, Luke Poling
Featuring: Joe English, Sharon Estes Henson, Gene Morris, Heather Jean Morris, Carlos
Williams, Larry Wilson
The Story of Percival Pilts, Australia/New Zealand
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Janette Goodey, John Lewis
Cast: Mark Hadlow
Taking Flight, USA
Section: Animated Shorts
Directed by Brandon Oldenburg
Cast: Asher Blinkoff, Kevin Rahm, Ray Wise
Talgar the Hunter, UK/Kyrgyzstan
Section: Dramatic Shorts
Directed by Charlie Crane
Cast: Talgar Shaibyrov, Tumara Shaibyrov, Sary-Ata Satylganov, Kurmanbaeva Nurgal,
Begizakov Kilichbek
Taste of Life, Iraq/USA/UK (World Premiere)
Section: Dramatic Shorts
Directed by Meedo Ali
Cast: Ahmed Majed
The Teacup, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Elif Boyacioglu
Cast: Alex McLennan (narrator), Padraig Kenny
Teen Press, USA
Section: Santa Barbara Documentary Shorts
Directed by T.C. Johnstone
Featuring: John Seigel Boettner, David Teton-Landis, James Franco, Jamie Foxx, Al Gore,
Jennifer Lawrence, Gavin Newsom, Yvon Chouinard
Terrain, Ireland (World Premiere)
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Suzanne Williams
Thank You, Surf Again, USA
Section: Surfing South America: Documentary Shorts
Directed by Frank Sun
Featuring: Chadd Konig, Holly Beck
Tommy and David, USA/Italy (World Premiere)
Section: Comedic Shorts
Directed by Sara Joe Wolansky
Two Dives in American Samoa, USA
Section: Documentary Shorts
Directed by Jim Knowlton
Featuring: Jean-Michel Cousteau, Sylvia Earle, Nainoa Thompson
Two Sisters, USA/South Korea (World Premiere)
Section: Dramatic Shorts
Directed by Keola Racela
Cast: Hye Eun Jeon, Hye-Jin Park, So-Ri Park, Jun Yoon
Violet, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Maurice Joyce
Cast: Aidan Gillen
Why We Fight, USA
Section: Santa Barbara Shorts
Directed by Keenan McGuckin
Cast: Flavia Watson, Julienna Perez, Rey Lopez, Jodi Carol Harrison, Mya McCann, Brendan
McCay, Shannon McDermott, Izabella Newman
Wounded, Ireland
Section: Irish Animated Shorts
Directed by Julie Rush, Gavin Fullerton, and Helga Kristjana Bjarnadóttir
About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational
organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international
cinema. SBIFF offers 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums that transforms beautiful
downtown Santa Barbara, CA into a rich destination for film lovers which attract more than 90,000
attendees.
SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community through free programs like its
10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies,
National Film Studies Program, AppleBox Family Films, 3rd Weekend and educational seminars.
In recent years SBIFF has expanded its year round presence with regular screenings and Q&As
with programs like Cinema Society, The Showcase and its Wave Film Festivals.
###
Press Contacts:
Brooke Blumberg
Sunshine Sachs
Blumberg@SunshineSachs.com
323.822.9300
Credentialing
for
the
2016
SBIFF
is
now
open.
Log
onto
https://sunshinesachs.wufoo.com/forms/2016-santa-barbara-international-film-festival/ to
apply for credentials.