Santa Barbara International Film Festival Plans New Film Center at Former Fiesta Five Location – Film News in Brief

As a dedicated cinephile with a keen interest in social justice issues, I am thrilled about the opening of the new film center in Downtown Santa Barbara by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF). This expansion is not just a leap forward for the organization, but a significant stride in the world of cinema and education.


The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced its intentions to launch a fresh movie hub in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara, taking over the site previously occupied by the Fiesta Five theater. The festival anticipates welcoming visitors from November 14 onwards.

Roger Durling, executive director of SBIFF, stated that this is a significant milestone in the history of the festival, marking its 40th year. This development represents a major advancement for the organization and contributes to the rejuvenation of Santa Barbara’s downtown area. For the past eight years, we’ve been managing a year-round art house, the Riviera Theatre. Now, we’re excited to add five additional screens to our curation efforts, aiming to reshape perceptions about refined moviegoing experiences. At SBIFF, our purpose has always gone beyond films; we’ve utilized cinema as an educational resource. With this expanded space, we can stimulate and educate on a larger scale!

The movie hub remains open all year long, showcasing foreign films, independent productions, documentaries, revivals of classic cinema and notable filmmakers, family-friendly movies, and free educational content. However, following the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), which runs from February 4th to the 15th, the center will shut down for extensive renovations and is expected to reopen at a later time.

Reproductive Rights Documentary ‘Zurawski v. Texas’ Set to Host Additional Screenings Nationwide

The critically-praised reproductive rights film “Zurawski v. Texas,” co-produced by Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Jennifer Lawrence, is generating more interest since its first showing at the Telluride Film Festival in August. This movie, which has been discussed as a potential Oscar nominee, will be screened in various locations across the country.

This month, I’ll be attending more impactful film screenings in various cities, such as Phoenix, Miami, St. Louis, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Las Vegas. The reason for this is that these states have crucial initiatives regarding abortion access on their November ballots.

The documentary is scheduled to be shown at 17 film festivals in October, among them are the Hamptons, Mill Valley, Heartland International Film Festival, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival, Montclair, and Chicago.

As a passionate cinema-goer, I’d say this film centers around the impact of restricting abortion access on women’s health, illuminating the experiences of women such as Amanda Zurawski, who faced life-threatening complications due to being refused an emergency abortion. It delves into the ongoing legal battle for reproductive rights, spearheaded by attorney Molly Duane, as they strive to reclaim control over healthcare choices not just in Texas, but nationwide.

Director Maisie Crow underscored the importance of these screenings as a means to increase understanding about regulations impacting reproductive freedoms. Previously held screenings in locales such as Austin, San Antonio, and Washington, D.C., had almost all tickets snapped up.

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2024-10-09 01:19