Christmas Films 2024

HollywoodGlee Holiday Films for 2024, Christmas Vacation (1989)

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Not to be outdone with one of the biggest Christmas light scenes, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation delivers the gift of true Christmas spirit with family co-workers, and employers coming together admitting oversights and finding a way to fulfillment for the Griswolds. Written by the late John Hughes, Christmas Vacation is the third film in National Lampoon’s Vacation Series.

OVERVIEW: As the holidays approach, Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) wants to have a perfect family Christmas, so he pesters his wife, Ellen (Beverly D’Angelo), and children, as he tries to make sure everything is in line, including the tree and house decorations. However, things go awry quickly. His hick cousin, Eddie (Randy Quaid), and his family show up unplanned and start living in their camper on the Griswold property. Even worse, Clark’s employers renege on the holiday bonus he needs.

Release date: December 1, 1989 (USA)
Director: Jeremiah S. Chechik
Nominations: People’s Choice Award for Favorite Comedic Movie
Art director: Beala Neel
Budget: 25 million USD
Casting directors: Billy Hopkins, Risa Bramon Garcia, Heidi Levitt
#Berlinale

A New Screening Venue and a Festival Hub at Potsdamer Platz for the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Berlinale Festival

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

A New Screening Venue and a Festival Hub at Potsdamer Platz for the 75th Anniversary Edition of the Berlinale Festival

The Berlinale is revitalising the festival’s home at Potsdamer Platz with two new venues close to the Berlinale Palast and the CinemaxX and in close proximity to the European Film Market at Gropius Bau.

The Stage Bluemax Theater at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz will become a new premiere screening venue for the next edition. Once adapted, the venue will offer a seating capacity of approximately 500 seats, and will host screenings over the entire festival period. The new venue will become the home of the newly created Perspectives first feature competition, as well as hosting key premieres from other Berlinale sections.

In addition, with the Berlinale HUB75, a temporary festival hub will be built at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz. HUB75 will host a series of free morning talks and events for public audiences, as well as providing a networking space for industry and filmmaker guests. More details on the public and industry programme schedules will be announced in January.

Tricia Tuttle

“Since the closure and redevelopment of key cinemas in 2022, Berlinale has missed some of its former presence and buzz around our centre in Potsdamer Platz. These new venues are part of our longer term plans to recreate a more readily walkable festival heart, and inject additional energy and visibility back into this central hub,” says Tricia Tuttle, Festival Director.

With the closure of some key screens in the area and with the reduction in capacity at other venues, the festival has lost approximately 150,000 screening seats around Potsdamer Platz. These seats could be compensated for by other Berlinale venues, but the goal remains to offer more options on the square again.
The new plans will facilitate professional work and networking for Berlinale’s industry audiences, while also creating new access for public audiences.

Now that the construction work around the Berlinale Palast has been almost completed, the festival can make better use of the square in its new design. The redesign enables more opportunities for encounters.

All venues of the Berlinale 2025 will be published in December.

#SBIFF

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET TO RECEIVE ARLINGTON ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

TIMOTHÉE CHALAMET TO RECEIVE ARLINGTON ARTIST OF THE YEAR AWARD 

AT THE 40TH ANNUAL SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2025

[November 25, 2024] Santa Barbara, CA – Cinema maverick Timothée Chalamet will be honored with the prestigious Arlington Artist of the Year Award at the 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF). Chalamet will receive the award during an in-person tribute and career retrospective on Tuesday, February 11, 2025. The evening will highlight his performances in three highly acclaimed films: A COMPLETE UNKNOWN (Dir. James Mangold), DUNE: PART TWO (Dir. Denis Villeneuve) and WONKA (Dir. Paul King). This honor recognizes Chalamet’s unparalleled talent and his enduring impact on the cinematic landscape.

 

Timothée Chalamet will be honored with the prestigious Arlington Artist of the Year Award at the 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Photo courtesy of SBIFF Press Office)

 

Timothée Chalamet was the youngest “Best Actor” Oscar nominee since 1939 for his breakout role in CALL ME BY YOUR NAME. He has starred in five “Best Picture” OscarⓇ nominees: CALL ME BY YOUR NAME, LADY BIRD, LITTLE WOMEN, DUNE, and DON’T LOOK UP. Additional credits include BONES AND ALL, THE FRENCH DISPATCH, BEAUTIFUL BOY, THE KING, INTERSTELLAR, and DUNE: PART TWO. He is currently in production on A24 and Josh Safdie’s MARTY SUPREME, inspired by the late American table tennis legend Martin ‘Marty’ Reisman.

 

SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)

“I’m a big fan of Bob Dylan, and I was blown away by Chalamet’s transformation in A COMPLETE UNKNOWN. His performance is galvanizing and electrifying, especially coming on the heels of the major box office triumph earlier this year with DUNE: PART TWO. Truly, this is the age of Chalamet” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

 

The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 4 – February 15, 2025. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held at SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre and its new Film Center, plus the historic Arlington Theatre. Passes for the 2025 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.

Last year, the festival had a program of 200+ films from over 48 countries with honorary awards feted on Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Jeffrey Wright, America Ferrera, Lily Gladstone, Greta Lee, Charles Melton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Andrew Scott, Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet, Billie Eilish, and Ludwig Göransson.

A-list and industry guests will once again ascend to Santa Barbara, making it a must-stop location on the awards circuit, and delivering a record number of films with many World and U.S. premieres. The film lineup and schedule will be announced January 2025.

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 39 years, SBIFF has become one of the top 10 film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 kids, students and families in our local community by introducing film as an art form to young children with programs like AppleBox and Mike’s FieldTrip to the Movies; teaching film analysis to highschool and college students with programs like Rosebud and the Film Studies Program; and teaching the craft of screenwriting and filmmaking with Film Camp and 10-10-10 Mentorship programs. Most importantly SBIFF’s programs are always directed towards the under-represented and under-served communities within Santa Barbara County.

More recently, SBIFF secured a long-term lease for the iconic multi-plex at 916 State Street in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. This landmark acquisition paves the way for the creation of a state-of-the-art Film Center — a vibrant, year-round destination that will serve as a central hub for cinema enthusiasts and the heart of SBIFF’s renowned Film Festival. Building on the success of the Riviera Theatre revitalization in 2016 and the opening of its own Education Center in 2019 in the downtown area, SBIFF continues to strengthen its commitment to the cultural fabric of Santa Barbara.

Holiday Films 2024

HollywoodGlee’s 2024 Holiday FIlms, ELF

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Well, it’s that time of year to discover your inner self. Modern-day traditional Christmas films are streaming. I took the bait with Elf, starring Will Farrell, the late James Caan, and Zooey Deschanel. Farrel portrays Buddy, a human raised at the North Pole with elves. Much like older children discovering the real meaning of Christmas, Buddy has discovered his father, portrayed by Caan. lives in New York and needs some Christmas spirit.

What transpires is magical. At its bare-bones, Elf is a re-telling of Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, with Buddy, the over-sized Elf, saving the day. While seeing Farrell’s performance would be enough in of itself, the supporting cast of Caan, Deschanel, Bob Newhart, Ed Asner, Mary Steenburgen, and scene-stealer Faizon Love, ro0und out this festive film with holiday joy abundantly.

Streaming on MAX, TBS, and TNT and with a runtime of one-hour and thirty-seven minutes and with never a dull moment, Elf, is warmly recommended.

Elf, starring Will Farrell

 

 

#SBIFF, Cinema Society

FILM REVIEW: The Substance (Coralie Fargeat), 2024

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

“Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You. Only better in every way. Seriously. You’ve got to try this new product. It’s called The Substance.”

The Substance Writer/Director, Coralie Fargeat gave the Cinema Society a master class on film construction in a Q & A moderated by Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Executive Director Roger Durling, at the Riviera Theatre, November 22, 2024, in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good…I went to the Riviera Theatre to watch The Substance. It turned out to be a SBIFF Cinema Society ($$) screening. By the time I entered the screening. The few remaining seats were upfront.Viewing The Substance from the front row would be akin to viewing a Cinerama from the front row. I had extreme reactions from a feeling I was about to vomit to a deep feeling of ecstatic joy from the visual stimulations – utterly unparallelled in my experience. The Substance vacillates between drama, psychological horror, dark comedy, monster horror, and body horror.Admittedly, I had not experienced much cinema in the form of body horror until recently. I had the distinct pleasure of seeing David Cronenberg’s The Shrouds at the recent AFI FEST 2o24 at the TC Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, Calif.

Writer/Director Coralie Fargeat has created a visual masterpiece with an undulating soundtrack in The Substance starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid. Moore portrays an aged actress, Elisabeth, relegated to leading televised Jane Fonda-like aerobics classes to a national audience.Elisabeth is involved in a smash up car crash on her birthday. Miraculously, she survives the crash with shaken sensibilities and no apparent physical complications. After the initial exam, a young physician feels the spinal cord and utters, “you’d be a fine candidate.”

This is the moment. Elisabeth ponders the experience and arrives back to her high-rise condominium with floor to ceiling glass view of the cityscape, In her direct line of sight is a massive billboard of herself in a Columbian Blue aerobics’ instructor leotard.  Elisabeth makes the call for The Substance, a procedure that promises to make Elisabeth young again. What transpires could be seen as cliche were it not for the dynamic visual storytelling. I’ve seen a lot of films, and I have never had such a visceral response to a film.

The performances were highly nuanced and beyond the realm of normalcy. Quaid is a sight-to-behold in numerous extreme, wide-angle closeups focusing on everything from his feet to his hair on the top of his head as well as smacking chops as he ravages shrimp and dip. The French filmmakers have an extraordinary fetish with photographing food as it’s being devoured, in my filmic experiences. As for Margaret Qualley, Fargeat creates a phenomenal physicality with Qualley’s impressive screen presence.

However, the star goes to Moore and her character, Elisabeth (pun intended). Moore is not only a mature, veteran actress with time and again proven chops, she is a tour-de-force in The Substance. A visual nod was given in The Substance with female gaze to Moore’s Vanity Fair cover featuring a bared, very pregnant Moore. one of numerous nuances Fargeat injects.

The Substance is an extraordinary film with an exceptional mise-en-scen and soundtrack. Fargeat’s attention to detail in a highly constructed mise-en-scen allowed the narrative to unfold in exquisite cinematic language. With a runtime of 140 minutes, viewers with a faint of heart, the temptation to vacate may enter the imagination. Trust me, the end is well worth staying for. Absolutely brilliant.

 

“Have you ever dreamt of a better version of yourself? You. Only better in every way. Seriously. You’ve got to try this new product. It’s called The Substance. It changed my life. It generates another you. A new, younger, more beautiful, more perfect, you. And there’s only one rule: You share time. One week for you. One week for the new you. Seven days each. A perfect balance. Easy. Right? If you respect the balance… what could possibly go wrong?” —Festival Cannes

#Berlinale, Tricia Tuttle

Spain Becomes the European Film Market’s “Country in Focus” at the 75th Berlinale in 2025

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Spain Becomes the European Film Market’s “Country in Focus” at the 75th Berlinale in 2025

 

Spain will be the “Country in Focus” at the upcoming edition of the European Film Market. Its many filmmakers make Spain a dynamic and strong European film location with international appeal, as well as a long-standing and successful tradition of numerous films in the festival programme as well as at the EFM and in the Berlinale’s industry initiatives.

Continuing an initiative that started in 2017, the EFM annually places a major film region in the spotlight with its “Country in Focus” programme. The country’s film industry and creative work will be presented from a multifaceted point of view, new stimulus will be provided, and international connections promoted. After Mexico, Canada, Norway, Chile, the Baltic States and Italy, the “Spain in Focus” programme will examine the Spanish film scene and offer numerous opportunities for dialogue with producers, distributors, investors and film industry experts across the entire genre spectrum – from animated film to drama and series.

Tricia Tuttle

“Spanish filmmaking has enriched the Berlinale programme for decades. Many hundreds of Spanish productions, created by outstanding and acclaimed talents, have dazzled audiences and juries alike, with nine films having won the festival’s highest accolade, the Golden Bear for Best Film: Carla Simón’s beautiful Alcarràs in 2022 being the most recent of these. Pedro Almodóvar also has an important place in Berlinale history, since his world premiere of La ley del deseo won the very first TEDDY AWARD as it premiered in Panorama in 1987. Through the years, the Berlinale has welcomed countless distinguished Spanish filmmakers as jury members, festival guests and emerging talents. We are so looking forward to celebrating the Spanish film industry at the upcoming European Film Market,” says Festival Director Tricia Tuttle.

Spain is firmly committed to the expansion of sustainable film production and forward-looking digitalisation of the film sector. Thanks to attractive tax incentives and subsidies, the EFM 2025 focus country is also in great demand as a film location for international co-productions. In addition to the well-known film locations, Madrid and Barcelona, regions such as the Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, the Canary Islands and Andalusia also enjoy a vibrant film industry with unique regional features.

Tanja Meissner

“The Spanish film and media industry has solidified its reputation and global acclaim to become a European powerhouse thanks to creative excellence, targeted investments, and technological innovations, enjoying a strong international presence with high-quality content and originality,” Berlinale Pro* Director Tanja Meissner commented. “The country offers competitive tax incentives, co-production agreements, and a strong industry infrastructure.”

Ernest Urtasun

“The European Film Market is, without a doubt, one of the most powerful platforms for European cinematography and Spain being a ‘Country in Focus’ will allow us to make visible the enormous talent of the Spanish industry in all its areas: creation, production, distribution and the global positioning of our cinema. That is the task and pride of this Ministry of Culture: to support and make known our film industry, our creators, and to allow Spanish cinema to continue growing, as it already is, in the global market and among viewers around the world”, says Spanish Minister of Culture Ernest Urtasun.

The European Film Market will take place from February 13-19, 2025, in the context of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.

#Berlinale, Tricia Tuttle

Todd Haynes to be Jury President of the Berlinale 2025

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Todd Haynes to be Jury President of the Berlinale 2025

The US-American director, screenwriter and producer Todd Haynes will be President of the International Jury of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival.

”

“Todd Haynes is a dazzlingly gifted writer and director with an impressive range; his body of work is at once stylistically versatile but also unmistakably his. Ever since his debut feature Poison won the TEDDY AWARD in 1991, the Berlinale has followed and loved his filmmaking, and we are overjoyed to have him join the festival as the President of the International Jury for our 75th edition,” says Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle.

Tricia Tuttle

Over nearly 40 years, Todd Haynes has been one of the most bold and distinctive filmmaking voices in US-American cinema, beloved for his great sensitivity in exploring the interior worlds of outsiders and women, and his fascinating investigations into gender and identity.

His skill at creating complex characters has attracted many of the world’s finest actors. Stars such as Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway, Natalie Portman, Mark Ruffalo, Christian Bale and Ewan McGregor have played the multi-layered characters in his films. Todd Haynes’ films and their actors have won awards at numerous international film festivals.

Emerging into international prominence in the early 1990s as part of a thrilling new generation of US-American directors (dubbed “New Queer Cinema” by critic B. Ruby Rich), by the time of his four-time Oscar nominated film, Far from Heaven (2002), Haynes was fully established as a major force in US filmmaking. His feature film debut Poison received the TEDDY AWARD, the queer film prize at the Berlinale, in 1991, and won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Other key works include Safe (1995), Velvet Goldmine (1998), the fictional Bob Dylan biopic I’m Not There (2007), which won the Grand Jury Prize in Venice, the mini-series Mildred Pierce (2011), Carol (2015), Wonderstruck (2017), Dark Waters (2019), The Velvet Underground (2021) and May December (2023).

 

#Berlinale, Berlin International Film Festival

Berlinale Retrospective 2025: “Wild, Weird, Bloody. German Genre Films of the 70s”

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

75th Berlin International Film Festival Retrospective 2025: “Wild, Weird, Bloody. German Genre Films of the 70s”

 

Source: Deutsche Kinemathek, © Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation

The Retrospective of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival will be “Wild, Weird, Bloody”: the offbeat and the wacky, mix it up with action, thrills, and graphic visuals in 15 selected genre films from East and West Germany made in the 1970s.

Dr. Rainer Rother, head of the Retrospective and Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek, says: “A longstanding preconception says that Germans can’t do genre. But in fact, early German cinema laid a groundwork that was influential in the international development of fantasy and science fiction moviemaking. And even beyond that, both auteur filmmakers and commercial productions were drawn to genre films over the decades. Our Retrospective showcases pictures, made amid other film currents such as New German Cinema that embraced the appeal and played with the possibilities of a good genre flick.”

Influenced by the wave of exploitation films of the era, the 1970s are a treasure trove of offbeat movies that followed new narrative and aesthetic paths. It was a decade when a generation of young directors took their shot and tested the boundaries between the genres. With Deadlock (FRG, 1970), Roland Klick served up a mixture of post-apocalyptic gangster film and psychedelic western. That same year, Hans W. Geißendörfer turned his sights on the horror genre with his commanding vampire film Jonathan (FRG, 1970). West German filmmakers had counterparts in East Germany, such as Horst Bonnet, with his unusual adaptation of the operetta Orpheus in der Unterwelt (Orpheus in the Underworld, GDR, 1974), and Günter Reisch’s satire Nelken in Aspik (Cloves in Aspic, GDR, 1976). The section will also be showing films by directors such as Rainer Erler, Klaus Lemke, Ulli Lommel, and Wolfgang Petersen, expanding the Retrospective 2025 to include genres such as the biker film, thriller, and musical.

“Modern audiences eagerly embrace genre cinema and enjoy tracing crime, science fiction, horror and other genre roots all the way back to the earliest days of the form. This selection of deep thrills and blood spills offers so many discoveries, and shines a light into new corners of German cinema. We cannot wait to share it with audiences, local and international”, comments Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle.

The complete line-up for “Wild, Weird, Bloody. German Genre Films of the 70s” will be announced in December 2024. During the Berlinale, the Retrospective screenings will be complemented by a series of event at E-Werk, the new home of the Deutsche Kinemathek.

#SBIFF, Film Festival, SBIFF Virtuosos

Santa Barbara International Film Festival announces this year’s recipients of the Virtuosos Award!

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Kieran Culkin, Harris Dickinson, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Clarence Maclin, Mikey Madison, and John Magaro to be Honored!

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2024

 

 

{November 19, 2024] SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is delighted to announce this year’s recipients of the Virtuosos Award, an honor created to recognize a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in films this season has propelled them into the forefront of national cinematic conversation. Kieran Culkin, Harris Dickinson, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Clarence Maclin, Mikey Madison, and John Magaro will discuss their work and receive their awards in person on Sunday, February 9 during the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The evening will be moderated for the 15th year by Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movies host.

Dave Karger moderates Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Virtuosos Award, an honor created to recognize a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in films this season has propelled them into the forefront of national cinematic conversation.

“It’s my 15th consecutive year hosting this event, and this year’s lineup is as impressive as ever, ranging from megastars like Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande, to veteran actors like Kieran Culkin and John Magaro, to true breakouts like Clarence Maclin, Mikey Madison, Harris Dickinson, and Karla Sofía Gascón. I can’t wait to gather them all in front of the wonderful Santa Barbara audience,” remarked Dave Karger.

SANTA BARBARA, CA – FEBRUARY 05: Moderator Dave Karger, Sam Elliot, Steven Yeun, John David Washington, Thomasin McKenzie, Richard E. Grant, Claire Foy and Elsie Fisher speak onstage at the Virtuosos Award Presented By UGG during the 34th Santa Barbara International Film Festival at Arlington Theatre on February 5, 2019 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for SBIFF)

The last four year’s Virtuosos honorees were Lily Gladstone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Greta Lee, Charles Melton, America Ferrera, Andrew Scott, Austin Butler, Kerry Condon, Danielle Deadwyler, Nina Hoss, Stephanie Hsu, Jeremy Pope, Ke Huy Quan, Jeremy Strong, Caitriona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Jamie Dornan, Alana Haim, Ciarán Hinds, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Simon Rex, Saniyya Sidney, Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Andra Day, Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, and Zendaya.

The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 4 – February 15, 2025. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held at SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre and its new Film Center, plus the historic Arlington Theatre.. Passes for the 2025 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.

Last year, the festival had a program of 200+ films from over 48 countries with honorary awards feted on Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet, Billie Eilish, and Ludwig Göransson.

A-list and industry guests will once again ascend to Santa Barbara, making it a must-stop location on the awards circuit, and delivering a record number of films with many World and U.S. premieres. The film lineup and schedule will be announced January 2025.

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 39 years, SBIFF has become one of the top 10 film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 kids, students and families in our local community by introducing film as an art form to young children with programs like AppleBox and Mike’s FieldTrip to the Movies; teaching film analysis to highschool and college students with programs like Rosebud and the Film Studies Program; and teaching the craft of screenwriting and filmmaking with Film Camp and 10-10-10 Mentorship programs. Most importantly SBIFF’s programs are always directed towards the under-represented and under-served communities within Santa Barbara County.

More recently, SBIFF secured a long-term lease for the iconic multi-plex at 916 State Street in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. This landmark acquisition paves the way for the creation of a state-of-the-art Film Center — a vibrant, year-round destination that will serve as a central hub for cinema enthusiasts and the heart of SBIFF’s renowned Film Festival. Building on the success of the Riviera Theatre revitalization in 2016 and the opening of its own Education Center in 2019 in the downtown area, SBIFF continues to strengthen its commitment to the cultural fabric of Santa Barbara.

Stay tuned!

Patrica Chidlaw unveils her artwork for the Official 2023 Santa Barbara International Film Festival Poster. (Photo by Larry Gleeson/HollywoodGlee)
television

Actor, Filmmaker & Activist Pauline Egan to be Awarded the Leslie Yeo Award for Volunteerism

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Posted by Larry Gleeson

Vancouver, BC —  Vancouver-based actor, filmmaker and activist, Pauline Egan, has been selected as this year’s recipient for the 17th Annual 2024 AFBS Leslie Yeo Award for Volunteerism. Pauline joins an impressive roster of change makers whose volunteerism and service to the local and international community have served as an inspiration to others. The AFBS Leslie Yeo Award annually honours one AFBS member’s contributions towards volunteering and community efforts. ⁠The award is presented in honour of Yeo; a founder of AFBS, whose career spanned nearly six decades in theatre, television and film.⁠

As an award-winning actress, Pauline has a body of work that spans almost two decades. Some of her most recognizable roles were playing Dr. Erika Myers on popular SyFy series, Sanctuary, guest starring roles on Supernatural, Blue Mountain State and Family Law, and lead and supporting roles in feature length films on Hallmark, Lifetime and Netflix. Pauline will soon be seen in season 2 of Netflix series My Life with the Walter Boys, in 2025. Pauline has also produced several films with a focus on social justice or activism including El Mulatto, El Color Negro and One But Many.

Pauline is a Registered Nurse (QUT) with a Postgraduate in Primary Health in developing countries. Nine years ago, after writing and directing her first film Through the Pane, Pauline attended the premiere of her film at the Hollywood Film Festival where she met a documentary filmmaker who was working in East Africa helping communities get clean water, sanitation and health education. It was from there that she began her journey working in community health in Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2015, Pauline volunteered in off-grid communities in Mozambique for 5 months. Ever since, Pauline has continued to work in East and West Africa including in Mozambique, Kenya and Liberia, helping remote communities, who lack the basics of clean water, sanitation, and health education gain access to these basic essentials. Pauline has most recently been working with FACE Africa International, an organization founded by Saran Kaba Jones, developing, designing and leading community water and sanitation projects which focus on decolonizing aid through capacity building of local Indigenous peoples so that they can lead the change in their own communities. One of Pauline’s greatest passions is helping women find their voice and become leaders and mentors. This has included her volunteering her time as a mentor for women in Africa through the Deloitte Women in Africa Initiative and more recently in mentoring two women from Ghana and Sweden through the 2024 Agenda for Change Women in WASH and RWSN Mentoring program.

Pauline’s volunteer work began from a young age in Australia, and continued when she moved to North America. Her service and advocacy has ranged from volunteering and raising money for causes including the Battered Women’s Support Services, poverty reduction, breast cancer research, Alzheimer’s research and awareness, guide dogs for the blind, the red cross and many more. When the devastating Australian wildfires struck in 2020, Pauline and two of her Australian friends came together to organize an emergency fundraiser for the victims. They raised over $20,000 for the Red Cross.

The event honoring Pauline where she will be presented with her award is sponsored by the AFBS, Truffles Fine Foods, World Centric, Pender PR and Legend Water Co. The event will bring Vancouver’s film industry and the public together to fundraise for a new clean water and health project for a community in Liberia. The night will be MC’d by talented local actress, filmmaker and voice over artist, Rhona Rees, with performances from Natasha Burnett (When Calls the Heart), and DJ Sam Chimes. There will be giveaways from generous local partners including William F. White International Inc./Sunbelt Rentals Film & TV, Whistler Film Festival, GEMS, Tightrope Theatre Co,  Kristine Cofsky Photography, Cold Nose Studio, Feel Good Everyday Gym and Sauna, Al Miro Studios, Tara Bell Irving (Jackie Lind Casting), The Lumie Co., Feel Good Everyday, Como Taperia, FriendsQuarters Co-working space, and many more! All proceeds from ticket sales, raffle entries and the silent auction, will go directly towards funding a new clean water and health education program in Liberia.

Pauline was nominated for the Leslie Yeo Award by local actor, Mackenzie Gray (Fargo, Man of Steel), and letters of support for her nomination were written by her acting colleagues including Heather Doerksen (Pacific Rim), Brian Markinson (Mad Men), Jason Cermak (Superman & Lois), Broadus Mattison (Bates Motel), Kirk Caouette (Prey) and Rhona Rees (Wu Assassins).

The celebration will take place at FriendsQuarters Event Space and will be an inspired evening of kindness, generosity and togetherness. The $40 ticket provides guests with food, beverages, and brings one person clean water for up to 10 years. The team is also offering a $15 OFF discount code for those who want to support, but may be facing challenging times.

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MORE INFORMATION:

Tickets / Images

Event Details:
Friday, November 22, 2024
Doors 6:30pm (start 7:00pm) @ FriendsQuarters in Gastown, 328 W Hastings St

About Pauline Egan
With almost 20  years of experience in the entertainment industry as an actress, director, writer, producer and composer (including television, feature films and documentaries), Pauline is passionate about using storytelling for social impact, utilizing the arts to raise awareness for global issues such as the water and sanitation crisis, poverty and gender inequality.

Pauline is an international leader in health and development, with 9 years experience in developing health education programs and designing sanitation and water infrastructure across Sub-Saharan Africa. Pauline’s programs focus on community peace and trust building as a means for sustainable impact for rural and peri-urban community settings, capacity building of local people to lead their programs, and supporting women and girls to find their voices and become leaders and change makers in their communities.

About AFBS
ACTRA Fraternal Benefit Society (AFBS) is a not-for-profit, Member-owned, federally incorporated insurance company operating for over 35 years. Members of AFBS are primarily members of ACTRA and the Writers Guild of Canada.

About FACE Africa
FACE Africa is an AFRICAN founded, WOMEN-LED 501c3 non-profit organization. We believe that living a dignified life should not be a luxury only for some, but a basic human right for ALL people, regardless of where we were born. Access to essentials such as CLEAN WATER, SANITATION, SAFETY, HEALTH, NUTRITION, EDUCATION & FINANCIAL SECURITY changes everything. But this is not a reality for hundreds of millions of people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our programs aim to provide vital and SUSTAINABLE infrastructure while also BUILDING CAPACITY of local people (especially women and youth) to become changemakers in their communities. WOMEN and GIRLS are at the forefront of all our training and leadership programs to improve gender equality and increase women’s representation in leadership roles.

MEDIA REQUESTS:

Nicole Trask, Pender PR
nicola@penderpr.com 
penderpr.com / @penderpr

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