Posted by Larry Gleeson
The 33rd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) packed the house and stacked the deck last night at the historic Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara, Calif. with all five 2018 Best Director Oscar nominees in what might have been the only time all five have gathered in the same place at the same time.
Christopher Nolan, Greta Gerwig, Guillermo del Toro, Jordan Peele, and Paul Thomas Anderson all received the 2018 Outstanding Directors of the Year Award sponsored by The Hollywood Reporter for their films Dunkirk, Lady Bird, The Shape of Water, Get Out, and Phantom Thread, respectively. Gerwig is only the fifth woman to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar since the Oscar’s inception in1929.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Award Columnist Scott Feinberg moderated the evening. Feinberg introduced each director with a film clip from his/her nominated work. Each director shared his/her motivation in making their films then took turns praising one another’s work. The evening never got old and the audience never tired. In closing, SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling, shared his personal connection with each director’s film, the specialness of the evening and his overwhelming feelings of gratitude.
