TINSLE TOWN TIDBITS . . . 
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Bonnie Carroll, www.lifebites.news.com & coastingwithbonnie.com Please join me for ongoing reports on SBIFF 2026, wonderful 41st year of film tributes and more. Feb 4-14  
Touring McHurley SBIFF Film Center (photos: BCarroll) OPENING DAY My opening day adventure included a visit to the brand new SBIFF McHurley Film Center where workers were frantically putting on finishing touches for SBIFF 2026 opening. Films will be enjoyed by attendees throughout the festival. It was a pleasure meeting Andrew and Angel on the job and have a brief tour. What a great center for locals and visitors to enjoy everything film! 
OPENING NIGHT FILM DAY 1 Day one included some 'woman on the street' fun meeting local friend Carolyn Jabs and her husband, who are big supporters of SBIFF, and shared they were looking forward to seeing the Maltin Modern Master Award presented to Adam Sandler. Met many people who traveled to the festival from around the country as well. Roger Durling, Executive Director of SBIFF, was also out there talking to early arrivals who were waiting to greet all the celebrities on the red carpet and who hoped to get autographs from Adam Sandler.   
Carroll on the Street – Chats with the Jab’s family - savors Carlito’s shrimp salad – gets a warm welcome from SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling (photo: BCarroll) I totally enjoyed my annual quick dinner at Carlito's Mexican Restaurant while watching SBIFF staff setting up the red-carpet entry accoutrement and spoke with a Montana couple who were vacationing in Santa Barbara and were thrilled to have an opportunity to attend the SBIFF events. Big kudos to all the volunteers who make this magic happen every night at the Arlington and other festival venues.   
Dustin Hoffman, Presentor - Leonard Maltin interview with Adam Sandler - Adam Sandler with a script of thankyou's to many (photo: BCarroll) It was a fabulous funny evening at the Arlington Theatre filled with belly laughs watching red carpet arrivals, Leonard Maltin Interviewing Sandler and sometimes Sandler interviewing Maltin, leading up to the presentation of the Maltin Modern Master Award, an award which recognizes an individual who has enriched our culture through their accomplishments in the motion picture industry, as well as his outstanding work in film. Leonard Maltin did a great interview with entertaining clips from many of Sandler's beloved films and the audience enjoyed every minute. Long-time friend and film associate Dustin Hoffman presented the award to Sandler, finishing his presentation by sharing that Sandler was not only one of the funniest talents in the business but was also an amazing human being. This was an evening of pure love and respect, along with uncontrollable laughter. I was so grateful to be there to see this special tribute given to Adam Sandler. DAY 2 AMERICAN RIVIERA AWARD 
Jeff Bridges Presents Ethan Hawke with American Riviera Award (Getty Photo) The Ethan Hawke American Riviera Award, an award recognizing outstanding achievement in American film was Presented by Jeff Bridges, Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-winner, who joined Hawke in signing autographs and greeting the huge crowd of fans outside the Arlington Theatre. Dave Karger moderated a conversation on stage where notable performances were discussed. DAY 3 
Early morning start for breakfast at Renaud’s and off to a favorite event The Women’s Panel at the Arlington Theatre where Yvett Merino Forthcoming , Producer Zootopia 2 Natalie Musteata, Writer/Director – Two People Exchanging Saliva, Alisa Payne, Producer – The Perfect Neighbor, Ashley Schalaifer, Producer – Train Dreams, Laia Casanovas, Sound – frustrations and joys of their specialized work on great film teams they were an important part of in 2025. This is a must for all the back history on individual working experiences in award-winning films annually.(photo: BCarroll) 
Positively thrilled with the beautiful and totally comfortable new Film Center on State Street, where I chatted with out-of-town visitors in line waiting to see “If These Walls Could Rock” the fun and amazing story of the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood that was home for years to countless major rock stars.(photo: BCarroll) DAY 3 VARIETY ARTISAN AWARD 
The Variety Artisan Awards celebrated professionals who are essential to the filmmaking process honored (L-R) Mike Hill, Chris Welcker, Andy Jurgensen, Eric Saindon, Kate Hawley, Alexandre Desplat, Ejae, Jazz Tangcay, Adolpho Veloso, Jack Fisk and Al Nelson attend the Variety Artisans Award ceremony during the 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival at The Arlington Theatre on February 07, 2026 in Santa Barbara, California. (Photo by Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for Santa Barbara International Film Festival) DAY 4 VIRTUOSOS AWARD  Moderator Jane Byrne with SBIFF Virtuosos Award Winners 2026 (photo: Getty Images) Jacob Elordi - FRANKENSTEIN
Chase Infiniti - ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Amy Madigan - WEAPONS
Wagner Moura - THE SECRET AGENT
Renate Reinsve - SENTIMENTAL VALUE
Sydney Sweeney - CHRISTY
Teyana Taylor - ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER
Jeremy Allen White - SPRINGSTEEN: DELIVER ME FROM NOWHERE Day 5 HAMMOND CINEMA VANGUARD AWARD 
Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro & Leo DiCaprio enjoying a special Hammond Cinema Van Guard Award moment (photo: BCarroll) 
Moderator Pete Hammond, Award recipients Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Leo DiCaprio with Director Paul Thomas Anderson presenter (photo: BCarroll) While doing my reporter on the street work I was Delighted to see Shelby Sim, President and CEO of Visit Santa Ynez Valley, and his lovely wife Amy Sim at Opal Restaurant enjoying the festival experience on their way to the Arlington Theatre before the red carpet for Hammond Cinema Vanguard Award, and I was happy to catch up on the latest delicious Restaurant Week news from Santa Ynez Valley. "On the Street" Film Lovers  Bonnie Carroll, LBN Lady Reporter on the Street, with Shelby and Amy Sym 41ST SBIFF DIRECTOR'S AWARD 
Ryan Coogler (Sinners), Josh Safdie (Marty Suprime, Joachim Trier (Sentimental Value), and Chloe Zhao (Hamnet) DAY 9 Outstanding Performer of the Year – Michael B. Jordan 
Executive Director Roger Durling Congratulates Michael B Jordan (Photo: LBN) Michael Jordan stepped on stage at the Arlington Theatre to be greeted by a full house of enthusiastic fans and his entire family, who thoroughly enjoyed his interview with Roger Durling, Executive Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Michael’s first action was to give a grateful ‘heads up’ to his lovely mother Donna Jordan, and family members Jamila Jordan and Khalid Jordan sitting in the audience. Roger Durling moderated the wonderful career history and film clips so enjoyed by the audience. The amazing film history of this exciting young actor/director is commendable, as well as his great love affair with film and the craft of acting and then directing. 
Delroy Lindo presents SBIFF Performer of the Year Award to Michael B. Jordan at the Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara (photo: BCarroll, LBN) Delroy Lindo, long-time friend and film associate (who had a prominent role in “Sinners” written and directed by Ryan Coogler) presented the award with so much love and touching words of admiration for Michael B. Jordan the actor, director and dear friend. Delroy was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor in Sinners, with Michael
B. Jordan nominated for a Best Actor award; this film received 16 nominations for the 98th Academy Awards to be held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on March 15, 2026. DAY 10 
Look for ongoing updated News on SBIFF 41st from LBN  ≈≈≈ ___________________________________________________ __________________________________________ 
SBIFF ANNUAL KIRK DOUGLAS AWARD Here's the Story . . . Cynthia Erivo Award 
Cynthia Erivo accepts SBIFF Kirk Douglas Award at Ritz-Carlton Bacara Dinner (Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF) 2025 SBIFF KIRK DOUGLAS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM WENT TO CYNTHIA ERIVO ON DECEMBER 4 AT RITZ-CARLTON BACARA RESORT By Bonnie Carroll Having been blessed with the opportunity to cover this amazing SBIFF evening honoring excellence in film since its inception, which has been presented to the best of the best over the years, I was overjoyed to know the multi-talented Cynthia Erivo would be the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film recipient for 2025. Cynthia Erivo’s personal history of working hard to achieve her dreams, and the outstanding awards she has won including multiple Oscar nominations for her Harriet Tubman role (2020) Best Actress and Best Original Song, and Best Actress for her role in Wicked (2025). Her performance in The Color Purple won her a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical and Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress in a Musical, and Daytime Award for Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album alongside the cast of The Color Purple made her the perfect choice to receive this year’s Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival celebrated Cynthia Erivo with the SBIFF Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film December 4th at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort in Santa Barbara at their black-tie dinner before an audience of film makers, admirers, award supporters, sponsors, fans and friends. The prestigious award presentation marked the fourth time the prestigious award, which benefits the film festival’s year-round educational programs was presented at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara since the passing of screen legend Kirk Douglas. Ernesto Paredes, President of the SBIFF Board highlighted the festival’s new 5-plex film center in downtown Santa Barbara that represents a significant investment in the future of the festival and thecommunity's artistic vibrancy, as well as in the revitalization and beautification of downtown. The McHurley Film Center will be a state-of-the-art cinema that will allow SBIFF to expand their year-round programming of independent, foreign, documentary, retrospective and family-friendly films, to grow educational programs and offer greater accessibility to the community. The city buzz is the Santa Barbara community is looking forward with great anticipation to experiencing the 2025 film festival submissions in the outstanding new McHurley Film Center. 
Jon M. Chu, SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling, honoree Cynthia Erivo, and Marc Platt celebrating the Kirk Douglas Award. (Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF). Executive Director Roger Durling took the stage to commend Cynthia Erivo’s incredible transformative power as a performer. Starting with her role as Celie in The Color Purple, Roger said seeing her “was like witnessing a hurricane” and he was “in awe of her strength, her beauty and her expressiveness… Knowing I had witnessed something historic – not just a great performance – but the birth of a star like I’d never seen before.” Guests saw clips of her performances from Widows to Bad Times at the El Royale, to Harriet, Poker Face, Pinocchio and Genius: Aretha. Transitioning to Cynthia’s work this year in Wicked: For Good, Roger congratulated Cynthia for her inspiring performance in one of the most challenging, complex and compelling characters cinema has given us. The award program featured a speech by Tony, BAFTA, and Emmy-award winning producer Marc Platt who celebrated Cynthia’s outstanding filmography, who noted that they couldn’t move forward with making Wicked until they found their Elphaba. “Thank Oz for Cynthia Erivo!” Jon M. Chu, award-winning film director, presented Cynthia Erivo with the 2025 Kirk Douglas Award. He spoke about how she “makes the impossible feel inevitable” as he celebrated Cynthia Erivo’s continued dedication to artistry and achievement in film. “This is my sister. My defiant, brilliant, bad-ass witch. But she’s not mine, she belongs to herself. I am only the witness with a very expensive camera,” Chu praised. “She loves humanity even when humanity doesn’t know what box to put her in because she’s bigger than the box. Some would say she defies gravity.” Cynthia Erivo accepted the award, saying “Thank you to the Santa Barbara Film Festival for this extraordinary honor, and all of you in this room for contributing to education programs that will continue to inspire the next generation of film artists. We need them. … When I think of the last recipients, I realize I am still a student, and I will continue to be as time goes by because art does that. Thank you for this because it reminds me, yes, of how far I’ve come, but also how much more I have to go. And this is a beautiful pit stop along the way. So, thank you, thank you to my entire team, and thank you again to Santa Barbara Film Fest for this lovely recognition." 
Cynthia Erivo posing with her Kirk Douglas Award at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara Resort. (Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images for SBIFF). Since 2006, the annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film has been awarded to a lifelong contributor to cinema through their work in front of the camera, behind, or both. Past honorees include Will Ferrell, Ryan Gosling, Michelle Yeoh, Martin Scorsese, Hugh Jackman, Dame Judi Dench, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Jessica Lange, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, Ed Harris, and John Travolta. Sending congratulations and much happiness to the 2025 Kirk Douglas Award recipient Cynthia Erivo from one of her many fans!!! 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 40 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 through film. In 2016, SBIFF acquired the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. After a capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF’s state-of-the-art, year-round home, showing new international and independent films every day. In 2019, SBIFF opened its own Education Center in downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as a home for its many educational programs and a place for creativity and learning. In 2024, with support from the City of Santa Barbara, SBIFF acquired SBIFF’s Film Center; a 5-plex movie theatre at 916 State Street in the heart of downtown. Soon the theatre will have a state-of-the-art renovation and will exponentially elevate SBIFF’s impact to new heights as well as secure the future of the annual 11-day Film Festival. SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 young people, students and families in the 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 high school 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. For SBIFF Festival information or tickets visit www.SBIFF.org. ♦ ♦ ♦
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is pleased to announce the 41st annual festival will take place in Santa Barbara, CA from February 4 through February 14, 2026. SBIFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Recently, the festival celebrated its 40th year with multiple sold out events and screenings throughout the fest. SBIFF has become one of the leading 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 through film. Fall of 2024, 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. “There is nothing better than the theatre experience as we just saw with our 40th anniversary. With the upcoming inauguration of our new state of the art Film Center just in time for the 41st SBIFF, we can’t wait to celebrate cinema with you again!” says Roger Durling, SBIFF’s Executive Director. The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival happened LIVE February 4 - February 14, 2026. Official events included screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, manu films enjoyed at the fully renovated Film Center in the heart of Downtown, SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre, as well as the historic Arlington Theatre. ♦♦♦ ______________________________________________________ .jpg) Look for Oscar News Soon! See the LIST! .jpg)
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