41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival

41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Official poster
Opening filmA Mosquito in the Ear by Nicola Rinciari
Closing filmLaundry (Uhlanjululo) by Zamo Mkhwanazi
LocationSanta Barbara, California, United States
Founded1986
Awards
Hosted bySanta Barbara International Film Festival (organization)
Artistic directorClaudia Puig
Festival dateOpening: 4 February 2026 (2026-02-04)
Closing: 14 February 2026 (2026-02-14)
WebsiteSBIFF

The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the 2026 edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, took place from February 4 to February 14, 2026, at Santa Barbara, California, United States.[1] In August, October and November 2025, honorary award recipients were announced: the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film was awarded to Cynthia Erivo (for Wicked: For Good),[2] the Maltin Modern Master Award was awarded to Adam Sandler (for Jay Kelly),[3] and the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award was awarded to Michael B. Jordan (for Sinners).[4]

On October 30, 2025, the Virtuosos Award recipients were announced, which were awarded to Jacob Elordi (for Frankenstein), Chase Infiniti (for One Battle After Another), Amy Madigan (for Weapons), Wagner Moura (for The Secret Agent), Renate Reinsve (for Sentimental Value), Sydney Sweeney (for Christy), Teyana Taylor (for One Battle After Another), and Jeremy Allen White (for Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere).[5] On January 31, 2026, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (for Sentimental Value) and Wunmi Mosaku (for Sinners) were added to the lineup of Virtuosos Award recipients.[6] Additionally, the Montecito Award was awarded to Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård for his performance in Sentimental Value.[7]

In January 2026, One Battle After Another trio Benicio del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sean Penn were announced as the recipients of the Hammond Cinema Vanguard Award.[8] Moreover, Kate Hudson (for Song Sung Blue) was named Arlington Artist of the Year[9] and Ethan Hawke (for Blue Moon) was announced as the recipient of the American Riviera Award.[10]

Overview

From February 6 to February 10, Julian Schnabel was feted with a hosted retrospective of his films.[11]

From February 11 to February 14, Jessie Buckley was feted with a hosted retrospective of her films.[12]

Opening and closing nights

On February 4, the festival opened with the film A Mosquito in the Ear, an American drama written and directed by Nicola Rinciari (his directorial debut); it is based upon the graphic novel Una Zanzara nell'Orecchio by Andrea Ferraris.[13]

On February 14, the festival closed with the film Laundry (Uhlanjululo), a South African drama written and directed by Zamo Mkhwanazi (another directorial debut).[14]

Official selection

The festival presented 46 world premieres and 80 United States premieres from 50 countries with half of the films directed by women.[15]

Opening and closing films

The festival opened with Nicola Rinciari's A Mosquito in the Ear and closed with Zamo Mkhwanazi's Laundry (Uhlanjululo).[14]

English title Original title Director Production countrie(s)
Opening film
A Mosquito in the Ear Nicola Rinciari India, United States
Closing film
Laundry Uhlanjululo Zamo Mkhwanazi South Africa, Switzerland

Feature films

Short films

  • A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil, Daniel Straub, United States
  • Abel, Brian Zahm, United States
  • Agnes, Leah Vlemmiks, United Kingdom
  • Agnès, Nora Arnezeder, France
  • Ali's Story, Benito Sinclair, United States
  • All Heart, Michael Govier, Will McCormack, United States
  • Amazeze (Fleas), Jordy Sank, South Africa
  • Astronauta, Giorgio Giampà, Italy, Mexico, Guatemala, France
  • At Night, Pooya Afzali, Iran
  • The Baddest Speechwriter of All, Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry, United States
  • Barbara, Jillian Moray, United States
  • The Bear Beneath, Olivia Hille, United States
  • Behind the Mask, Catherine Andre, United States
  • Beyond Silence, Marnie Blok, Netherlands
  • Bimo, Oumnia Hanader, France
  • California is Burning, Bennett Curran, United States
  • Candy Bar, Nash Edgerton, Australia
  • Change Makers, Casey Beck, United States, Greece
  • Committee Animal, Robert Redfield, United States
  • Coyotes, Said Zagha, France, Palestine, UK, Jordan
  • The Crash Out, Emelie Claxton, United States
  • Daddy's Little Meatball, Yael Grunseit, Australia, United States
  • Dark Skin Bruises Differently, Susan Wokoma, United Kingdom
  • The Divine Feminine, Ivana Todorovic, Serbia
  • Dongmei (冬梅), Rubing Zhang, China
  • Earworm, Patrik Eklund, Sweden
  • Egg Timer, Rosie May Bird Smith, United Kingdom
  • Fil-Am, Ralph Torrefranca, United States
  • The Finger Wife, Taryn Stickrath-Hutt, Dan Lund, United States
  • Fly on the Wall (La Mosca en la Pared), Mar Novo, Mexico
  • Get Her Back, Leah Winkler, United States
  • The Gift of Darkness (El Regalo de Oscuridad), Lauren David, United States
  • The Green Truck, Nicole Noren, United States
  • Habbal et al., Sean Paulsen, Brad Wickham, United States
  • Habibi, Alexey Evstigneev, France
  • The Halfway Between All This, Heather Greer, Alison Cornyn, United States
  • Halifax Pier, Matthew Daniel Herst, Canada
  • A Hand to Hold, Philip Clyde-Smith, Eliza Power, United Kingdom
  • His House, Home, Aisling O'Regan Sargent, Ireland
  • I Am Li Yangqiao (我叫李杨桥), Qianai Lin (林千爱), Yiqian Ma (马艺芊), Xihan Yin (殷熙涵), Zhiyan Chen (陈祉彦), Junqi Long (龙骏骐) and Ruizhe Pan (潘睿喆), China
  • Impact, Aidan Largey, United Kingdom
  • Invisible Dragons, Victoria Boult, New Zealand
  • Jeanne & Jean Jean, Thanys Martin, France
  • Keelhaul, Edgar Cortés Campoy, United States
  • Mandatory Call (Toque Reglamentario), Ana Cecilia Sandoval, Mexico
  • Mary Is Missing, Aisling Byrne, Ireland
  • Memory Experiment, Kerrilee Gore, United States
  • Moths, Pema Baldwin, United States
  • My Boyfriend Follows You on Instagram, Caroline Falls, United States
  • My Type, Daniela Ruah, United States

Awards

Top (from left to right): Cynthia Erivo, Ethan Hawke, and Kate Hudson
Bottom (from left to right): Michael B. Jordan, Stellan Skarsgård, and Chloé Zhao
Recipients of the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, the American Riviera Award, the Arlington Artist of the Year Award, the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award, Montecito Award and the Outstanding Director of the Year Award, respectively
Honorees Jessie Buckley and Julian Schnabel, honored with a hosted retrospective of their respective films

References

  1. ^ Gillies, Andrew (April 23, 2025). "Santa Barbara International Film Festival announces next year's event dates". KEYT-TV. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Feinberg, Scott (August 19, 2025). "Santa Barbara Film Fest: 'Wicked' Star Cynthia Erivo Tapped for Kirk Douglas Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Hammond, Pete (October 15, 2025). "Adam Sandler to Be Honored with Maltin Modern Master Award at Santa Barbara Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Feinberg, Scott (October 3, 2025). "Santa Barbara Film Fest: 'Sinners' Star Michael B. Jordan Tapped for Performer of the Year Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i Feinberg, Scott (October 30, 2025). "Santa Barbara Film Fest: Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi and Chase Infiniti Among Eight Tapped for Virtuosos Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 1, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Jones, Marcus (January 31, 2026). "Hot Off Their Oscar Noms, 'Sinners' and 'Sentimental Value' Stars Round Out SBIFF Virtuosos Tribute". IndieWire. Retrieved February 3, 2026.
  7. ^ a b Feinberg, Scott (November 13, 2025). "Santa Barbara Film Fest: 'Sentimental Value' Star Stellan Skarsgård Tapped for Montecito Award". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Hammond, Pete; Pedersen, Erik (January 6, 2026). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn & Benicio del Toro to Receive Hammond Cinema Vanguard Award at Santa Barbara Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  9. ^ a b Feinberg, Scott (January 13, 2026). "Santa Barbara Film Fest: 'Song Sung Blue' Star Kate Hudson Tapped for Arlington Artist of the Year Award (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 14, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Hammond, Pete (January 28, 2026). "Oscar Nominee Ethan Hawke to Receive Santa Barbara Film Festival American Riviera Award". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  11. ^ Dinaberg, Leslie (February 4, 2026). "In the Hands of Julian Schnabel". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  12. ^ "Santa Barbara International Film Festival Announces Oscar-Nominated Filmmaker Panels". Santa Barbara Independent. February 3, 2026. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  13. ^ Lehr, Tracy (February 4, 2026). "41st SBIFF Opens with Premiere of 'A Mosquito in the Ear'". KEYT-TV. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  14. ^ a b Turkeltaub, Payton (January 14, 2026). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro and More to Be Honored at the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  15. ^ Dinaberg, Leslie (January 14, 2026). "The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival Brings a Feast of Movie Magic to Town". Santa Barbara Independent. Retrieved January 15, 2026.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Garner, Glenn (February 14, 2026). "Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026 Winners — Full List". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 14, 2026.
  17. ^ a b c d Feinberg, Scott (February 4, 2026). "Santa Barbara Film Fest: Four of Five Best Director Oscar Nominees Set for Tribute (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Tangcay, Jazz (January 26, 2026). "EJAE, Jack Fisk, Alexandre Desplat and More to Receive Variety Artisans Awards at Santa Barbara Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved January 27, 2026.
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