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January 2010
Celebrate a Century of Cinema on the
American Riviera
2010 marks the 100th anniversary of filmmaking in
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara plays a key
role in Universal Pictures’ new comedy from Nancy Meyers
and starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec
Baldwin, It’s Complicated, and the Santa Barbara
International Film Festival celebrates 25th year
Santa Barbara - photo courtesy
Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film
Commission
Santa Barbara offers film
lovers, stargazers and history buffs a cinematic feast
this winter. 2010 marks the 100th year of filmmaking in
Santa Barbara, where California’s film industry
originally planted roots before migrating south to
Hollywood. Kicking off the milestone, It’s Complicated,
a new film from writer/director/producer Nancy Meyers,
opens Christmas Day and beautifully showcases the
destination’s enduring aesthetic appeal. The celebration
continues with the 25th annual Santa Barbara
International Film Festival February 4-14, when Oscar
contenders and the industry’s best will gather on The
American Riviera for 10 days of screenings, tribute
events, panel discussions and parties.
Whether scouting sites
dating back to Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments
(1923), sipping pinot noir on the Sideways (2004) wine
trail or watching cutting_edge cinema in historic
theatres during the Film Festival, visitors will
discover that Santa Barbara looks as good in real life
as she does on the big screen. Visit the
SantaBarbaraCA.com/filmtour microsite for Santa Barbara
film trivia, suggested movie tour itineraries, a guide
to It’s Complicated locations, Film Festival information
and a list of hotels with star-studded
histories—including Charlie Chaplin’s Montecito Inn.
"Santa Barbara is steeped
in film history, and our proximity to Los Angeles and
diversity of locations keeps that filmmaking tradition
alive today," reflects Santa Barbara County Film
Commissioner Geoff Alexander. "For a community of our
size, the $30 million of revenue the industry generates
annually has a significant impact on our local economy.
When you factor in the caliber of talent that the Film
Festival brings to town and the power players in the
industry who call Santa Barbara home—or second home—it’s
easy to see why Santa Barbara is often referred to as
‘Hollywood North.’"
Santa Barbara's IFF 2009 Marquee -
photo courtesy Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors
Bureau and Film Commission
Like many great movie
characters, Santa Barbara's film history has a humble
beginning. As home to California’s first major movie
studio, the legendary Flying A Studio (1910), Santa
Barbara was a modest hub to film's early pioneers during
the silent era. But it wasn't until Cecil B. DeMille
shot the sandscapes of Guadalupe in The Ten Commandments
that Santa Barbara gained a reputation for locations
worthy of stardom. Since then, the region has been cast
in classics such as Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Endless
Summer (1966), Scarface (1983), Of Mice & Men (1992),
Adaptation (2002) and Seabiscuit (2003). More recently,
Santa Barbara set the stage for the Oscar_winning,
wine_infused comedy Sideways (2004), as well as Hidalgo
(2004), Grindhouse (2006), Alpha Dog (2006), Pirates of
the Caribbean III: At World's End (2007) and There Will
Be Blood (2007).
Meryl Streep and Steve Martin in, It's
Complicated- photo courtesy Santa Barbara Conference &
Visitors Bureau and Film Commission
In It’s Complicated,
Meyers directs Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec
Baldwin in a comedy about love, divorce and everything
in between. The film opens Christmas Day and will put
Santa Barbara back in the limelight. Much of the story
is set in Santa Barbara, where restaurant/bakery owner
Jane (Streep), resides. From actual filming locations to
intricate production design details, Santa Barbara’s
style is omnipresent in the comedy. Establishing shots
of Santa Barbara help to create an authentic sense of
place. In addition to scenes filmed in residential areas
of Montecito, the film was shot in front of numerous
downtown landmarks, including the Santa Barbara County
Courthouse and historic El Paseo.
Screening more than 200
films from around the world, the Santa Barbara
International Film Festival will roll out the red carpet
February 4-14 for its 25th year. State Street will
transform into an urban hiking trail as filmgoers make
their way from one theatre to another to catch the most
talked about films. A special historic series featuring
three shorts filmed in 1910 will be screened in honor of
the 100th anniversary of filmmaking in Santa Barbara,
paired with a lecture at Santa Barbara Museum of Art.
Panels about directing, screenwriting and producing
bring the year’s most gifted to the forefront for a
candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to make
a movie. Adding to the glitz are high-profile
celebrities honored for their outstanding work in films
of 2009, including the recently announced honorees
Sandra Bullock, Colin Firth, James Cameron, Vera Farmiga,
Peter Sarsgaard, Stanley Tucci and Christoph Waltz.
Tickets and passes are on sale now.
The Santa Barbara
Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission offers
a comprehensive film tourism microsite,
SantaBarbaraCA.com/filmtour, ideal for the Accidental
Tourist who enjoys sleuthing the settings made famous in
films, reliving history or sleeping where the stars
slept. Complimentary Lonely Planet Santa Barbara Film
Tour pocket guides and Sideways movie tour maps are also
available.
NOTE:
The 25th annual Santa
Barbara International Film Festival will bring Oscar
contenders and filmmakers from around the world to our
fair city in February. SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger
Durling has an uncanny knack for predicting who will win
top honors during awards season with his choices for the
fest’s major talent tributes. Just yesterday he
announced that Sandra Bullock will receive the American
Riviera Award on Friday, February 5. They will continue
to announce major screenings, panels and tribute events
throughout December and into January.
www.santabarbaraCA.com
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2860 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, California 93441
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