Santa Barbara Expects Big Stars to Flock

Santa Barbara is an unexpected contender in the fight for best international film festival. An international film festival is always a reason for excitement, but few people expect dark horse Santa Barbara to do so well in the film festival game. Big stars are showing their faces at the formerly overlooked city somewhere between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Timed perfectly between the Academy Awards nominations and the Oscars, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is getting attention from the big stars in the big movies; just this year, notable names in attendance include Jared Leto, whose breathtaking performance in The Dallas Buyer’s Club is making waves, and Cate Blanchett, a Hollywood staple who wouldn’t bother spending time at a festival that’s not worth visiting.

Big stars are flattered by the attention they get at the small festival. They tend to regard it as a small, but notable gathering in a town that adores high-quality films and unearthing rare gems. Over the past ten years, Santa Barbara has slowly, but surely built up its reputation as an up-and-coming, sincerely optimal spot for Hollywood heavy-hitters. The city will be showing almost 200 movies at this year’s film festival, and expects to see about 70,000 spectators in the crowds.

Between Santa Barbara’s sincere affection for excellent film, its warm and inviting coastal weather, and its timing between Academy Awards nomination announcements and the Oscars, the film festival is a natural stop for film-goers and big stars alike. To be sure, the festival has matured from its almost grassroots beginnings, where it attracted almost no big names and only staunch supporters of the film industry. Now, Santa Barbara poses a serious challenge to any other small cities looking to host their own film festivals, and even challenges the big names like Sundance.

An international film festival is fun at any level, especially when they uncover beautiful films from other countries that mainstream film-goers might miss. They also provide marketing to smaller filmmakers who couldn’t publicize very well before. But when you’re getting big stars like Leonardo DiCaprio to attend your festival, you know you’re in the running to become the next Sundance. It’s only a matter of time before the Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a near-mandatory stop on the road to the Oscars. So many celebs end up there now that before long, Santa Barbara will rival even the biggest festivals.