SBIFF In Motion

 2020 Fab Film Fest Gets Underway

Illustration by Ben Ciccati

by Michelle Drown | Published January 15, 2020

“There’s no place like home,” said Dorothy Gale (played by Judy Garland) in The Wizard of Oz. Thanks to that 1939 Oscar-winning film, the adage has become one of the most recognized movie lines. This time of year, it’s a particularly apt saying for Santa Barbara cinephiles, as our hamlet becomes host to an 11-day feast of movie morsels. 

On Wednesday, January 15, the 35th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival kicks off with the screening of A Bump Along the Way, a comedy from Northern Ireland about a woman in the middle of life who gets pregnant from a one-night stand. Thursday morning, State Street theaters whir to life with screenings that begin at 8 a.m. and continue into the wee hours of night. The breadth and depth of films on this year’s roster is grand and offers something for most every viewing taste.