SBIFF 2021: Day One Report

In a year-and-change whose motto might well be “what’s wrong with this picture?,” another specific and local example reared its head on Wednesday night. The grand entity fondly known as SBIFF (Santa Barbara International Film Festival) — one of Santa Barbara’s most significant cultural events — kicked off its 36^th annual edition, but without the typical fanfare or accoutrements, thanks to COVID-19’s fierce rules of conduct. 

A short list of what we won’t find in this very anomalous year: the roving klieg light beacons and general celebratory fanfare at the Arlington Theatre, followed by an opening gala party; a sense of festival consciousness evidenced by hordes of nerdy filmgoers and star-gazers at our theaters, roaming the city and sinking into multiplexes and finer venues (Arlington, the Lobero, SBMA) for 10 days, and after-parties slithering into assorted, tightly-packed spaces in town. It will be a festival in relative hiding, holed and hunkered in our private quarters, compared to those of the past.

But, on the plus side, considering the clampdown conditions, SBIFF has duly arrived, damn the impediments and crowd-phobic attributes. Folks will be forced to take in the next 10 days of events and screenings on their own private home fronts/screens, but still all the virtues are in place. The Oscar-timed celebrity showcases and tributes are in order as always: Bill Murray, Amanda Seyfried, Carey Mulligan, Delroy Lindo, Sacha Baron Cohen, and an impressive host of other Academy Award-vying bigwiggery beaming in live, even if they never leave their respective homes and may be wearing pajama bottoms beneath the semi-formal topwear.