IFC News
- Festival Information
- The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture and raising consciousness of film as an art form. The SBIFF presents American and international independent films, as well as documentary cinema, within the beautiful setting of downtown Santa Barbara. The SBIFF is also committed to education through its Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Field Trip to the Movies and educational seminars. With a projected viewership of over 60,000 people screening more than 200 films, the SBIFF attracts an affluent local and national audience, while maintaining strong ties with the entertainment industry in nearby Los Angeles.
- The Winning Director
- Tao Ruspoli is an Italian-American filmmaker, photographer and musician. Born in Bangkok, Thailand and raised in Rome and Los Angeles, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley and founde the Los Angeles Filmmakers Cooperative. LAFCO is a bohemian collective of filmmakers and musicians who work out of a converted school bus. Through LAFCO, Tao has produced several films and helped dozens of filmmakers make their first films and tap into the power of digital media.
- The Winning Film
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Racing across Los Angeles in one day, documentary filmmakers Bella and Milo travel from Beverly Hills to Watts, and everywhere in between. Why? To spring Milo's brother Leo from a local jail, or Leo goes to prison for three years. In a story inspired by true events, the trio documents their trip from a suburban police station in Calabasas, through the mansions of Beverly Hills, chop-shops in East LA, rural wastelands, and housing projects in Watts as they attempt to come up with enough cash to keep Leo out of prison. In the end, though, it may take an ironic event to save him.
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Racing across Los Angeles in one day, documentary filmmakers Bella and Milo travel from Beverly Hills to Watts, and everywhere in between. Why? To spring Milo's brother Leo from a local jail, or Leo goes to prison for three years. In a story inspired by true events, the trio documents their trip from a suburban police station in Calabasas, through the mansions of Beverly Hills, chop-shops in East LA, rural wastelands, and housing projects in Watts as they attempt to come up with enough cash to keep Leo out of prison. In the end, though, it may take an ironic event to save him.
One outstanding film from each of the following festivals takes home the Heineken Red Star Award.
Palm Springs International - January