(SANTA BARBARA, CA) January 27, 2024 – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is proud to host a special presentation of short films on Wednesday, February 12, 2025, showcasing winners from the Anora x Kodak contest. The evening’s films are curated by acclaimed filmmaker Sean Baker, the writer, director, editor, and producer behind this year’s “Anora.” “Anora” was a Palme d’Or winner and six time Academy Award® nominated film. Baker and SBIFF celebrate the artistry of analog filmmaking through ten remarkable works that blend traditional techniques with modern storytelling.
The ten selected filmmakers, with guiding mentorship by Academy Award® Nominee Sean Baker, created their works on Kodak 16mm film. The event is coupled with support from Kodak, NEON, ARRI Rental, Cinelease, and the visionary “Anora” team.
The event is free to the public and honors the next generation of visionary storytellers.
The Films
The ten filmmakers listed below have been selected for their exceptional vision and remarkable creative insight.
-
Gregory Barnes: “Together Forever”—Before embarking on his two-year Mormon mission, cherubic Caleb and his wide-eyed girlfriend, Sydney, commit a sex loophole of monumental creativity to avoid God’s judgemental gaze.
-
Virginia de Witt: “Edgar”—Grieving her divorce, Lydia becomes a test subject to program AI Robots as lovable companions, aided by their design to resemble relatives—but will it send her over the edge?
-
RJ Sanchez: “Freak”—2006, South Central LA. High school sophomore Angel faces a party predicament: freak dance with his crush or miss his chance?
-
Pablo Larcuen: “I Walked Through the Wall”—A wife and mother who feels trapped in a life of service to her family, accidentally discovers the power to walk through walls.
-
Albert Pritchard: “Indigo Blue”—A desperate father risks everything to get medicine for his sick daughter.
-
Muriel Naim: “Mazel / Faygeleh”—On the eve of his wedding, minutes before the Chuppah, Menachem—a Hasidic man—finds unexpected solace in his closest friend’s embrace, as hidden desires and duty collide in the silence of a dressing room.
-
Mohammad Shaikh: “Saving PA Ryan”—Having dreamed of making movies since childhood, 20-year-old Alex Johnson steps into his first day as a PA and discovers the exhilarating—and gritty—reality of filmmaking.
-
Madeline Clayton: “She Said So”—Precocious 15-year-old Emerson hysterical mother wakes her because her best friend Layla is unconscious. Worse: her mother finds an incriminating video on Emerson’s iPhone from the night before
-
Nathan Ginter: “Steak Dinner”—Casey’s attempt surprise dinner date derails when Taylor, their partner, reveals they have brought home a strange, wounded creature they intend to nurse back to health.
-
Ki Jin Kim: “颯,永 – Suddenly, Always”—An elderly Japanese couple’s routine walk transforms into a chance moment of intimacy and acceptance when they receive the chance to have their portrait taken.
For more information regarding the event, please visit here.
About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization. It’s goal is to discover and showcase the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 39 years, SBIFF has become one of the top 10 film festivals in the United States. It attracts 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes, and symposiums. They work to fulfill their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.
SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 kids, students and families in our local community by introducing film as an art form to young children with programs like AppleBox and Mike’s FieldTrip to the Movies; teaching film analysis to highschool and college students with programs like Rosebud and the Film Studies Program; and teaching the craft of screenwriting and filmmaking with Film Camp and 10-10-10 Mentorship programs. Most importantly SBIFF’s programs are always directed towards the under-represented and under-served communities within Santa Barbara County.
SBIFF also recently secured a long-term lease for the iconic multi-plex at 916 State Street in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. This landmark acquisition paves the way for the creation of a state-of-the-art Film Center. It’s a vibrant, year-round destination that will serve as a central hub for cinema enthusiasts. It’s also at the heart of SBIFF’s renowned Film Festival. This builds on the success of the Riviera Theatre revitalization in 2016 and the opening of its own Education Center in 2019. SBIFF continues to strengthen its commitment to the cultural fabric of Santa Barbara.
*Press release courtesy of SBIFF.
