41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival


The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the 2026 edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, will take place from February 4 to February 14, 2026, at Santa Barbara, California, United States. In August, October and November 2025, honorary awards were announced; the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award will be awarded to Michael B. Jordan, the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film will be awarded to Cynthia Erivo, and the Maltin Modern Master Award will be awarded to Adam Sandler.
On October 30, 2025, the Virtuosos Award recipients were announced, which will be awarded to: Jacob Elordi, Chase Infiniti, Amy Madigan, Wagner Moura, Renate Reinsve, Sydney Sweeney, Teyana Taylor, and Jeremy Allen White. On January 31, 2026, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas and Wunmi Mosaku were added to the lineup of Virtuosos Award recipients. Additionally, the Montecito Award will be awarded to Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård for his performance in Sentimental Value.
In January 2026, One Battle After Another trio Benicio del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sean Penn were announced as the recipients of the Hammond Cinema Vanguard Award. Moreover, Kate Hudson was named Arlington Artist of the Year and Ethan Hawke was announced as the recipient of the American Riviera Award.
WWW sbiff.org

Official selection

The festival will present 46 world premieres and 80 United States premieres from 50 countries with half of the films directed by women directors.

Opening and closing films

The festival will open with Nicola Rinciari's A Mosquito in the Ear and close with Zamo Mkhwanazi's Laundry.

Feature films

Ablaze, Thomas Kruithof, FranceAbril, Hernan Jimenez, Costa RicaAdam's Sake, Laura Wandel, Belgium, FranceAki, Darlene Naponse, CanadaAll of the Above, Allison Walsh, United StatesAmerican Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez, David Alvarado, United StatesThe Art of Adventure, Alison Reid, CanadaArtists in Residence, Katie Jacobs, United StatesASCO: Without Permission, Travis Gutiérrez Senger, United StatesThe Big Cheese, Sara Joe Wolansky, United StatesBlood Lines, Gail Maurice, CanadaBookends, Mike Doyle, United StatesBroken Voices, Ondřej Provazník, Czech Republic, SlovakiaCalifornia Scenario, James Takata, United StatesThe Cost of Heaven, Mathieu Denis, CanadaA Cowboy in London, Jared L. Christopher, United StatesCuba & Alaska, Yegor Troyanovsky, Ukraine, France, BelgiumDear Lara, Lara St. John, Canada, United StatesDeath and Life Madalena, Guto Parente, Brazil, PortugalDiya, Achille Ronaimou, ChadDon't Call Me Mama, Nina Knag, NorwayEternal Stoke, Joshua Pomer, United StatesThe Eyes of Ghana, Ben Proudfoot, United StatesFather's Day, Ayana O'Shun, CanadaThe Fisherman, Zoey Martinson, GhanaThe Gas Station Attendant, Karla Murthy, United StatesGaslit, Katie Camosy, United StatesThe Heart Is a Muscle, Imran Hamdulay, South Africa, Saudi ArabiaHoly Days, Nathalie Boltt, Canada, New ZealandI Swear, Kirk Jones, United KingdomIf These Walls Could Rock, Tyler Measom, Craig A. Williams, United StatesImbalance, Dale Griffiths Stamos, United StatesIn The Hand of Dante, Julian Schnabel, United States, ItalyIn the Land of Arto, Tamara Stepanyan, France, ArmeniaIn the Room, Brishkay Ahmed, CanadaThe Incredible Snow Woman, Sébastien Betbeder, FranceIrkalla: Gilgamesh's Dream, Mohamed Jabarah Al-Daradji, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, France, United Kingdom, Saudi ArabiaKim Novak's Vertigo, Alexandre O. Philippe, United StatesThe Last Picture Shows, Rustin Thompson, United StatesLaundry, Zamo Mkhwanazi, South AfricaLet Me Paint My World for You, Andrea Christina Furrer, Germany, SwitzerlandLife After Siham, Namir Abdel Messeeh, France, EgyptA Life Illuminated, Tasha Van Zandt, United StatesLittle Lorraine, Andy Hines, CanadaLos Tigres, Alberto Rodríguez, SpainLost Land, Akio Fujimoto, Japan, France, Malaysia, GermanyLovely Day, Philippe Falardeau, CanadaThe Luminous Life, João Rosas,Portugal, FranceMaturity, Jean-Benoît Ugeux, BelgiumMaysoon, Nancy Biniadaki, Germany, GreeceMockbuster, Anthony Frith, Australia, United StatesMortician, Abdolreza Kahani, CanadaA Mosquito in the Ear, Nicola Rinciari, India, Italy, United StatesNo Mercy, Isa Willinger, Germany, AustriaNo Ordinary Heist, Colin McIvor, IrelandNomad Shadow , Eimi Imanishi, United States, Spain, FranceNot Made for Politics, Volia Chajkouskaya, EstoniaNotes of a True Criminal, Alexander Rodnyansky, Andriy Alferov, Ukraine, United StatesOccupational Hazard: The First Coral Reefers, John H. Cunningham, United StatesOn the End, Ari Selinger, United StatesThe Ozu Diaries, Daniel Raim, United StatesA Pale View of Hills, Kei Ishikawa, Japan, United Kingdom, PolandPerla, Alexandra Makárová, Austria, SlovakiaPeter Asher: Everywhere Man, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller, United StatesRelatively Normal, Amy Wendel, United StatesRising Through the Fray, Courtney Montour, CanadaSaipan, Lisa Barros D'Sa, Glenn Leyburn, IrelandSanatorium, Gar O'Rourke, Ireland, UkraineSaving Etting Street, Dena Fisher, Amy Scott, United StatesSell Your House, Eric Foss, Brandon Pickering, United StatesShakti, Nani Sahra Walker, United States, NepalSilent Rebellion, Marie-Elsa Sgualdo, Switzerland, Belgium, FranceSilent Struggle, Sara Sálamo, SpainSophia, Dhafer L'Abidine, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United KingdomSpace Cadet, Kid Koala, CanadaStand By, Mother, Kerrilee Gore, United StatesSteal Away, Clement Virgo, Canada, BelgiumSteal This Story, Please!, Tia Lessin, Carl Deal, United StatesSunshine Express, Amirali Navaee, Iran, SwedenSweet Störy, Sarah Justine Kerruish, Matt Maude, Sweden, United StatesThe Six Billion Dollar Man, Eugene Jarecki, United StatesTenor – My Name is Pati, Rebecca Tansley, New ZealandThere Are no Words, Min Sook Lee, CanadaThis Is Not a Drill, Oren Jacoby, United StatesToitū: Visual Sovereignty, Chelsea Winstanley, New ZealandTough Old Broads, Stacey Tenenbaum, CanadaTow, Stephanie Laing, United StatesTropical Paradise , Abner Benaim, PanamaTwo Ugly People, Peter Skinner, AustraliaUntethered: A Wildly Different Normal, Aymie Majerski, United StatesThe Vanished Girl, Camille Ponsin, FranceVanishing Goats, Marie Rémond, FranceVersailles, Andrés Clariond Rangel, MexicoWasteman, Cal McMau, United KingdomWhat We Carry, Jessie Anthony, CanadaA Woman's Work, A.R. Ephraim, United StatesWrong Husband, Zacharias Kunuk, CanadaThe Yellow Tie, Serge Ioan Celebidachi, RomaniaYou Had to Be There, Nick Davis, United States

Short films

Abel, Brian Zahm, United StatesAgnes, Leah Vlemmiks, United KingdomAgnès, Nora Arnezeder, FranceAli's Story, Benito Sinclair, United StatesAll Heart, Michael Govier, Will McCormack, United StatesAmazeze, Jordy Sank, South AfricaAstronauta, Giorgio Giampà, Italy, Mexico, Guatemala, FranceAt Night, Pooya Afzali, IranThe Baddest Speechwriter of All, Ben Proudfoot, Stephen Curry, United StatesBarbara, Jillian Moray, United StatesThe Bear Beneath, Olivia Hille, United StatesBehind the Mask, Catherine Andre, United StatesBeyond Silence, Marnie Blok, NetherlandsBimo, Oumnia Hanader, FranceCalifornia is Burning, Bennett Curran, United StatesCandy Bar, Nash Edgerton, AustraliaChange Makers, Casey Beck, United States, GreeceCommittee Animal, Robert Redfield, United StatesCoyotes, Said Zagha, France, Palestine, UK, JordanThe Crash Out, Emelie Claxton, United StatesDaddy's Little Meatball, Yael Grunseit, Australia, United StatesDark Skin Bruises Differently, Susan Wokoma, United KingdomThe Divine Feminine, Ivana Todorovic, SerbiaDongmei, Rubing Zhang, ChinaA Hand to Hold, Philip Clyde-Smith, Eliza Power, United Kingdom

Awards

American Riviera Award: Ethan Hawke, American actorArlington Artist of the Year Award: Kate Hudson, American actressHammond Cinema Vanguard Award: Benicio del Toro, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Sean PennKirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film: Cynthia Erivo, British actress and singerMaltin Modern Master Award: Adam Sandler, American actor and comedianMontecito Award: Stellan Skarsgård, Swedish actorOutstanding Performer of the Year Award: Michael B. Jordan Variety Artisans Award: