KCSB’s SBIFF Recap 2025
- Every year, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) brings filmmakers from all over the world to our town. For 10 days in February, Hollywood professionals make their way to venues around State Street, making their way from Q&As, independent films, and creative panels, along with red carpet award tributes at the Arlington Theatre. This year, the KCSB News Team and some of our Executive Committee, talked to Angelina Jolie, Jane Lynch, Mikey Madison, and more! Read on to get a recap of our favorite events from the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Maltin Modern Masters Award: Angelina Jolie – Emerson
- KCSB took to the red carpet of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival as Angelina Jolie received the Maltin Modern Masters Award. Through interviews with both Leonard Maltin and Angelina Jolie, the night showcased Jolie’s admirable craftsmanship in both acting and directing and her dedication to humanitarianism. Listen below to hear Emerson’s chat with the honoree.
Virtuoso’s Award – Kelly & Avery
- On Sunday February 9th, the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s Virtuosos Awards honored Ariana Grande, Clarence Maclin, Fernanda Torres, John Magaro, Mikey Madison, Monica Barbaro, Sebastian Stan, and Selena Gomez. KCSB’s Kelly Darroch attended the red carpet alongside Avery Morgan, speaking with talent including honorees John Magaro and Mikey Madison. Avery and Kelly asked some of the Virtuosos recipients what music they listened to to get into the character for their roles, to which John Magaro (September 5) replied Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Mikey Madison (Anora) gave a shoutout to strippers who had made her playlists of “stripper music”, and lot of hip hop and rap music. Kelly also had a chance to talk to Jane Lynch, who is local to the SB area. When Kelly introduced herself as a part of the KCSB, Lynch replied “Yeah I know! I listen!”. When asked about albums she’s been liking recently, Lynch said she rarely listens to albums anymore, but recently, listening to ’70s on 7′ on Sirius has “changed [her] life and made [her] so happy”.
Arlington Artist of the Year Award: Timothee Chalamet – Brandon and Emma
- Tuesday, February 11th, was the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Arlington Artist of the Year Award, honoring and hosting award recipient and actor, Timothee Chalamet. KCSB’s Brandon Yi attended the red carpet alongside Emma Hacker, unable to speak to Timothee due to his time spent outside of press coverage, then covered the ceremony. Timothee and moderator/actor Josh Brolin exchanged moments of kindness, wisdom, and acknowledgements talking about their experiences in acting. Timothee recalled his youth in public education and the importance of public education arts, and managing his childhood leaning on the cusp of professional prosperity. The two actors also recalled their work on films including Wes Anderson’s French Dispatch Denis Villanueve’s Dune films, and Timothee’s hand in various projects as he developed as an artist.
- Interview with Following Harry director Susanne Rostock – Kelly
Documentary Filmmaker Susanne Rostock just released her 2024 film Following Harry, which chronicles the last 12 years of the life of artist and activist Mr. Harry Belafonte. This release of this film proceeds 13 years after the release of her last documentary studying the life of Harry Belafonte, Sing Your Song. Kelly interviewed Susanne to discuss the difference between her experiences in creating both films, her personal friendship with Mr. Belafonte, and how he influenced her as an individual and as a filmmaker covering civil rights issues. Rostock shared a number of details about Harry ranging from his deep love for humanity and concern for justice to personal stories about the fun they had in their shared office, where they would sometimes tap dance together, or as Susanne put it ᠆ “a little step and shuffle.” The film covers a number of serious events over the 12-year period it was filmed such as the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, the Ferguson protests, the 2017 Women’s March on Washington, and more. Susanne discussed how it felt to capture Harry’s experiences throughout this long period of his life, the relationships he had with different individuals and organizations who drew from his wisdom, and the thoughts he experienced throughout those moments.
Q&A with Neil Young + Darryl Hannah – Avery
- Darryl Hannah, the director of Coastal, appeared for a Q&A after a showing of her documentary, alongside her husband Neil Young. The movie chronicled Young’s 2023 tour along the west coast, and focused on footage from 3 venues — The Ford in Los Angeles, The Shell in San Diego, and The Greek in Berkeley (a choice Hannah made to “highlight the stunning architecture” at each of them. The film spent a lot of time in Young’s tour bus, giving the viewer a glimpse into the banter that arose between him and his driver during long stretches on the 101. There were also many segments of his performances, with both deep cuts and hits played in their entirety. Avery asked Hannah/Young what happened to footage from their stop at the Santa Barbara Bowl in July, and Hannah replied it had been an early show, so people had “extra time to drink”, and the footage included some vomiting the world doesn’t need to see (and she preferred the architecture of the other venues). Hannah revealed during the Q&A that the animated parts of the movie were done by Micah Nelson (Willie Nelson’s son)! The movie is a great testament that Young has “still got it”, and gives fans a look at the creative and supportive force Hannah brings to their touring party.
Q&A with Demi Moore + Roger Durling – Kelly
- Following a chilling screening of The Substance, Demi Moore took the stage at the Arlington for a Q&A with SBIFF Director, Roger Durling. The screening and Q&A was a free event open to the public, many of whom got to experience the tense body-horror thriller for the first time. “Did everyone just see the film?” said Demi upon entering the stage. “How are we doing?” Roger then let her know that there was only a 1% walkout, a fair percentage given the visuals of the film. When Roger asked Demi if she was horrified after reading the script, she compared the experience to when she read the script to her 1990 film Ghost, “I don’t know if this is gonna work, but if it does, it’ll have an incredible impact,” said Demi. Demi explained how her character Elizabeth Sparkle in the film portrays how we as humans are able to dissect the smallest aspects of ourselves. She had to find the deepest parts of herself in this role and be willing to share that, which she emphasized she was grateful for as it helped her grow as an artist and a person. Throughout the Q&A, they also touched on the symbolic nature of Elizabeth’s yellow coat, Coralie Fargeat’s (The Substance director) vision for colors, the significance of mirrors and the window in the film, and even Dennis Quaid’s unsettling scene where he consumes pounds of shrimp (which the public has dubbed as arguably the most horrifying scene of all). Roger also walked through her extensive career spanning from her 1991 Vanity Fair cover to An Indecent Proposal (1993), G.I. Jane (1997), even Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (2003), and several others. Preceding this year’s Academy Awards (which The Substance received 5 nominations for including Demi Moore for Best Actress), Demi gave the audience some valuable advice to close the discussion, “When you hold and value yourself for all that you are, as you are in whatever moment that is, then the rest of the world will follow.”