Santa Barbara Film Festival Finalizes 2019 Lineup

The Santa Barbara Film Festival will kick off its 34th edition on January 30 with the world premiere of Mimi deGruy’s documentary Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, about her late biologist-turned-filmmaker husband,and close February 9 with Wyatt Daily’s surfing docu Spoons: A Santa Barbara Story.

The news comes as SBIFF unveiled its full lineup of films that will feature 63 world premieres and 59 U.S. premieres from 48 countries to go along with its annual tributes that this year include Glenn Close, Melissa McCarthy, Viggo Mortensen and Michael B. Jordan. The list of events also includes panel discussions and free community education and outreach programs.

“After the tragedy last year in Santa Barbara, we questioned whether to go ahead with last year’s festival, but we came to realize the importance of film as a way for people to gather in an equalitarian way to reflect, feel and simply experience art together,” the festival’s executive director Roger Durling said.

“SBIFF is an event that brings together a plethora of visitors – international, national and local filmmakers, Oscar contenders, vital educational programs. We have entered this year with a renewed sense of purpose and continuity with the festival and understand more than ever the important role we play in the community. As such, we have chosen to bookend our festival with two films about iconic people and places in Santa Barbara to highlight the resilience, vitality and the talent within the Santa Barbara community.”

Here’s the full lineup of films:

WORLD PREMIERE FEATURE FILMS (20)

Babysplitters, USA
Directed by Sam Friedlander

Better Together, USA
Directed by Isaac Hernández

The Bird Catcher, Norway, UK
Directed by Ross Clarke

Cemetery Park, USA
Directed by Brandon Alvis

Diving Deep: The Life and Times of Mike deGruy, USA
Directed by Mimi deGruy

Enormous: The Gorge Story, USA
Directed by Nic Davis

Find Your Groove, USA
Directed by Michael Kirk

Guest Artist, USA
Directed by Timothy Busfield

Ham on Rye, USA
Directed by Tyler Taormina

Here and Now (Aquí y ahora), Costa Rica
Directed by Paz León

Loopers: The Caddie’s Long Walk, USA
Directed by Jason Baffa

Making Apes: The Artists Who Changed Film, USA
Directed by William Conlin

The Map to Paradise, Australia
Directed by Danielle Ryan and James Sherwood

Ordinary Gods, USA
Directed by Pascui Rivas

Peel, USA
Directed by Rafael Monserrate

Quiet Storm, USA
Directed by Johnny Sweet

Silent Forests, USA
Directed by Mariah Wilson

Spoons: A Santa Barbara Story, USA
Directed by Wyatt Daily

Working Man, USA
Directed by Robert Jury

Zulu Summer, South Africa, USA
Directed by Joseph Litzinger and Eric Michael Schrader

U.S. PREMIERE FEATURE FILMS (51)

Alone at My Wedding (Seule à mon mariage), Belgium
Directed by Marta Bergman

Amá, UK
Directed by Lorna Tucker

Angel Face (Gueule d’ange), France
Directed by Vanessa Filho

The Apollo of Gaza (L’Apollon de Gaza), Switzerland, Canada
Directed by Nicolas Wadimoff

Belmonte, Uruguay, Spain, Mexico
Directed by Federico Veiroj

Betrayal (Traición), Mexico
Directed by Ignacio Ortiz Cruz

Break (Recreo), Argentina
Directed by Hernán Guerschuny and Jazmín Stuart

Breaking Habits, USA
Directed by Robert Ryan

Celeste, Australia
Directed by Ben Hackworth

Crystal Swan (Khrustal), Belarus
Directed by Darya Zhuk

The Dead and the Others (Chuva é cantoria na aldeia dos mortos), Brazil, Portugal
Directed by João Salaviza and Renée Nader Messora

Emma Peeters, Canada, Belgium
Directed by Nicole Palo

Ether (Eter), Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Ukraine, Italy
Directed by Krzysztof Zanussi

Fine Lines, Hong Kong – U.S.
Directed by Dina Khreino

Fly by Night (Fei chang dao), Malaysia
Directed by Zahir Omar

Freaks, USA
Directed by Adam Stein and Zach Lipovsky

Helmet Heads (Cascos indomables), Chile, Costa Rica
Directed by Neto Villalobos

Here and Now, Israel
Directed by Roman Shumunov

Holy Tour (La grande messe), Belgium, France
Directed by Méryl Fortunat-Rossi and Valéry Rosier

I Act, I Am (Igram, sem), Slovenia
Directed by Miroslav Mandic

Joel, Argentina
Directed by Carlos Sorín

José, Guatemala, USA
Directed by Li Cheng

Journey to a Mother’s Room (Viaje al cuarto de una madre), Spain
Directed by Celia Rico Clavellino

King Bibi: The Life and Performances of Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, USA
Directed by Dan Shadur

Land of Hope (Oma maa), Finland
Directed by Markku Pölönen

Land of My Children (Im land meiner kinder), Germany, Switzerland
Directed by Darío Aguirre

The Laps: Tasmania, Australia
Directed by Dustin Hollick and Angie Davis

Les Dames (Ladies), Switzerland
Directed by Stéphanie Chuat and Véronique Reymond

Metal Heart, Ireland
Directed by Hugh O’Conor

Murderous Trance aka The Guardian Angel, Finland
Directed by Arto Halonen

My Own Good (Il bene mio), Italy
Directed by Pippo Mezzapesa

Nose to Tail, Canada
Directed by Jesse Zigelstein

Not Quite Adults (Tampoco tan grandes), Argentina
Directed by Federico Sosa

Pause (Pafsi), Cyprus
Directed by Tonia Mishiali

Phoenix (Føniks), Norway
Directed by Camilla Strøm Henriksen

Private Album, Israel
Directed by Kobi Farag

Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz, Canada
Directed by Barry Avrich

Put Grandma in the Freezer (Metti la nonna in freezer), Italy
Directed by Giancarlo Fontana and Giuseppe Stasi

A Seed for Change, Greece
Directed by Alexandros Ikonomidis

Sıren’s Call (Son Çikiş), Turkey
Directed by Ramin Matin

Tell It to the Bees, USA
Directed by Annabel Jankel

Two Times You (Dos veces tú), Mexico
Directed by Salomón Askenazi

Ulysses & Mona, France
Directed by Sébastien Betbeder

The Unorthodox (Ha-Bilti Rishmi’im), Israel
Directed by Eliran Malka

Van Goghs (Van Gogi), Latvia
Directed by Sergey Livnev

Virgin and Extra: The Land of Olive Oil (Jaén, virgen y extra), Spain
Directed by José Luis López Linares

What Have We Done to Deserve This? (Womit haben wir das verdient?), Austria
Directed by Eva Spreitzhofer

Wherever You Are (Ovunque proteggimi), Italy
Directed by Bonifacio Angius

Wild Kids, Israel
Directed by Tal Pesses

With the Wind (Le vent tourne), Switzerland, France
Directed by Bettina Oberli

The Young Fan (Il ragazzo più felice del mondo), Italy
Directed by Gianni Pacinotti (Gipi)

2019 SBIFF FEATURE FILMS
(Non-premieres)

Afterward, USA
Directed by Ofra Bloch

Amazing Grace, USA
Directed by Sydney Pollack, completed by Alan Elliott

Angel (Un ange), Belgium, Netherlands, Senegal
Directed by Koen Mortier

Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, Canada
Directed by Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky

As Needed (Quanto basta), Italy, Brazil
Directed by Francesco Falaschi

Ash Is Purest White (Jiang hu er nv), China
Directed by Jia Zhang-ke

Between the Lines, USA – *World Premiere Restoration
Directed by Joan Micklin Silver

The Biggest Little Farm, USA
Directed by John Chester

Carmen y Lola, Spain
Directed by Arantxa Echevarría

Carmine Street Guitars, Canada
Directed by Ron Mann

Cassandro the Exotico!, France
Directed by Marie Losier

Champions (Campeones), Spain
Directed by Javier Fesser

David Crosby: Remember My Name, USA
Directed by A.J. Eaton

Echo in the Canyon, USA
Directed by Andrew Slater

The Factory (Zavod), Russia, France, Armenia
Directed by Yury Bykov

Fire on the Hill: The Cowboys of South Central L.A., USA
Directed by Brett Fallentine

Gatao 2: Rise of the King, Taiwan
Directed by Yen Cheng-Kuo

Harvest Season, USA
Directed by Bernardo Ruiz

The Heat: A Kitchen (R)evolution, Canada
Directed by Maya Gallus

Hugh Hefner’s After Dark: Speaking Out in America, Canada
Directed by Brigitte Berman

I Used to Be Normal: A Boyband Fangirl Story, Australia, USA
Directed by Jessica Leski

Incredibles 2, USA
Directed by Brad Bird

Inside Lehman Brothers, Canada
Directed by Jennifer Deschamps

Laila at the Bridge, Canada, Afghanistan
Directed by Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei

The Last Prosecco (Finché c’è prosecco c’è speranza), Italy
Directed by Antonio Padovan

Light in the Water, USA
Directed by Lis Bartlett

Maya, France
Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve

Mouthpiece, Canada
Directed by Patricia Rozema

Outdoors (Bayit Bagalil), Israel
Directed by Asaf Saban

The Parting Glass, Canada, USA
Directed by Stephen Moyer

Ralph Breaks the Internet, USA
Directed by Phil Johnston and Rich Moore

Shadow, China
Directed by Zhang Yimou

Sharkwater Extinction, Canada
Directed by Rob Stewart

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, USA
Directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman

Stockholm, Canada, Sweden, USA
Directed by Robert Budreau

Take It or Leave It (Võta või jäta), Estonia
Directed by Liina Trishkina-Vanhatalo

The Third Wife, Vietnam
Directed by Ash Mayfair

This Changes Everything, USA
Directed by Tom Donahue

A Thousand Miles Behind, USA
Directed by Nathan Wetherington

Too Beautiful: Our Right to Fight, USA
Directed by Maceo Frost

Transit, Germany, France
Directed by Christian Petzold

Unsettling, UK, Israel
Directed by Iris Zaki

Winter Flies (Všechno bude), Czech Republic
Directed by Olmo Omerzu

2019 SBIFF SHORTS
(42 World Premieres, 8 U.S. Premieres)

1 in 100,000, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Benjamin Yates

805 Strong, USA
Produced by Ellie Vargas

Accident (Ongelukje), Netherlands – U.S. Premiere
Directed by David Cocheret

Ah Gong (Grandpa), Taiwan – World Premiere
Directed by Clifford Miu

BIG DATA – “L1ZY”, USA
Directed by Brandon LaGanke and John Carlucci

The Bird & the Whale, Ireland – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Carol Freeman

Birth of a Movement, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Paul Lynch

Black Lips, Australia
Directed by Adrian Chiarella

Buzzer, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Albert Birney

CC, Canada
Directed by Kailey Spear and Sam Spear

The Cheshire Cat Inn, USA
Directed by Joshua Sechrist

The Clinic, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Elivia Shaw

A Cohort of Guests, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Todd Sandler

Cruisin’ Santa Barbara, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Justin Gunn

Damage, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Matt Porter

Definition of Resilience, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Alexis Sallee and Tomas Karmelo

Dream Girl, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Ryan Slattery and Andrea Sanchez

Duel of the Hearts, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Harrison Derbyshire

Dust Devil, Australia
Directed by Poppy Walker

Esfuerzo, USA
Directed by Alana Maiello

EZK: Beyond the Walls (EZK: Au-delà des murs), France – World Premiere
Directed by Shawn Pyfrom

The Fallen Tree, USA
Directed by Drew Hodges

Fathom, USA
Directed by Alessio Morello

Forgotten, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Daniel Soares

From Water to Wind, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Casey McGarry

The Garden Is Singing: Ganna Walska Lotusland, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Karen Kasaba

Guns Found Here, USA
Directed by David Freid

Henrietta Bulkowski, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Rachel Johnson

Hidden Blueprints: The Story of Mikey, USA
Directed by Jeremy Lee MacKenzie

Holding, USA
Directed by Jesse Turk and Jon Zucker

Inanimate, UK
Directed by Lucia Bulgheroni

Inlove, France
Directed by Les Frères Lopez

jack, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Nick Paonessa

John Van Hamersveld – Crazy World Ain’t It, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Dave Tourjé

Jump, Australia – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Ryan O’Kane and James Conway-Law

Last Day of School (Paskutinis skambutis), USA, Lithuania – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Gabriele Urbonaite

The Last Harvest, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Alexis Spraic

Love Is Never Wasted, USA
Directed by Nathanael Matanick

The Mayor, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Taylor Horky

Mitya’s Love (Mitina Lyubov), Russia – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Svetlana Filippova

MOOSE, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Jonah Ansell

My Brother Amal (Amali bram), Norway – U.S. Premiere
Directed Christopher Wollebekk

My Moon, USA
Directed by Eusong Lee

Near Miss, USA
Directed by Josh Berry

No Traveler Returns (D’où nul ne revient), USA, Ivory Coast – World Premiere
Directed by Ellie Foumbi

Nothing Ever Good Happens in a Parking Garage, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Mike Winger

November 1st, UK – World Premiere
Directed by Charlie Manton

Opening the Earth: The Potato King, Peru, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Eric Ebner and Aaron Ebner

Our Last Trash, USA
Directed by Joanne Yue

Reboot, USA
Directed by Ellen Osborne

RETURN: Native American Women Reclaim Foodways for Health and Spirit, USA
Directed by Karen Cantor

Reverence (Curtain Call), Iran – World Premiere
Directed by Sogol Rezvani

The Running Man of Pasadena, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Brett Nicoletti

The Salty Generations, USA
Directed by Shaun Wolfe and Shelby Oliver

The Sea Ranch: Architecture, Environment, and Idealism, USA
Directed by Peter Samis

Second Unit: A Mockumentary, USA
Directed Ankush Khemani

Secret Times, Belarus, UK – World Premiere
Directed by Montanah Blue

Selling Lies, USA
Directed by Leslie Iwerks

Set on Intent, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Tate Larrick

Silence (Sunyi), USA – World Premiere
Directed by Riani Singgih

SPIN, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Marielle Woods

Start with Half, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Nathaniel Katzman

Stunning, USA, Sweden
Directed by Gustav Högmo

Tala,, UK – World Premiere
Directed by Missy Malek

This Side Has Dreams Too, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Spencer Rabin

Tino, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Robin Hauser

Too Many Bodies, USA
Directed by Reena Dutt

Trail Heads, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Dani Rodriguez

Treat Yourself, USA
Directed by Nathan Leonard

Trial by Fire, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Alex Astrella

True Love / True Crime on an American Bus, USA
Directed by Nicholas Coles

Tweet-Tweet, Russia
Directed by Zhanna Bekmambetova

VACA, Spain – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Marta Bayarri

The Video Shop, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Isaac Seigel-Boettner

We Are Love, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Nick Lentz

White Guys Solve Sexism, USA
Directed by Christopher Guerrero

Who You Are, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Joel Jay Blacker

You Say Hello, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Lovell Holder

You Think You Can’t Dance?, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Kum-Kum Bhavnani

Zombie Debt, USA – World Premiere
Directed by Ashly Blodgett