Santa Barbara International Film Festival Announces Women's Panel Roster

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced today the roster of the annual Women's Panel. Costume designer April Napier (Lady Bird), producer Darla K. Anderson (Coco), director Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Heroin), hair and makeup artist Lucy Sibbick (Darkest Hour), director Ru Kuwahata (Negative Space), and editor Tatiana S. Riegel (I, Tonya) will be this year's participants in the "Creative Forces: Women in the Business" panel. The event will take place on Sunday, Feb. 4 at the Lobero Theatre.

"The SBIFF Women's Panel will once again bring together some of the most successful working artists from all corners of film production," said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. "Having rose to the top in their competitive respective fields, these women continue to pave the way in a male-dominated industry and have been successful in their own right."

SBIFF has become renowned for producing insightful, intelligent, and thoughtful panels that feature some of the brightest minds working in film today, many of whom are Oscar® contenders. The panelists will touch on their current projects, provide insight into the creative process, and share their thoughts on the future of filmmaking. The Women's Panel will be moderated by Madelyn Hammond.

Last year's panelists included Deb Aquila (La La Land - Casting Director), Mandy Moore (La La Land - Choreographer), Jennifer Jane (Charged - Cinematographer), and Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets - Producer).

The 33rd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place from Wednesday, Jan. 31 through Saturday, Feb. 10. The festival previously honored Judi Dench with its Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The festival has also announced that it will honor Margot Robbie and Allison Janney (I, Tonya) with its Outstanding Performers of the Year Award, Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri) with its American Riviera Award, Saoirse Roan (Lady Bird) with its Santa Barbara Award, Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) with its Maltin Modern Master Award, Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) with its Cinema Vanguard Award, and Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Hong Chau (Downsizing), John Boyega (Detroit), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), and Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name) with the Virtuosos Award.

The Santa Barbra International Film Festival would like to thank the City of Santa Barbara's first responders and emergency authorities that have assisted with the relief from the fires and flooding that have recently devastated the city. Their bravery and sacrifice cannot be overstated in providing relief during what has been an increasingly difficult time for Santa Barbara.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, festival passes and packages, please visit www.sbiff.org.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 30 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States - attracting 90,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community through free programs like its 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Mike's Field Trip to the Movies, National Film Studies Program, AppleBox Family Films, 3rd Weekend and educational seminars. In June of 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. The theatre is SBIFF's new home and is the catalyst for program expansion and marks the first time that Santa Barbara has had a 24/7 community center to expand their mission of educational outreach.

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