The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced plans to open a new movie theater in Downtown Santa Barbara, Calif.

Pending final adoption of the ordinance approving the lease, and after negotiations with the city and its city council, the festival will acquire a long-term lease to 916 State Street, which previously held the Fiesta Five theater.

The festival’s plans for the space are to create a state-of-the-art film center, which will host events at the annual film festival as well as year-round programs. After the 2025 festival, the film center will temporarily close in order to undergo full renovations. When it re-opens, it will feature brand new sound and projection, comfortable seating, local artisanal concessions, new heating and air conditioning, and an art gallery in the lobby.

Once re-opened, the film center will show foreign films, independent cinema, documentaries, retrospectives of classic films and important filmmakers, family programming, and free educational and community programming.

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What SBIFF Executive Director and Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse Are Saying About the New Theater

“This is one of the most important chapters in the history of SBIFF and just as we’re celebrating forty years of its existence. This is a huge leap forward for the organization while simultaneously helping with the revitalization of the downtown corridor of Santa Barbara,” SBIFF executive director Roger Durling.

“We’ve successfully run a year-round art house, the Riviera Theatre, for the past eight years. Now we will have five more screens to mindfully curate, and we will redefine people’s idea of what a sophisticated movie going experience is all about. At SBIFF, our mission has always extended beyond film; we’ve used cinema as an educational tool. Now, with this expanded canvas, we can inspire and educate on an even grander scale!”

Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse added:

“The renovation of the Fiesta 5 theater by SBIFF will create immediate cultural and economic benefits for the downtown. The added foot traffic will bring vitality and vibrancy to the center of State Street, the heart of our city’s business district. We’re excited to bring this infusion of culture and art to the center of our downtown.”

In 2016, the festival previously revitalized Santa Barbara’s Riviera Theater, which is now the festival’s year-round home, showing new international and independent films every day. In 2019, SBIFF also opened an Education Center on State Street.

The festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. It’s been running for 39 years, with 100,000 attendees attending the 11-day festival featuring over 200 films, Q&As, and other events.

Find out more at sbiffriviera.com.

The festival also recently announced plans to honor Will Ferrell will the 17th annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.

Will Ferrell courtesy of SBIFF

Set to be presented on Dec. 11, 2024 at a black-tie dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, the award benefits the festival’s year-round educational programs. This is the third time that the award has been given out following Douglas’s death. The old Hollywood film star was known for Spartacus (1960), Paths of Glory (1957), and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954).

He was also the father of fellow actor Michael Douglas (Basic Instinct, Fatal Attraction).

“Comedy is the hardest and you make it look easy Will. Congratulations! Dad loved you!” Michael Douglas said of Ferrell. 

Ferrell will next be seen in Will & Harper, coming out on Netflix from Ferrell’s own Gloria Sanchez Productions. It’s a documentary about Ferrell’s good friend of 30 years, Harper Steele, coming out as a trans woman. In the film, the pair embark on a road trip to process this new stage in their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country she loves as her authentic self.

Main Image: Courtesy of SBIFF