Santa Barbara Film Fest Intros Summer Showcase, Extends Dates for 2015

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The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced Monday that its 30^th anniversary edition will take place from Jan. 27 through Feb. 7, 2015, adding a 12^th day to celebrate the fest’s entry into a third decade.

SBIFF will also host a new summer film showcase – The Wave Film Festival – in an effort to bring more year-round foreign and independent films to the Santa Barbara community. SBIFF will present a five-day film fest each summer, with this year’s inaugural event focusing solely on French cinema. From July 16 through July 20, over a dozen current French films will be shown at the Riviera Theatre.

“It’s fitting that as we approach the 30th anniversary SBIFF expands its programming and has more of a year-round presence with the Wave Film Festival,” SBIFF exec director Roger Durling (pictured at left) said in a statement. “In the future we hope to have several editions — or ‘waves’ — throughout the year, allowing for longevity and continued growth for SBIFF as well as the Santa Barbara community.”

SBIFF is also bidding farewell to longtime managing director, Dr. Steve Blain, who will depart the fest as of April 30 to increase his commitment to UCSB and the Health Science Honors Program.

Passes are now available for The Wave Film Festival and individual tickets will be sold once the schedule is announced.