Popular! invited to Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Popular! will premiere (USA premiere) at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival January 25 - February 4 2007. The festival happens between Sundance and the Oscars. It is close to Los Angeles and star studded with Oscar contenders. This year Al Gore will attend. Popular will be a part of a section of Spanish and Latin American film sponsored by Univision. The curator is University of Santa Barbara Professor and fellow Cubaphile Cristina Venegas.


Estrenoooo!! Popular! Festival de Cine de Santa Barbara (California, USA)
Sitio internet: sbiff.org


Santa Barbara International Film Festival website


www.sbiff.org

Articles about the Festival:

Stars Say "Yes" to Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Al Gore, Will Smith, Forest Whitaker and Helen Mirren are all expected to appear
By: Matt Cota
Wednesday, January 3, 2007

Roll out the red carpet. The 22nd Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival is just three weeks away, and as Action News reporter Matt Cota tells us, the lineup is impressive.

Once again, some pretty big names have RSVP'd. The Santa Barbara International Film Festival continues to draw an impressive guest list, including a former vice president-turned-moviemaker.

"An Inconvenient Truth," Al Gore's movie about global warming, is expected to win the Oscar for Best Documentary. Will Smith's "The Pursuit of Happyness," Forest Whitaker's "The Last King of Scotland," and Helen Mirren's "The Queen" are also expected to be in the running on Oscar night. So when Roger Durling, Artistic Director of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival asked them all to come to Santa Barbara, they said 'yes.'

"We are a month before the Academy Awards," says Durling. "They want to come out here. They have heard of our reputation and how important it is to be here."

The festival attracts big names due to both location and timing.

Santa Barbara is just a short drive from Hollywood. And the event happens just after Oscar nominations, when actors are eager to promote their films.

It's also good timing for the city. January is usually a slow month for tourism.

"It really has made a huge difference," says Das Williams of the Santa Barbara City Council. "When they changed the month of the film festival to be earlier -- when there isn't a whole lot of folks coming to town -- we see a huge spike in sales tax during that month."

According to a recent study by the UC Santa Barbara Economic Forecast Project, the film festival contributes more than $7 million to the local economy. The more than 50,000 visitors who come here for the festival spend about $400 a day apiece.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival takes place over 11 days this year, starting on January 25 and finishing on February 4.