Introduction
In the recent past, the world has recorded a proliferation of annual events and festivals. These festivals come in the form of sports, conventions, or cultural festivals. Literature suggests that these events and festivals come with massive benefits to host regions. As Raj & Vignali (2010) note, festivals boost the economic and cultural advancement of host regions. Jones (2012) also argues that festivals can generate unequaled volumes of tourism, grants, and sponsorship. Moreover, due to the widespread publicity associated with festivals, they enhance the image of the host region thereby promoting tourism. This paper thus examines the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in a bid to understand its historical development and current trends.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival in Perspective
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an annual event held in Santa Barbara, California. In its eleven-day span, the festival aims to enrich the local culture and enhance the awareness of film as a form of art. The festival debuted 29 years ago and has grown over the years to become internationally renowned (Withoutabox, 2014).
The festival features quality American, European, Latin American, World, and documentary films in some of the world’s historical cinemas in downtown Santa Barbara. This presentation comprises over 200 films airing to about 75,000 film lovers (Withoutabox, 2014). The audience derives from the Santa Barbara locality, the US at large and other parts of the world. It comprises students, families, tourists, local and regional leaders, as well as local and international entertainment industry experts.
Apart from the presentation of films, the festival includes numerous other activities. Some of these activities include the famous “10-10-10” program, which seeks to horn the filmmaking skills of the youth through a filmmaking competition (2014 lineup announced, 2014). Additional activities include “Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies” and Applebox. Further, the audience attends seminars, facilitated by renowned industry experts.
Participant ticketing falls into five different categories with varying privileges for each category. The private access pass, sold at $7,500 for the 2014 festival, is an all-inclusive ticket that admits the holder to all events. The state street pass, sold at $325 for the 2014 event, offers the lowest level of access. It only admits its holder to off-peak events (2014 lineup announced, 2014).
The festival also recognizes talent in the entertainment industry by giving awards to industry players. Some of these awards include the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award, the Virtuosos Award, the Montecito Award, the Cinema Vanguard Award, the American Riviera Award, and the Modern Master Award (Santa Barbara international film festival unveils 2013 program, 2013).
In order to make the festival a success, the organizers enlist the support of several partners. These include culinary partners such as Apero, Arlington Tavern, and Georgia’s Smokehouse as well as hotel partners such as Hotel Santa Barbara, El Encanto, and the Four Seasons Resort among many others (2014 lineup announced, 2014). The help of sponsors such as Adobe, UGG Australia, and Heineken is also instrumental in the success of the festival (2014 lineup announced, 2014).
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a highly publicized event with a massive following on all major social media platforms. Its availability in the social media realm works to the festival’s advantage by disseminating the information to many people. The decision to place the festival on social media is thus a prudent one.
Conclusion
This festival undeniably brings numerous benefits to Santa Barbara and its environs. The huge numbers of visitors who attend the festival not only positively influence the region economically but also enhance the social well-being of the locals through networking and seminars. The event is thus a novelty that needs to grow even bigger in the future.
References
2014 lineup announced! (2014). Web.
Jones, C. (2012). Events and festivals: Fit for the future? Event Management, 16(2), 107-118.
Raj, R., & Vignali, C. (2010). Creating local experiences of cultural tourism through sustainable festivals. European Journal of Tourism, Hospitality and Recreation, 1(1), 51-67.
Santa Barbara international film festival unveils the 2013 program. (2013). Web.
Withoutabox. (2014). Web.