"Invisible Valley" directed by Aaron Maurer
“Invisible Valley” directed by Aaron Maurer

The world premiere of Aaron Maurer’s Invisible Valley, a documentary about the people of California’s Coachella’s Valley, from the undocumented farmworkers to the wealthy snowbirds and Coachella Festival partiers of the Coachella Valley, will open the upcoming 36th annual edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival set to run March 31-April 10.

A lineup of short documentaries by local Santa Barbara filmmakers, showcasing Chumash pilgrimages, eco-minded shepherds, outdoor dancing, roller skaters, and diorama art, will close out the festival on Saturday, April 10.

The festival is taking a hybrid approach incorporating beachside drive-in theaters and an online component to showcase a lineup including 47 world premieres along with celebrity tributes, panels and community outreach programs.

Feature films in the lineup include “Trees of Peace,” about four women hiding and fighting for survival during the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, “Coast,” about a teenager in a small town who falls for a punk singer, and “Alaskan Nets,” a documentary about a high school basketball team who has a shot at the state championship for the first time since 1984. Other films include “Last Call,” a documentary about the hospitality industry in Queens at the outset of COVID-19, “Highway One,” set around a New Year’s Eve party in rural California and “The Revolution Generation” about the largest youth generation in history and the challenges they face. The documentary “$avvy” explores the topic of women and personal finances.

Santa Barbara Film Festival 2021 Lineup

WORLD PREMIERE FEATURE FILMS

Addict Named Hal
USA
Directed by Lane Michael Stanley

Alaskan Nets
USA
Directed by Jeff Harasimowicz

Broken Diamonds
USA
Directed by Peter Sattler

The Cinderella Addiction
Japan
Directed by Ryohei Watanabe

Cinema of Sleep
Canada
Directed by Jeffrey St. Jules

Climb
USA
Directed by Neil Myers

The Conservation Game
USA
Directed by Michael Webber

Coast
USA
Directed by Jessica Hester, Derek Schweickart

Daughters of the Waves
France
Directed by Lisa Monin, Sébastien Daguerressar

Evan Wood
USA
Directed by Niki Byrne

Highway One
USA
Directed by Jaclyn Bethany

The Hosts (Os donos da casa)
Brazil
Directed by Carla Dauden

Invisible Valley
USA
Directed by Aaron Maurer

The Knot (Uljhan)
India
Directed by Ashish Pant

La Recua – The Mule Pack Train
USA, Mexico
Directed by Darío Higuera Meza, Trudi Angell

Last Call
USA
Directed by Johnny Sweet

Reclaim Idaho
USA
Directed by Laura Wing-Kamoosi, Jim Kamoosi

The Revolution Generation
USA
Directed by Josh Tickell, Rebecca Tickell

$avvy
USA
Directed by Robin Hauser

Snakehead
USA
Directed by Evan Jackson Leong

Trees of Peace
USA
Directed by Alanna Brown

We Burn Like This
USA
Directed by Alana Waksman

U.S. PREMIERE FEATURE FILMS

Akilla’s Escape
Canada
Directed by Charles Officer

Baby
Spain
Directed by Juanma Bajo Ulloa

Backyard Village
Iceland
Directed by Marteinn Thórsson

A Bruddah’s Mind (Cabeça de nêgo)
Brazil
Directed by Déo Cardoso

By Your Side (À la folie)
France
Directed by Audrey Estrougo

Erna at War (Erna i krig)
Denmark, Estonia, Belgium
Directed by Henrik Ruben Genz

Fear (Strah)
Bulgaria
Directed by Ivaylo Hristov

Fellinopolis
Italy
Directed by Silvia Giulietti

The Flood Won’t Come (Tvano nebus)
Lithuania
Directed by Marat Sargsyan

The Forbidden Strings
Iran, Afghanistan, Qatar
Directed by Hasan Noori

Fortitude (La fortaleza)
Venezuela, Colombia, France, Netherlands
Directed by Jorge Thielen Armand

Four Mothers
Israel
Directed by Dana Keidar Levin, Rephael Levin

The Ghosts (Los fantasmas)
Guatemala, Argentina
Directed by Sebastián Lojo

Karnawal
Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico
Directed by Juan Pablo Félix

Ladies Of Steel
Finland
Directed by Pamela Tola

The Last Ones (Viimeiset)
Finland, Estonia, Netherlands
Directed by Veiko Õunpuu

Listen, Portugal
UK
Directed by Ana Rocha de Sousa

The Man with the Answers
Cyprus, Greece, Italy
Directed by Stelios Kammitsis

Mirage (Miraggio)
Switzerland
Directed by Nina Stefanka

My First Summer
Australia
Directed by Katie Found

One-Way to Moscow
Switzerland
Directed by Micha Lewinsky

The Pit (Bedre)
Latvia, Finland
Directed by Dace Pūce

Poppie Nongena
South Africa
Directed by Christiaan Olwagen

Run Woman Run
Canada
Directed by Zoe Hopkins

Six Angry Women
New Zealand
Directed by Megan Jones

Teach Me if You Can
France
Directed by Émilie Thérond

Under My Skin
Australia
Directed by David O’Donnell

We Will Never Die
Argentina
Directed by Eduardo Crespo

When I’m Done Dying
Turkey, USA, Germany
Directed by Nisan Dağ

2021 SBIFF FEATURE FILMS (non-premieres)

American Skin
USA
Directed by Nate Parker

Giants Being Lonely
USA
Directed by Grear Patterson

Hope
Norway
Directed by Maria Sødahl

2021 SBIFF SHORTS

Anxious
USA
Directed by Anthony Gilbert

Anything for You
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Matt Ferrucci

The Beast of Our Time
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Maaike Middleton

The Beauty President
USA
Directed by Whitney Skauge

Becoming Eddie
USA
Directed by Lilan Bowden

Black Boys Can’t Cry
USA
Directed by Victor Gabriel

Bobby
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Henry Burge

Can’t Have It Both Ways
USA
Directed by Morningstar Angeline

The Carousel
Italy
Directed by Valerio Berruti

Clara With a Mustache
Kosovo – World Premiere
Directed by Ilir Blakcori

A Critter Fable USA
Directed by Grace Fisher

Cycles USA
Directed by Jonathan Barenboim

Dia De Los Muertos
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by George Ortega, Ricardo Ortega

Dis-Dance!
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Michael Love

East-West
Poland – World Premiere
Directed by Natalia Koniarz

Electric Lady
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Casey McGarry

Eyes
USA
Directed by Zachary Goodwin, Flynn Harris, Alex Flanagan, Alex Kumph

First Light
USA
Directed by Amy Lee Ketchum

Gratified
USA
Directed by Leslie Hope

The Great Malaise
Canada
Directed by Amy Catherine Lepage

Heartland
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Jahmil Eady

Homecoming: Journey to Limuw
USA
Directed by Nick Zachar

Hospice of Santa Barbara Presents: Manuel’s Story
USA
Directed by Greg Kroes

I, Barnabé
Canada
Directed by Jean-François Lévesque

Identibye
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Sajjad Shahhatami

In White Places
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Brian Keith Powell

Kaizo
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Jeremy Lethco

Kapaemahu
USA
Directed by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson

Keeping the Sport Alive
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Will Hahn

Keiara
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Floyd Russ

The Kicksled Choir
Norway
Directed by Torfinn Iversen

Language of Dreams
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Peter Sasowsky

The Last Ferry from Grass Island
Hong Kong
Directed by Linhan Zhang

Lion on the Mat
USA
Directed by Asali Echols

Lucky
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Phinehas L Hodges

Malakout
Iran
Directed by Farnoosh Abedi

Man with a Broom
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Joel Rader, Lydia Leiber, Caroline Nouhan

A Man with Emotions
USA
Directed by Miki Inoguchi

Mariah: A Boxer’s Dream
USA
Directed by Nina Meredith

The Mechanical Dancer
USA
Directed by Jenna Jaillet

Mrs. Taylor’s Show & Tell – A Prince Story
USA
Directed by Victor Dean

My Father The Mover
South Africa
Directed by Julia Jansch

Nickel in the Sand
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Mike Winger

Nine
USA
Directed by Jane Musky

Not One More
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Cameron Leingang

Ocean Stories: Michele’s Magic Carpet Ride
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Patrick Creadon, Greg Goggin

Pant Hoot
USA
Directed by Richard Reens

Project H
France
Directed by Maharaki

Remisivir
Romania – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Bobby Barbacioru

River Tigers: Giant Taimen of the Russian Far East
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Andy Maser, Adam Bagger

Roy
UK – World Premiere
Directed by Tom Berkeley, Ross White

Safe
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Josema Roig

Savior
USA
Directed by Christopher Oroza-Nostas

Shadow Of The Fox
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Nooshin Meraji

Shepherd’s Song
USA
Directed by Abby Fuller

Sperm
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Kirsten Kearse

Stoke Chasers
USA
Directed by Jo Anna Edmison

Stormy and the Admirals
USA
Directed by Dan Rybicky

Subtle Body
USA – U.S. Premiere
Directed by Robin Bisio

Sunshine In The Rain
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Benny Chen

Sweet Dreams
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Navid Saedi

Tristo
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Ryan Oligmueller

Underdogs
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Alex Astrella

The Unknown
UK
Directed by Stephanie Marshall

Vial
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Sonja O’Hara, Micah Stuart

Vuja De
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Casey McGarry

Waking Up
USA – World Premiere
Directed by James Patrick Nelson

Wally Wenda
USA
Directed by Diane Russo

When It’s Late
USA – World Premiere
Directed by Mitch Hadley

The Winter
Australia
Directed by Xin Li

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