The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) earlier this week announced the lineup for the 35th edition, which will run January 15 to 25, 2020. The festival will feature forty-seven world premieres and seventy-one U.S. premieres from fifty countries.

During a press conference SBIFF’s executive director Roger Durling said, “for 35 years, SBIFF has been a reflection of the city that hosts this festival: inclusive, diverse, intelligent, warm and welcoming, celebrating cinema and all of its aspects. It has become the conduit to bring together visitors from near and far, locals, old friends, and national and international artists to our beloved town. We’re proud of our festival, and grateful for your love and support throughout all these years.”

The opening film will be “A bump along the way” (directed by Shelly Love), starring Bronagh Gallagher, Lola Petticrew, Mary Moulds, Dan Gordon and Brendan Farrell. “Bump” is a female-led comedy drama set in Derry, Northern Ireland, about a middle-aged woman whose unexpected pregnancy after a one-night stand acts as the catalyst for her to finally take control of her life and become the role model her teenage daughter needs and craves.

Full festival programming here: https://sbiff.org/

Image: still from the film “A bump along the way”

Santa Barbara Film Festival chief Roger Durling