Our Midfest Report for SBIFF 2008

It began with a whimper, under the light of the silvery klieg lights, but quickly grew into its usual robustness come morning light. Last Thursday night, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival kicked off with a medium-to-maudlin romantic comedy, Definitely, Maybe, fulfilling the low expectations we bring to this festival’s opening night fare.

Audiences were also horrified to see an actual AmEx commercial, this in a city whose big screens have thus far been blissfully commercial-free. Thankfully, the festival opted to fast forward through that commercial for remaining screenings, leaving only the festival introduction (with Bruce Winter and Zach Madden‘s cool atmospheric rock score) as anthem and word-from-our-sponsors. Otherwise, we would have grown to loathe not only the commercial’s product, but Tina Fey. Nobody wants that. The best moment on opening night was Executive Director Roger Durling‘s tearful dedication of the fest to the memory of Heath Ledger, who appeared here for a post-Brokeback Mountain tribute only two years ago.

Hours later, on Friday morning, the “real” festival parade began in dark rooms around town, and lo, the prospects brightened immensely. As of its first weekend, SBIFF 2008 looks to be another solid and variegated program. The festival was “rained in” for much of the time, and given the lure of theaters when the weather outside is frightful, that was only one of the many positives in this city’s most ambitious cultural event. Let us pray for more rain.