“Film Feast” Starring Alongside the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

If you’ve ever been to Santa Barbara, you know it’s chemistry like this that makes ours one of the greatest shows on Earth. And if you haven’t, Film Feast is the perfect time to come and get a taste of why it’s not just made well. It’s made in Santa Barbara.

“The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is one of the nation’s most accessible festivals, offering non-film industry visitors a chance to get up close to today’s biggest stars,” says Kathy Janega-Dykes, President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission (SBCVB&FC). “With Film Feast, we are offering our visitors the chance to travel like a star, with amazing value and unique experiences.”

New this year is the Film Feast guide, which details all participating restaurants, tasting rooms and hotels. The guide breaks Santa Barbara down into four “Theatre Districts” (Arlington Theatre District, Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Lobero Theatre District and Metro 4 Theatre District), making it easy for visitors to navigate what offers are close by. In addition to the districts, new this year is the chance to win free or discounted movie coupons at participating restaurants and tasting rooms. Bistro 1111 will be randomly plating dinners on special colored plates; lucky patrons that receive this plate win a ticket. Grassini Family Vineyards will be giving the tickets away in their tasting room with a movie trivia game. (Movie coupons cannot be used during the Festival)

PRIX FIXE MENUS

When it comes to being made, cooked, caught, sautéed, stomped and barreled or otherwise prepared-to-order in Santa Barbara, the culinary selection is endless. From fish tacos and food trucks to sustainable seafood and locavore cuisine, it’s easy to find the perfect plate or pour throughout Santa Barbara’s film districts. But if you want to make it even easier to enjoy premier dishes before catching a premiere, try these exclusive Film Feast prix fixe menus and tasting flights.

LODGING DEALS

The excellent food and film might be why you come to Santa Barbara, but these great deals on lodging will be why you stay. Make it a long weekend or mid-week getaway by coupling a Santa Barbara International Film Festival pass with a Film Feast prix fixe menu or two and an exclusive special offer at these select Santa Barbara hotels, motels, B&Bs and resorts. Hotel Oceana is celebrating California’s first movie studio, “Flying A Studios,” with their Film Feast lodging package. In 1912, the American Film Company opened Flying A Studios in downtown Santa Barbara where it would film approximately 1,200 movies between 1912 and 1919. The hotel’s special package includes: 2 night stay, 2 tasting coupons for 2 to the Urban Wine Trail (guests can choose from Oreana, Kunin, SB Winery and Municipal), and 2 tickets to SBIFF film of their choice; all for $300 Sun.-Thurs. and $450 Fri.-Sat.

SOCIAL LOUNGE

Don’t miss a moment of the star-studded action during Film Feast and the Santa Barbara International Film Festival by following Santa Barbara’s social conversation. Of course, feel free to pipe in and check in with film trivia, movie reviews, celebrity sightings, food spotting or favorite SBIFF Instagram pics!

BACK STORY

Santa Barbara’s century-long career as a movie backdrop and getaway for top Hollywood talent started during the silent era – Santa Barbara was California’s original filmmaking hub. Whether scouting sites dating back to Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1923), sipping pinot noir on the Sideways (2004) wine trail or watching cutting-edge cinema in historic theatres during the Film Festival, visitors will discover that Santa Barbara looks as good in real life as she does on the big screen. The SBCVB&FC offers a comprehensive film tourism microsite as well as Sideways movie tour maps. Film Feast is presented by the SBCVB&FC and Santa Barbara Downtown Organization. www.SBFilmFeast.com.

ABOUT SANTA BARBARA

Voted Best Getaway by L.A. Times Readers’ Choice Awards in 2012, Santa Barbara is located just 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco, on the Pacific coastline. Visitors can arrive via scenic Highway 101, Amtrak train or Greyhound bus or by flying into Santa Barbara Municipal Airport or Los Angeles International Airport. For travel and accommodation information and to request a free copy of the official Santa Barbara County Visitors Magazine, contact the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission at 800.676.1266, 805.966.9222, tourism@santabarbaraca.com or santabarbaraCA.com. Visitor information is also available at the Visitor Center, 1 Garden Street (at Cabrillo Boulevard).

MEDIA INFORMATION

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