Paul Giamatti Joins Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s Star-Studded Line-up of Oscar Nominees  

If I were betting on the Oscars in Vegas, I’d go with the Roger Durling slate.

Upping the star power once again, it was just announced that five-time Academy Award-nominated (including this year for Nyad) actress Annette Bening will receive the inaugural Arlington Award on February 16.

In addition, all of the five men nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor — Bradley Cooper, Jeffrey Wright, Colman Domingo, Cillian Murphy, and the just announced Paul Giamatti — will be appear at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre in February. That’s an impressive star lineup by any measure, but even more so when we recognize that all of these men except Giamatti were selected weeks and sometimes months before the Oscars were announced. 

Cooper will be honored with the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award on February 8, Wright will receive the Montecito Award on February 15, Domingo is part of the Virtuosos Awards on February 10, Giamatti will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award on February 14, and Murphy will do a Q&A following a free screening of his film Oppenheimer at 2 p.m. on February 9. 

Other 2023 Academy Award nominees coming to SBIFF include Best Supporting Actors Robert Downey Jr. (Maltin Modern Master Award on February 9) and Mark Ruffalo (American Riviera Award on February 11). In addition, the multiple honoree Virtuosos Award night on February 10 will be a veritable who’s who of award nominees, with the aforementioned Domingo being joined by Best Actress nominee Lily Gladstone; Best Supporting Actress nominees Danielle Brooks, America Ferrera, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph; as well as Greta Lee (Past Lives), Charles Melton (May December), and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers).

The Outstanding Directors of Year Awards have not yet been announced, nor have the writers, producers, womens, and international panels, but the other extremely Oscar nominee heavy panel that we do know about is the Variety Artisans Awards, on February 11 at 11 a.m., which will feature nominees Stephane Ceretti, VFX, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3;  Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell (yes, Billie Eilish will be here!), Songwriters, Barbie; Ludwig Göransson, Composer, Oppenheimer; Sarah Greenwood and Katie Spencer, Production Designers, Barbie; Kazu Hiro, Hairstyling/Makeup, Maestro; Jennifer Lame, Editor, Oppenheimer; Rodrigo Prieto, Cinematography, Killers of the Flower Moon; and Holly Waddington, Costume Designer, Poor Things; as well as Michael Semanick, Re-Recording Mixer, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

In addition to all of the starry tributes and panels, the opening night film, the international dance-themed documentary Madu, looks great. Co-directors Matt Ogens and Joel Kachi Benson will be at the Arlington on February 7 for the debut of their doc about 12-year-old Anthony Madu, who, after becoming a viral Internet sensation after a video showed him dancing ballet barefoot on a rainy street outside Lagos, goes from practicing barefoot on the streets to leaving his home in Nigeria to study at one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world, where he finds himself thrust into a new world where his wildest dream is suddenly within reach.

The closing night film, is actress Heather Graham’s World Premiere of Chosen Family — a film written and directed by Graham about a yoga teacher who is trying to find her inner peace despite what the logline describes as “having a manic family, a miserable dating life, and an inability to say no that keeps her busy trying to fix everyone else’s problems.” Graham and her stars Julia Stiles, Thomas Lennon, and Michael Gross (who just did a fabulous job last week starring opposite his Family Ties co-star Meredith Baxter in Ensemble Theatre’s benefit performance of Love Letters) will all attend the event.

Keep an eye on Independent.com and next week’s print edition for more about SBIFF, including the 45 world premieres and 77 U.S. premieres from 48 countries that are the bread and butter of the program, which runs from February 7-17.  We’ll have plenty more coverage of individual films and filmmakers, as well as the numerous educational programs and free community offerings from SBIFF in the weeks to come. Passes,  tickets and additional information about SBIFF and all of the programs is available at sbiff.org.