Illuminate Film Festival, Cinema Seeking Higher Ground

The Second Annual, Four-Day Illuminate Film Festival Kicks Off with a New Dalai Lama Documentary at The Granada Theatre, with Dance and Song Attached

'Wisdom of Happiness' | Credit: Courtesy

The upcoming four-day Illuminate Film Festival (IFF) commences in grand, multimedia style at The Granada Theatre on Thursday, May 1. At the heart of the evening is no less a globally radiant figure than the Dalai Lama, the subject of director Lynne Twist’s new film Wisdom of Happiness, in its Santa Barbara premiere. This may be the last film appearance for the Dalai Lama, now 89, and arrives with the imprimatur and support of Richard Gere’s executive producer credit.

Opening night also spotlights a keynote address by Twist, who worked with Desmond Tutu and Jane Goodall and was featured on Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul” podcast. The evening will also include a presentation of the Illuminate Media Change-Maker Award to Jean-Michel Cousteau, President and CEO of Ocean Futures Society, with actor Ed Begley Jr. doing the presentation honors.

Adding to the full sensory spectrum of this opening night is the very real-time presence of singer Donna De Lory, along with cellist Brianna Tam and a dance component by the LUME Apex troupe from Los Angeles. De Lory’s career has included high-profile work as a backup singer for the likes of Madonna, Leonard Cohen, Carly Simon, and Bette Midler and as vocalist in films and elsewhere. But her personal musical mission has spanned the genres of pop, world music, electronica, and devotional mantras.

‘Finding Happy’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Enchanted Matter’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Turtle Walker’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Dalai Lama’s Gift’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Seen’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Feeding Tomorrow’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Between the Mountain’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘The Heart Revolution’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Wolf’s Message’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Sunyata’ | Credit: Courtesy

The festival unfolds over the next four days in Downtown Santa Barbara, mostly at the New Vic, with a roster of films — rooted in the realms of spiritual, social justice, personal development, and environmentalism — discussions and workshops of both the inward and industry-related kind.

This will be the second year the festival has been based in Santa Barbara, after its previous homebase of Sedona, Arizona, for a decade. In 2024, the festival was a hybrid live and online incarnation. Founded by “transformational media” entrepreneur Danette Wolpert Holman, the festival represents a cinematic subculture that has been dubbed “conscious cinema.”

As compared to a more general-purpose film festival, such as the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Illuminate focuses on a much more narrowcast film forum. Its website states, “Our mission is to elevate human consciousness and inspire lasting personal, social, and planetary transformation through film and media.”

“Illuminate isn’t just a festival,” Interim Executive Director Kia Kiso explains. “It’s a movement for positive transformation. At its highest potential, media doesn’t just entertain. It awakens, connects, and reminds us of who we truly are. This year’s lineup invites us to look through the lens of love — at ourselves, at each other, and at what’s possible when we choose to lead with compassion.”

‘We Going Home Now’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Armea’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘The Journey’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Fool’s Paradise Lost’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Inkfish’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Rescued Hearts’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Mother Father Blood’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Suffering Into Gold’ | Credit: Courtesy

In further describing the festival’s mission and agenda, Artistic Director Téana David adds, “In today’s fractured world, these films illuminate our shared humanity by doing what films do best, inviting us to see the world through others’ eyes. Each selection creates space for awe, wonder, and curiosity so we can collectively dream a new way forward together.”

Among the film screening highlights are Between the Mountain and the Sky (Sat., May 3, 6:30 p.m.), sustainable food systems doc Feeding Tomorrow (Sun., May 4, 4 p.m.) and The Journey (Sun., May 4, 7:30 p.m.), a doc on the brotherly music entity of the Ojai-based Isaac and Thorald Koren. Pop star Sia is in the project’s executive producer branch.

‘Cham’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Gath & K’iyh’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘From God to Man’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Tahnaanooku’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘Blessed by Grace’ | Credit: Courtesy
‘My Father the Healer’ | Credit: Courtesy

Also on opening day, May 1, the IFF headquarters (28 W. Victoria St.) will be the site of a special industry-oriented “Hive Day,” a full-day with keynote speakers Chaz Ebert from rogerebert.com and HeartMath Healthcare co-founder Sheva Carr. The panel discussions go by the titles “Heart Meets Market: Meeting the Moment with Stories that Matter” and “Inner Transformation for Outer Activation: Leveraging Your Distribution and Impact Campaign.”

There will be a special free community screening of the films Finding Happy and Circle of Grace — about the famed Santa Barbaran artist activist Grace Fisher, who paints with a mouth stick — at the New Vic on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. After the screenings, a “Reel Integration Session” will take place with intuitive animal communicator Jamie Wozny.

In keeping with the live event followed by online presence, the 2025 festival’s live Santa Barbara run goes virtual May 5-11. See illuminatefilmfestival.com.