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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2026 – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is thrilled to announce that SBIFF’s annual Filmmaker Fund, offered in partnership with The Veraison Fund, will open up applications for its third year in celebration of SBIFF’s 42nd year to help foster independent filmmakers of Santa Barbara County. Each year, SBIFF accepts applications from Santa Barbara based filmmakers and a jury of industry professionals review all submissions and invite selected finalists to pitch their projects at SBIFF’s Education Center.
Four filmmakers will be selected to receive up to $10,000 each to help fund their film. 2027 winners will be announced during the 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival, taking place February 3rd through 13th, 2027.
To apply, Santa Barbara-based filmmakers have the deadline of Monday, September 4th, 2026 to visit SBIFF’s website and submit your screenplay and supporting materials (including storyboards, attached credits lists, pilots, etc.). For more information, and to apply, visit https://sbiff.org/filmmakerfund/
2025 Testimonials:
Support from SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund had a powerful ripple effect for our film, THE FIGHT TO FIGHT. The timely cash award from SBIFF/Veraison Fund enabled us to push forward with production while we awaited the release of a critical grant—one that provided both a gift as well as matching funds. Because of that match, the financial impact of the SBIFF award was instantly doubled. Just as important, we shared news of the award with our grassroots supporters, and it helped generate a wave of additional donations. The support came at exactly the right time—true to the spirit and meaning of “veraison,” when the right conditions help push something toward fruition. Having the backing of a respected organization like SBIFF also gave our project an incredible boost in visibility and credibility. Even while still in production, our filmmaking team has been invited to Capitol Hill for a panel discussion with other filmmakers who are documenting women’s military history to share our message with lawmakers—a direct result of the recognition this award helped provide. SBIFF’s support didn’t just help fund our film; it is expanding our momentum, reach, and impact.
— Joy Bronson, THE FIGHT TO FIGHT
“Winning a grant from the SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund and The Veraison Fund was pivotal for THE CONCEPTION, an independent investigative documentary about the 2019 tragedy aboard the MV Conception in which 34 people lost their lives. While this was an event that took place off the coast of Santa Barbara, and this film is being made by a local team, this is an ongoing international story that has been underreported and has far-reaching implications. The grant from SBIFF not only helped get the word out about our project, it provided crucial funding to help us conduct more reporting and on-camera interviews. As funding for documentary films and investigative journalism continues to dry up, we are incredibly grateful for the support to continue making this film that will share the truth about this tragedy and honor those who lost their lives.”
– Nicole Noren, THE CONCEPTION
“The funds from SBIFF’s film fund made this entire adventure possible. I can say with certainty that without the aid of the Film Fund we wouldn’t have been able to tell this story the way we wanted to. Stipends from the grant made it possible for our cast and crew of busy professionals to take the week off from their regular jobs and focus attention on creating the best version of this film. We made this film with a micro crew of extremely talented people, and that restraint allowed us to put almost our entire budget right up on the screen, covering the expansive deserts, bars, restaurants, and motel locations you see in the film–and the gas to get us up there. The Film Fund’s support went beyond the grant, also providing important mentorship and guidance from the grant panelists as we planned our production. The amount of trust that the Film Fund granted us was inspiring, truly believing in our vision for this story and allowing us full creative freedom. Thank you SBIFF and the board of the 2025 Film Fund!”
– Santiago Bailey-Musacchio, IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK
2026 Winners:
Motoki Otsuka – PUSH PROJECT
Martin Papazian – A WAR ON CHILDHOOD
Sarah Fretwell – NAYEMEA’S GARDEN
Soraya Simi – THE THOMAS JEFFERSON
2025 Winners:
Santiago Bailey-Musacchio – IF YOU KNOW WHERE TO LOOK
Joy Bronson – THE FIGHT TO FIGHT: THE BATTLE FOR GENDER EQUALITY IN THE U.S. MILITARY
Julia Kupiec – ONLY CHILD
Nicole Noren – THE CONCEPTION
ABOUT THE VERAISON FUND
Veraison is the moment of ripening when a green grape first reveals its true color and a glimpse of its full potential. The Veraison Fund provides financial support to help filmmakers move their vision to fruition from concept to screen.
ABOUT SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 40 years, SBIFF has become one of the top 10 film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.
SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 kids, students and families in our local community by introducing film as an art form to young children with programs like AppleBox and Mike’s FieldTrip to the Movies; teaching film analysis to high school and college students with programs like Rosebud and the Film Studies Program; and teaching the craft of screenwriting and filmmaking with Film Camp and 10-10-10 Mentorship programs. Most importantly SBIFF’s programs are always directed towards the under-represented and under-served communities within Santa Barbara County.
More recently, SBIFF secured a long-term lease for the iconic multi-plex at 916 State Street in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. This landmark acquisition and recent renovation of a state-of-the-art Film Center will be a vibrant, year-round destination that will serve as a central hub for cinema enthusiasts and the heart of SBIFF’s renowned Film Festival. Building on the success of the Riviera Theatre revitalization in 2016 and the opening of its own Education Center in 2019 in the downtown area, SBIFF continues to strengthen its commitment to the cultural fabric of Santa Barbara.
