The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) has announced its annual Filmmaker Fund, offered in partnership with The Veraison Fund, will open applications in celebration of SBIFF’s 42nd anniversary to help foster independent filmmakers of Santa Barbara County.

For the third year, SBIFF is accepting applications from Santa Barbara-based filmmakers and a jury of industry professionals will review all submissions and invite selected finalists to pitch their projects at SBIFF’s Education Center.

Four filmmakers will be chosen to receive up to $10,000 each to help fund their film. The 2027 winners will be announced during the 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival, taking place Feb. 3-13, 2027.

To apply, or for more information, visit SBIFF’s website and submit your screenplay and supporting materials, including storyboards, attached credits lists, and pilots. Application deadline is Monday, Sept. 4

2026 winners were:
Motoki Otsuka – “Push Project”
Martin Papazian – “A War on Childhood”
Sarah Fretwell – “Nayema’s Garden”
Soraya Simi – “The Thomas Jefferson”

2025 winners were:
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 Concepion”

“Winning a grant from the SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund and the Veraison Fund was pivotal for ‘The Concepion,’ an independent investigative documentary about the 2019 tragedy aboard the MV Conception in which 34 people lost their lives,” said Noren.

“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 under-reported and has far-reaching implications,” she said.

“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,” Noren said.

“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,” she said

“Support from SBIFF’s Filmmaker Fund had a powerful ripple effect for our film ‘The Fight to Fight,'” said Bronson. “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.”