The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) has announced the award-winning films for the festival’s 38th edition.

Awards were announced at a Saturday morning ceremony hosted by El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel, in Santa Barbara with jury and filmmakers in attendance.

“This 38th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival drew filmmakers from as far as Turkey, India, Israel and Sierra Leone, half of whom were women,” said Claudia Puig, SBIFF’s programming director. “We were delighted with the enthusiastic reception to our diverse program of 200 films from 43 countries.

“Cinema is one of the most powerful vehicles for empathy, providing a window of understanding to all who seek to look through it. We thank the filmmakers in attendance and our avid Santa Barbara audience for so heartily embracing the festival experience.

“Several films prompted standing ovations and packed theaters, marking 2023 a full-throttled return to celebrating cinema from around the globe,” Puig said.

The winning films were chosen by jury members Angie Wang, Antonio Marziale, Christina Birro, Elizabeth Marighetto, Gwen Deglise, Jean Oppenheimer, Jeff Arch, Lela Meadow Conner, Leslie Ekker, Margy Rochlin, Nicole Noren, Perry Lang, Robert Abele, Steven Raphael, Tim Cogshell, and Tim Matheson.

The Award Winning Films are:

Audience Choice Award sponsored by the Santa Barbara Independent: “26.2 To Life,” directed by Christine Yoo.
Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema: “I Like Movies,” directed by Chandler Levack.
Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award – Best International Feature Film: “A Man” (“Aru Otoko”), directed by Kei Ishikawa.
Best Documentary Award: “A Bunch of Amateurs,” directed by Kim Hopkins.
Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema: “Manuela,” directed by Clara Cullen
Best Middle Eastern/Israeli Film Award: “The Taste of Apples is Red” (“Ta’am al Tufah, Ahmar”), directed by Ehab Tarabieh.
Best Nordic Film Award: “Summerlight and Then Comes the Night” (“Sumarljós og svo kemur nóttin”), directed by Elfar Aðalsteins.
Social Justice Award for Documentary Film: “Black Mambas,” directed by Lena Karbe.
ADL Stand Up Award, sponsored by ADL Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties, the Skinner Social Impact Fund, and Steve and Cindy Lyons: “The Quiet Girl” (“An Cailín Ciúin”), directed by Colm Bairéad.
Best Documentary Short Film Award: “Nowhere to go But Everywhere.” (行き止まりのむこう側), directed by Masako Tsumura, Erik Shirai.
Bruce Corwin Award – Best Live-Action Short Film: “The Moisture” (“Rutubet”), directed by Turan Haste.
Bruce Corwin Award – Best Animated Short Film: “Epicenter” (소문의 진원지), directed by Heeyoon Hahm. Now eligible for the 2024 Academy Awards.

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 37 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the U.S., attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200-plus films, tributes and symposiums.