Film lovers have a new reason to celebrate.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival officially opened its new Film Center doors on Friday, a month after the organization took over the former Fiesta Five Theater location at 916 State St.

SBIFF leased the property after the previous tenants, Metropolitan Theatres Corp., filed for bankruptcy and its lease expired in September. SBIFF applied for the lease in early October and was approved by the Santa Barbara City Council in a 7-0 vote.

It’s not the first location that SBIFF has taken over. It renovated the Riviera in 2016 and has been screening international films at the location.

The new theater will allow SBIFF to expand the number of movies it can show. The Riviera has one screen, but the center will provide five additional screens.

According to Roger Durling, executive director of SBIFF, the Film Center will show a variety of movies, including documentaries, independent films, family films and more.

“This is going to be run like an art house,” Durling said. “The same thing with the Riviera. The Riviera is going to show … art house films, like foreign films, that have a big commercial appeal, so they can have a slightly longer run.”

An example of the programming Durling plans to run are retrospectives of important films and filmmakers. The center is currently showing a retrospective of seven films by Italian director Federico Fellini.  

It also will feature family-friendly movies, such as “The Princess Bride” and “The Wizard of Oz,” both of which are currently playing.

To prepare for the opening, SBIFF staff had to deep clean and install new seats, projectors and sound systems.

The theater plans to stay open until February, which will take it through to the end of the 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which will run Feb. 4-15.

The center then will close to allow staff to finish renovations, including new seating, state-of-the-art sound systems, a new concessions stand, heating and air conditioning, and more.

The space also will feature an art gallery.

Durling said this type of theater is common in cities such as New York or Chicago and that not even Los Angeles has a theater like this.

Durling, who served on the State Street Master Plan Committee, said he believes the theater will help revitalize State Street.

“I hope people will come in and support it,” he said. “We’re proud to be doing this and also excited to be able to help revitalize downtown State Street with an establishment like this.”