Santa Barbara Film Festival Sets Lineup For Hybrid Edition; ‘Invisible Valley’ Is Opener

With vaccines getting distributed pretty damn fast in the US, we’re starting to see some cities begin to recover and make plans for in-person events in the summer and fall. In the world of film festivals, it appears that the first event to really attempt a full in-person experience is going to be this year’s Tribeca.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Hong Kong International Film Festival has announced the cancelation of its world premiere screening of crime thriller “Where the Wind Blows.” The move appears to be part of the accelerating ‘mainlandization’ of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry.The festival said Monday evening in a statement that screenings of “Where the Wind Blows” (previously known “Theory of Ambitions”) had been cancelled at the request of the film’s owner.“Upon request from the film

The Tribeca Film Festival is moving ahead with its 20th-anniversary edition this June, moving screenings to outdoor venues and becoming the first major U.S. film festival held in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.As part of the festival, outdoor screenings will be held in all five New York City boroughs using portable 40-foot LED screens that will travel to different venues; community screenings will be included as part of the program.

Antonio Ferme editor“Naked Singularity,” starring John Boyega, “Socks on Fire” and “Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street” are among the selections announced for the 2021 San Francisco International Film Festival, which will take place in an all-new hybrid format.Running April 9-18, the 64th edition of the festival will incorporate both online and in-person elements.

Spike Lee, who was set to lead last year’s jury for the Cannes Film Festival that was ultimately cancelled by the pandemic, will preside over this year’s jury instead.

The Cannes Film Festival said Tuesday that Spike Lee will be its jury president in 2021, one year after he was due to preside over the festival but couldn’t due to its cancellation.

It is truly beginning to feel like we’re in a time loop. It was only a year ago when the Cannes Film Festival announced that Spike Lee would be the Jury President for the film festival.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Montecito home was “invaded” over the holiday season.

Henry Darrow, a prolific TV actor from the 1950s through the early 2000s who found his breakthrough success as Manolito Montoya, son of a wealthy Mexican ranch owner on NBC’s hit 1967-71 Western The High Chaparral, died yesterday at his Wilmington, North Carolina, home. He was 87.

Rebecca Davis editorThe Shanghai International Film Festival will take place this year from June 11 to June 19.The news comes less than two weeks after Gao Yunfei, the head of Shanghai’s municipal film administration and vice-minister of its propaganda department, stated at a press conference that the city was considering pushing the event back to July.Registration for the 24th annual event is now open to “Chinese and foreign filmmakers and industry people,” the festival said, implying a door

Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3), Janel Parrish (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise), and Celestino Cornielle (Bosch) have been cast in The Ray, an indie action thriller directed by Christopher Borrelli. They are joining previously announced stars Ben Milliken, Richard Kind, Brad William Henke, Alison Thorton, and Hudson Yang.

The Berlin International Film Festival has fixed the dates for its planned in-person event in the German capital this summer. The 71st Berlinale's "Summer Special" will run June 9 to 20, with red carpet galas and public screenings of this year's festival winners.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorVariety’s seventh annual Artisans Awards celebrates those essential to the filmmaking process and who have exhibited the most exciting and innovative work of the year in their respective fields.The tribute evening will take place in a virtual ceremony on Monday, April 5 that will stream on the Santa Barbara Film Festival website.

The American Black Film Festival is set to go ahead with a 10-day hybrid event amid the coronavirus pandemic. On Wednesday, organizer ABFF Ventures said the film festival will return to Miami Beach for an in-person 25th edition to run from Nov.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefThe Hong Kong International Film Festival has unveiled a familiar lineup of titles, talks and retrospectives for its 45th edition, which will return to its normal springtime slot (April 1-4, 2021) after disruptions last year caused by the coronavirus.“For the first time in our history, we will be presenting a hybrid festival consisting of both in-theatre and virtual screenings and events.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is always starry a celebration of up and coming filmmakers and Oscar hopefuls, but this year the programmers have also decided to make it more accessible.

The Nantucket Film Festival will go ahead with its 2021 edition amid the coronavirus pandemic, from June 17 to 28, with a first-time hybrid event that combines virtual streamings online with physical screenings in drive-in theaters and small garden settings. On Monday, the annual summer festival's partnering Screenwriters Colony also unveiled plans for an online series for emerging film scribes titled Screenwriter Sessions Live: Craft and Conversation.

UPDATED with latest: Carey Mulligan will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award next month at the 36th annual Santa Barbara Film Festival, joining the likes of Bill Murray, Amanda Seyfried and Delroy Lindo on the fest’s honorees list this year.