SANTA BARBARA: That’s a wrap

Today is the last day of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which I have had an absolute blast covering for the past nine days.  It was a great breather after the build-up to the Oscar nominations (which exhausts us all), but I’m back in Los Angeles and ready to round out the season properly.

I didn’t catch as many films as I’d have liked, even though Santa Barbara isn’t your typical dusk-till-dawn film-watching festival.  I didn’t even see the majority of the films that won prizes (collected for you from the press release after the jump), but most of what I’ve seen, I’ve commented on.  There were a few I never got around to discussing, however, like the Jeremy Irons-narrated “Eye of the Leopard,” which was hardly the derivative nature doc I expected.  It was, in fact, an exhilarating experience, crafted with all the knowledge of what makes fine drama.  It’s also cool to hear Scar narrating a documentary about leopards.

Staying in the nature vein, the PBS documentary “Lobo: The Wolf That Changed America” wasn’t exactly a good film, but it really piqued my interest to read more about Ernest Thompson Seaton and the lessons he learned hunting wolves a century ago in New Mexico.

I briefly mentioned “The Informers” last night.  It’s a mind-bender that might be terrible, but like I said, I couldn’t stop watching.  And I want to see it again.  And “$9.99” is a stunning accomplishment in stop-motion animation that I expect we’ll hear about throughout the year.

I made a commitment early on to see as many of the surf documentaries as I could, something of a staple in Santa Barbara.  I have a soft spot for surf docs.  One of the first blu-rays I purchased was “Step Into Liquid” and I’ve been hooked ever since I saw “The Endless Summer” long ago.  Generally, however, a surf doc is going to be thin.  Lots of pretty images but relatively few insights.

“Water Man” was probably the biggest disappointment in this regard, little more than an X-Games-like look at Laird Hamilton and his bras with a Rage Against the Machine soundtrack.  “Havana Surf,” meanwhile, could have been more interesting if the filmmakers had made more than one trip to Cuba (and therefore, encountered more exciting waves and individuals to draw from).  And “The Women and the Waves” was a straightforward look at the ladies.

“Waveriders,” however, was outstanding.  A penetrating look at the sport from Joel Conroy, specifically the waves of Ireland and surfing’s unexpected roots in the country — at least as far as its modern popularity is concerned.  This was one of my favorite films of the festival.

Finally, two other docs really stood out to me.  The first was “Pray the Devil Back to Hell,” a shortlisted finalist for this year’s Oscar derby and a deserving contender to say the least.  Powerful, never heavy-handed, a wonderful story full of lessons for us all.  The other was “Everest: A Climb for Peace,” a touching account of an organized ascent of the world’s largest peak with a religiously diverse group.  It was both harrowing and heart-warming.

But mostly, it was all about the tributes.  I’ve written about the dedications to Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Danny Boyle, Kristin Scott Thomas, the Virtuosos, Clint Eastwood and Mickey Rourke, but I happened to miss “Guest Director” David Fincher on Friday night in favor of the USC Scripter Awards here in L.A.  By all accounts, the night was a smash.  Fincher’s “Seven” and “Fight Club” played in conjunction with the event and Pete Hammond hosted what was surely a comprehensive Q&A session with the Oscar-nominated director.

All in all, an exciting week.  I look forward to next year ad the fest’s 25th anniversary.  And now, a list of the big winners at the fest (minus the Audience Award winner, which will be revealed later today):

The Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema, given to a unique independent feature that has been made outside mainstream Hollywood , went to “Poppy Shakespeare,” directed by Benjamin Ross, and starring Naomie Harris and Anna Maxwell Martin. A cross between “Catch 22” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” two patients strike up an unlikely, moving, funny and tragic friendship in a psychiatric hospital. Winner received a camera package worth $60,000

The Best International Film Award goes to “A Woman in Berlin” (Eine Frau in Berlin ), directed by Max Färberböck. Based on a true story, a woman tries to survive the invasion of Berlin by the Soviet troops during the last days of World War II.

The Nueva Vision Award for the best Spanish-language film was awarded to “Amar a morir,” directed by Fernando Lebrija and starring José María de Tavira, Martina García, Alberto Estrella, Raúl Méndez. The young heir to a vast Mexico City banking empire runs away from the cold, corrupt, racist, money-driven, super-elite, super-rich, classist world into which he was born, takes a wrong turn down a wrong road, and finds himself stranded in a poor, remote, beach community where he experiences a love at first sight with an exotically beautiful local girl–one that will place him–and her–in grave danger at the hands of a ruthless drug lord.

Best Eastern Bloc Cinema Award went to Germany ’s Tulpan, directed by Sergei Dvortsevoy. About a young man who can’t achieve a long-cherished dream of tending his own flock of sheep without first acquiring a wife.

Best Documentary Film Award went to “Yes Madam, Sir,” directed by Megan Doneman. Kiran Bedi is arguably India ‘s most controversial daughter, both revered by her supporters and reviled as a publicity seeker by her critics. But no matter what people may think of her, there is no disputing her professional achievements. Winner received a Tunnel Post Production package valued at $100k, as well as a one-year IDA membership.

Bruce Corwin Award for Best Live Action Short Film Under 30 Minutes went to “Love You More,” directed by Sam Taylor-Wood, produced by the late Anthony Minghella, the film stars Harry Treadaway and Andrea Riseborough as two teenagers who are drawn together by the Buzzcocks’ single “Love You More” in the summer of 1978.

Bruce Corwin Award for Best Animation Short Film went to “This Way Up,” directed by Adam Foulkes and Alan Smith. Laying the dead to rest has never been so much trouble. Film was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

The Fund for Santa Barbara Social Justice Award Sponsored by The Fund for Santa Barbara for a documentary film that addresses social justice issues went to “Yes Madam, Sir.” Winner received $2,500.