Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Cinema Vanguard Award recognizes an actor who has forged his own path taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. You know it's a big deal when these guys show up. DiCaprio and Scorsese at the Arlington attracted the largest crowds overflowing across State Street. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
The Arlington Theatre holds 2000 people. The ceiling feels like you're outside at night with a few stars in the sky. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Jason Baffa and Chris del Morro talking story about the making of the film, shooting in 35mm and putting the budget together on faith and how the characters they met in the film were both a surprise to them and an integral part. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Oprah feeling right at home in SB accepting the award and feeling very grateful for the life she is living. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Mario Hainzl, director of The Old, the Young and the Sea. A 16-week journey in an old VW bus documenting alternative lifestyles along “The Hippie Trail” of surf spots between France, Spain and Portugal. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
The Bella Vita crew. Baffa and Del Moro was joined on the pilgrimage by international surfers Dave Rastovich, Lauren L. Hill, Conner and Parker Coffin as well as Italian stand- outs, Alessandro Ponzanelli and Leonardo Fioravanti. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
The Cinema Vanguard Award recognizes an actor who has forged his own path taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. You know it's a big deal when these guys show up. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Roger Durling. Executive Director of the festival introducing Oprah to the audience. “She is here tonight with us.” Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
The Cinema Vanguard Award recognizes an actor who has forged his own path taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. You know it's a big deal when these guys show up. DiCaprio and Scorsese at the Arlington attracted the largest crowds overflowing across State Street. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Oprah waving to the camera with a live feed to the audience inside the Arlington before taking her seat. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Robert Redford talking with interviewer Leonard Maltin who did a great job listening and talking with him and giving the conversation room to breathe. Robert Redford was in rare form this night going into great detail about his rough childhood to becoming an actor to transitioning into directing. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was a story he could really relate to. His most recent film, All Is Lost, brought him back to his surfing days since he didn't have much prior sailing experience. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Robert blowing a goodbye kiss and a wave to the audience. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Oprah received the Montecito Award, which was created in recognition of a performer who has given a series of classic and standout performances throughout her career. When asked on the red carpet what her childhood birthday parties were like, she snapped with a kind smile, “We never had any parties, we were too poor to have anything like that.” Oprah’s mom and grandmother were both maids their entire lives and her great grandmother was a slave. Filming for "The Color Purple" changed her life, it helped her release herself to grace and it created the inspiration to start her Oprah show to uplift people to see the light inside themselves. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Robert Redford on the red carpet, excited to be back in SB after surfing here and hiking throughout the local hills many years ago. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Robert Redford receiving the American Riviera Award. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Oprah received the Montecito Award, which was created in recognition of a performer who has given a series of classic and standout performances throughout her career. When asked on the red carpet what her childhood birthday parties were like, she snapped with a kind smile, “We never had any parties, we were too poor to have anything like that.” Oprah’s mom and grandmother were both maids their entire lives and her great grandmother was a slave. Filming for "The Color Purple" changed her life, it helped her release herself to grace and it created the inspiration to start her Oprah show to uplift people to see the light inside themselves. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Center stage at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
The marquee and looong lines. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Oprah taking questions on the red carpet. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Driven, directed by Ben Pitterle and Brian Hall. “In a look at the fascinating and obscure world of marathon swimming, three swimmers place everything on the line to swim 20 miles across the Santa Barbara Channel.” Not that swimming the channel is something I strive to do, this film has a great narration and portrays the will and drive to accomplish the things that give us pleasure. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Bella Vita poster, framed. Part of Chris del Moro's art show at a gallery across from the Arlington. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
From the film Bridge Walkers. On a quest to restore balance, tribal leaders from around the world gather in Greenland to witness the coming of a 20,000-year-old prophecy to unite world peace. When I asked to photograph him, he insisted that I was in it too, being that it's illegal for him to be photographed alone. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
"I never had a birthday party as a kid growing up, we were too poor for that." Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com
Robert had specifically requested that Roger Durling, Executive Director of the festival, be the one who gives the American Riviera Award. Roger was deeply honored and made him feel a deep level of influential importance. Photo: Branden Aroyan/lowtiderising.com

And so it began with spotlights in the sky that could be seen from miles and miles away. The 2014 SBIFF shone on the opening night with the smile of Dr. Sylvia Earle. She is one of our most productive inspirations for preserving the ocean and air we breathe. “We are in the middle of everywhere,” she always likes to say. And she knows from 78 years of exploring underwater that, in order to keep this planet alive, we need to change our ways.

Many notable actors and directors spoke of living the dream, keeping up the good fight to sustain our planet and to be true to ourselves and let that uniqueness guide our path even if it’s through uncharted territory. The director of “Lutah” quoted Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”