From Santa Barbara to Hollywood: Film Festival Stars Shine Bright at the Academy Awards

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—The Arlington Theater was filled with stars like Angelina Jolie, Ralph Fiennes, and Adrien Brody during the Santa Barbara International Film Festival earlier this month.

The film festival ended just a few days before the Oscar voting closed, highlighting its significance in the lead-up to the prestigious awards.

Timothee Chalamet, nominated for his second Oscar for his portrayal of Bob Dylan in “A Complete Unknown,” shared his thoughts on the event. He stated, “I don't really look at it like a campaign or anything. I feel like it's like an excuse for a bigger runway to put out the movie.”

This year showed significant progress in film representation.

“For the first time in a long time, women and female narratives made up more than half of the films out this year,” said Zoe Saldaña, star of “Emilia Pérez” and an Oscar nominee.

Saldaña's fellow nominees include a powerful lineup of female talent: Monica Barbaro, Mikey Madison, Demi Moore, Ariana Grande, and Fernanda Torres. For all six of these women, this marks their first acting nomination.

If Fernanda Torres wins for her role in “I’m Still Here,” she will make history as the first Brazilian actress to win the ‘Best Actress’ award. Journalist Fernanda Isabella remarked, “If she wins, it would be, you know, like a final World Cup in Brazil. It's not only about Brazil, but it's about this amazing woman, you know, trying to make her life work.”

Guy Pearce, a first-time nominee, starred opposite Oscar winner Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist,” which has garnered ten Academy Award nominations, including ‘Best Picture.’ Brody reflected on the film's themes, stating, “It speaks to the hope and yearnings and hardships that so many people endure emigrating to the United States, and how challenging it really is.”

This might just be the ‘Year of the Musical,’ as films like “Wicked” and “Emilia Pérez” resonate with both audiences and Academy voters.

“Wicked” has earned ten Oscar nominations, while “Emilia Pérez” leads the nominations with thirteen.

Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter commented, “Real life is a little depressing, so you sing and dance. Musicals were huge during the Great Depression… so maybe it is like a reaction to real life being a little depressing.”

Zoe Saldaña noted, “The films of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly were important films, because during that time, the world was really getting over a big, big war. And this desire to escape to a world that made you feel joy, that made you dream again… It would come in the form of song and dance which was so alleviating.”

This year, music is not only prominent in many Oscar-nominated films; it also plays a vital role in storytelling.

Fernanda Isabella expressed, “It drags you to the story. So if you have a nice soundtrack, if you have a nice song, I mean, you pay attention easily. One of my favorite movies this year is the Bob Dylan one, you know, “A Complete Unknown,” and I just love it.”

Fans are eagerly waiting to see which stars from Santa Barbara will hear the sweet sound of victory on Oscar Sunday.

Hollywood, Festival, Awards, Music