An easy A-lister

For Hollywood, location and timing are everything, and Santa Barbara International Film Festival offers plenty of both. It’s in a lovely seaside city whose proximity to Hollywood makes for fewer logistical headaches in enticing talent to show up, and its pre-Oscars time frame makes it attractive for nominees to participate.

“”It’s within striking distance from L.A. I can get the panelists, the celebrities, all those people who will just come up for the weekend,” says festival director Jon Fitzgerald.

This year is no exception.

“It Starts With the Script” nominated panelists include David Hare (“The Hours”), Bill Condon (“Chicago”), Steve Zalian (“Gangs of New York”), Nia Vardalos (“My Big Greek Wedding”) and Chris and Paul Weitz (“About a Boy”).

Jeff Bridges, a Santa Barbara resident who starred in the dark-tempered film “Cutter’s Way” in 1980, will be the subject of the “Modern Master” tribute, whose previous honorees include Sean Penn and Jodie Foster. One of Fitzgerald’s new ideas is the “Rosebud” sidebar, focusing on landmark films.

The series ranges from Fellini’s “8 1/2” to the kitsch horror classic “House of Wax” and the 25th anniversary of “Animal House,” with director John Landis attending.

Another Rosebud highlight will be Todd Haynes, the writer-director nominated for a best original screenplay Oscar for “Far From Heaven,” who will host a a screening of Douglas Sirk’s 1955 “All That Heaven Allows.” Haynes sees the Sirk film as one of that director’s lesser-known gems, a follow-up to his earlier, more popular Rock Hudson-Jane Wyman film, “Magnificent Obsession,” but a “smaller, less sensationalistic story.”

“It’s less boisterous and extreme, in a lot of ways, than ‘Written on the Wind’ or ‘Imitation of Life,’ ” he says. “The setting seemed closer to what I was after in ‘Far From Heaven.’ ”

“I don’t think we’ll ever be Cannes or Toronto,” says Fitzgerald. “But if we can be up there with Telluride that would be a good goal.”

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Festival highlights

Friday’s opening night at the downtown Arlington Theatre will be “Confidence,” directed by James Foley (“Glengarry Glen Ross”) and starring Ed Burns, Rachel Weisz, Dustin Hoffman and Andy Garcia. Foley, Hoffman and Burns are scheduled to attend. Accompanying celebratory hoopla, including a “taste of the town” restaurant sampler, takes over State Street. Special events include Saturday’s “Modern Master” tribute to Jeff Bridges, panel discussions with screenwriters and directors (March 8), producers (Sunday) and independent cinema figures (Sunday). Screenings include 10 world premieres, 11 U.S. premieres and eight foreign-language Oscar submissions. Cineaste-oriented new sidebar series include the offbeat Rosebud, environmentally themed Showcase Planet Earth, Journey to Italy and Surf Sessions -- the latter including a tribute to Bruce Brown (“Endless Summer”) and a 25th anniversary screening of “Big Wednesday,” with director John Milius on hand.

When and where: Friday-March 9, at various Santa Barbara venues.

Ticket info and show times: (805) 963-0023 www.sbfilmfestival.org.