from sbiff

The creative minds behind some of this year’s finest films will share their experiences and anecdotes with audiences during the panel series at the 27th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which begins Thursday, January 26 and runs through Sunday, February 5, 2012.

SBIFF’s It Starts With The Script panel will take place Saturday, January 28, at 11:00 a.m. at the Lobero Theatre. Moderated by IndieWire’s Anne Thompson, this ever-popular panel features Mike Mills (Beginners), Tate Taylor (The Help), Will Reiser (50/50), Jim Rash (The Descendants), and JC Chandor (Margin Call). The panel is sponsored by Pacifica Graduate Institute.

Following at 2:00 pm, also at the Lobero Theatre, is Creative Forces: Women in the Biz, which spotlights creative decision-makers sharing the challenges and successes they have faced as women in the industry. Moderated by Madelyn Hammond, this year’s panelists include Denise Ream, producer Cars 2, Leslie Urdang, producer Beginners, Dede Gardner, producer Tree of Life, Melissa Cobb, producer Kung Fu Panda 2, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, star and producer of the short film Picture Paris. The panel is sponsored by Fielding Graduate University.