Winners of the 2026 Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Complete List
As the Santa Barbara International Film Festival concludes its 41st edition, the jury has announced this year’s award-winning films.
During a ceremony on Saturday at El Encanto, SBIFF revealed the winners for 2026. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal’s Steal This Story, Please received the prestigious Audience Choice Award.
Other notable winners include Nicola Rinciari’s A Mosquito in the Ear, Laura Wandel’s Adam’s Sake, Katie Camosy’s Gaslit, Andrés Clariond Rangel’s Versailles, and Florence Miailhe’s Papillon.
Claudia Puig, the programming director of SBIFF, expressed enthusiasm about the diverse selection of winning films. “We are thrilled to celebrate such a wonderful array of winning films that represent the best independent creatives working today,” Puig stated. “All these outstanding films tell essential stories that speak eloquently about the human condition. The jury winners this year hail from Mexico, India, Belgium, Japan, France, Italy, and Germany, with their narratives set in captivating locations from Malaysia to Minneapolis. We are very grateful to our discerning jurors and heartily congratulate all the winning filmmakers.”
The winning films were chosen by the SBIFF 2026 jury, which included Adam Guettel, Adrien Martinez, Jordana Brewster, Joseph Novoa, Karla Quintero, Langdon Page, Marissa Chibas, Michael Patti, Tina Sawtelle, and Travis Preston.
Below is the complete list of this year’s winners:
The Audience Choice Award sponsored by The Santa Barbara Independent
Steal This Story, Please
Dir. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
Panavision Spirit Award for Independent Cinema
A Mosquito in the Ear
Dir. Nicola Rinciari
The Jeffrey C. Barbakow Award for Best International Feature Film
Adam’s Sake
Dir. Laura Wandel
The Best Documentary Award
Gaslit
Dir. Katie Camosy
The Nueva Vision Award for Spain/Latin America Cinema
Versailles
Dir. Andrés Clariond Rangel
The Best Animated Short Film Award
Papillon
Dir. Florence Miailhe
The Best Documentary Short Film Award
A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil
Dir. Daniel Straub
The Best Live-Action Short Film Award
Agnes
Dir. Nora Arnezeder
The Social Justice Award sponsored by the Fund for Santa Barbara
Steal This Story, Please
Dir. Tia Lessin and Carl Deal
The ADL Stand Up Award sponsored by ADL Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties
Bookends
Dir. Mike Doyle
The ASC Award for Best Cinematography sponsored by The American Society of Cinematographers
Lost Land
Dir. Akio Fujimoto
