Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro and more will be honored at the 41st edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which announced its full 2026 program on Wednesday. Dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema, the festival will showcase 46 world premieres and 80 U.S. premieres from 50 countries with 50% of films directed by women and feature tributes to the year’s top talent, panel discussions and free community education and outreach programs. The festival will run from Feb. 4 through 14.
The festival will open with the US premiere of Nicola Rinciari’s “A Mosquito In The Ear” and close with the US premiere of Zamo Mkhwanazi’s “Laundry (Uhlanjululo).” “A Mosquito In The Ear” stars Jake Lacy, Nazanin Boniadi and Ruhi Pal. Rinciari and co-writer Emily Dillard will join the festival in-person. “Laundry (Uhlanjululo)” stars Ntobeko Sishi and Tracy September, with Mkhwanazi joining in-person. Leading up to the US Premiere of Schnabel’s new film “In the Hand of Dante,” there will also be a retrospective of filmmaker Julian Schnabel’s past work, including “Basquiat,” “Before Night Falls,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “At Eternity’s Gate.”