And This Is The Time Of The Year: SBIFF

And here we are again and I am super ready: Santa Barbara Film Festival, here I comeeee!!!! And yes! Finally, this is when Santa Barbara is dominated by MY people. Street get closed, movie theaters are all filled, and people from allover the world come to WATCH or SHOW their terrific movies. Movies.. well, that is the only word I need to get me to do anything… And for this reason, here I am volunteering for this film festival. Volunteering for something I love is always fun, but it is even more fun when your volunteer pass gets you in for free to watch every single movie at the festival! This is my second year as a volunteer and it is simply aweeeesoomeeee!!!!

Awesome Movie

This Tuesday was the first day of the festival for all the volunteers. In fact, as a thank you, all of us were invited to the Sneak-Peak: the opening night movie was screened one day before the official day of the festival. The movie was called Charged and it was one of the most beautiful documentaries I have ever seen. Most people when they hear the word documentary, they immediately back-off as if the devil just threatened them. I have to admit that I don’t get along with documentaries either, but this one was not only one of the best documentaries, but also one of the best movies I have ever seen. The film was about the life of a man, Eduardo Garcia, who got charged with 2400V, “lost an arm, ribs, muscle mass, and nearly his life, but more important than what he lost is what he found”. When Eduardo thought that his life was lost forever he rediscovered the meaning of life… I started crying from the middle of the movie till the very end.

Volunteer Kit!

 And I didn’t cry because I was pitying him or shocked by what happened to him, but I was rather astonished by Eduardo’s strength and ability to overcome what most people would have said was impossible to come through. I admire Eduardo, and even if I never met him, I will always carry with me his wonderful straight, and the fact that all that happens to us is because of a reason, we just need to believe and everything will be explained to us. Wonderful.

Aren't they cute?

My first volunteering shift was Friday right before Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone would show up to accept the SBIFF Outstanding Performers of the Year Award. All the volunteers were instructed to build the barricades for the red carpet and for the public entrance to the theater. In two hours everything was set up, and when they discharged me, I decided to line up for the Rush Line… Yes, I forgot to buy the tickets to see two amazing movie stars before it sold out… So, I waited in line from 4.45 till 8.00 to try to get in with a last minute ticket. After 3 hours and 15 minutes standing in the rain, cold and tired I managed to get in!!! It was unbelievable. My new 5 friends (with whom I endlessly waited outside in line, and just a really unsocial person would have not become friend) and enjoyed to see Ryan and Emma talking with the moderator Roger Durling. This was crazy, but totally worth it. If I had to, I would do it allover again!!! 

P.S. I even got a sneaky selfie with Ryan Gosling (Oh Gosh)

Ryan and I