The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is an eleven-day event, showcasing over 200 films from over 60 different countries to approximately 100,000 attendees.

Last year we received over 4,000 films and we expect that number to increase and need screeners with integrity and dedication to assist in the process.

This page has information about the process, commitment and expectation for our reviewers. If you are still interested after reading all of the information, you can fill out the application at the bottom of this page.

When is SBIFF?
The 37th edition of SBIFF will run March 2 – 12, 2022.

What does a reviewer do?
Each member of the reviewer committee is asked to view and score feature films, documentaries and short films on a regular basis from August through January and provide critical assistance during the selection process. Reviewers are granted access to our online database to exclusively be some of the first eyes on the submissions.

What is the Time Commitment?
Each reviewer is required to review a minimum amount of Feature Films and/or Short Films (80 Feature Films, 320 Short Films OR 120 Shorts and 40 Features). In exchange you will receive one Platinum Pass for the 2022 Festival which will grant you access to ALL Films, Panels, Tributes and Festival Pavilion for daily Happy Hours and Evening Parties.

What is expected of me as a reviewer?
• Reviewers must complete a film review sheet for each film and must include written comments explaining each decision.
• Reviewers must confirm that every film for which they have scored was watched all the way through from beginning to end.
• Most importantly we require CONFIDENTIALITY. We MUST keep all positive/negative critiques of the films confidential and NEVER make any attempts to contact the filmmakers yourself.

Fill out my online form.