Founded by an Australian surfer on the coast of California, Ugg will welcome over 90,000 people to its hometown of Santa Barbara, California this week as the presenting sponsor of the 32nd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).
Touted as the last International film festival before the Oscars, the event, which runs from February 1st through February 11th, will bring more than 30 Oscar nominees including Denzel Washington, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Jeff Bridges to the stage in celebration of their thematic and artistic achievements.
In a special tribute to Young Hollywood, scheduled for Saturday, February 4th, Ugg will join the SBIFF in honoring multiple up-and-coming actors for achieving breakthrough performances. This year, the “Virtuosos Award” will be presented at the historic Arlington Theatre to Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Dev Patel, Janelle Monáe, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Ruth Negga, Simon Helberg, and Stephen McKinley Henderson.
“As a longtime supporter of the arts, we are thrilled to be the presenting sponsor of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival,” says Andrea O’Donnell, President of Ugg. “Hollywood royalty have been wearing Ugg for years, so it’s great to come together and celebrate today’s best artists and filmmakers through films that engage, enrich and inspire.”
Over the course of the 11-day festival, the SBIFF will showcase over 200 films and pay tribute to several notable honorees, including this year’s Maltin Modern Master Award recipient Denzel Washington and Outstanding Performers of the Year Award recipients Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
In honor of the festival and the people of Santa Barbara, Ugg invites festival goers to its Brand Showcase at 6601 Hollister Avenue in Goleta to shop the brand’s iconic footwear, loungewear, homewares, handbags and accessories, including the newly launched spring-ready Ugg Classic Unlined Boot Collection. Visitors to the Showcase during the festival will have access to a 20 percent discount on all purchases with their ticket stubs and/or event programs.
