The Santa Barbara International Film Festival officially put down permanent roots downtown Monday as a crowd amassed along State Street for the ribbon cutting of its long-awaited McHurley Film Center.
The five-theater complex at 916 State St. in the former Fiesta Five space gives SBIFF its first year-round home after four decades of operating largely out of rented venues.
Executive Director Roger Durling called the project “something very close to a miracle.”
“For years, having a film center was a dream,” he said. “A year ago, it became a necessity, an urgent necessity. With this building, we will no longer be dependent on rentals. We have direct control over our future and our programming.”
The $21 million renovation was completed just days before the 11-day festival, which runs Feb. 4-14, 2026. During the event, the center will screen more than 200 films. Beyond the festival, annual programming will expand from roughly 1,000 screenings to more than 6,000, with daily independent, foreign, documentary, retrospective and family titles.
“It is our hope that the center becomes a beacon that will reinvigorate the downtown corridor and inspire crowds to come and partake in all the goodness that can be found on our beloved State Street,” Durling said. “Art and film in particular have the power to bring people together.”
Santa Barbara Mayor Randy Rowse echoed that sentiment, calling the project “a great shot in the arm for downtown,” and said it is expected to anchor both the organization’s future and the continued revitalization of State Street.
Designed by Los Angeles-based architecture firm LJC, the renovation blends cinema with Santa Barbara’s architectural character.
“From the beginning, we wanted to capture the feeling of an old movie palace and bring that to life here,” said interior designer Cody Johnson. “We’re taking architectural elements you see all over Santa Barbara and bringing them into the interiors on a smaller scale, so the space really feels connected and anchored to the city.”
Architect and project manager Kruti Majmudar said the team looked to historic movie palaces while grounding the design in the city’s identity.
“This is a historic building, and we really wanted the space to live, breathe and feel like Santa Barbara,” she said. “These theaters can only exist here. The design is a love song to the city.”
Each of the five auditoriums has its own personality, with custom lighting, finishes and subtle film-inspired details, including a few hidden “Easter eggs” for movie buffs.
“It’s essentially a temple for the arts,” said architectural designer Palav Patel. “From the moment you enter, we wanted it to feel magical.”
For SBIFF, which began 40 years ago with a $20,000 city grant and has grown into one of the nation’s leading film festivals, the center represents permanence and long-term stability.
“Fairy tales can come true,” Durling said, reflecting on the milestone. “This gives us a home and ensures our future for generations to come.”
