Film Tourism
In 2010, Santa Barbara celebrated its 100th year of filmmaking. Before Hollywood, this coastal city was the hub of California's film industry and home to the state’s first major movie studio, the legendary Flying A Studio (1910) and early pioneers during the silent-film era. But it wasn't until Cecil B. DeMille shot the sandscapes of Guadalupe in The Ten Commandments (1923) that Santa Barbara gained a reputation for locations worthy of stardom. Since then, the region has been cast in classics such as The Graduate (1967), Seabiscuit (2003) and the wine-infused comedy, Sideways (2004). You may've even seen our backdrops used in Quentin Tarantino's Grindhouse (2006), our dunes in Gore Verbinski's Pirates of the Caribbean III: At World's End (2007) and our agricultural fields in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood (2007).
It's Complicated (2009), the film from writer/director/producer Nancy Meyers, put Santa Barbara back in the limelight. Meyers directed Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in this comedy about love, divorce and everything in between. Much of the story is set in Santa Barbara, where restaurant and bakery owner Jane (Streep), resides. From actual filming locations to intricate production design details, Santa Barbara's style is omnipresent in the comedy.
Plan a trip around the 27th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival Jan. 26-Feb. 5, 2012, when Oscar contenders and the industry's best will gather on The American Riviera® for 11 days of screenings, tribute events, panel discussions and more.
Download film tour itineraries and The Sideways Map to plan your personalized film tour of Santa Barbara. You can even sleep at hotels and resorts where stars such as Clark Gable and Carole Lombard slept, so check out the line-up of Star Sleeps. The American Riviera's® vast red carpet awaits you!
