Construction crews are racing the calendar in downtown Santa Barbara to get a theater complex ready for its own red carpet premiere.
What was the Santa Barbara Fiesta Five Theater complex is now the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s McHurley Film Center. It’s undergoing a multi-million dollar top-to-bottom renovation to turn it into a state-of-the-art theater complex. There are dozens of workers everywhere, putting finishing touches on everything from installing new seats to adding Dolby sound systems. The 2026 Film Festival starts February 4.
"They're on schedule. They're actually ahead of schedule. All that's left right now is aesthetics. All the major construction work is already done," said Roger During, the festival’s Executive Director.
Film festivals typically rent theaters, and it's unusual for a festival to have a permanent home. It will use it for screenings and special events year-round.
"We were dependent on rentals," said Durling. "I've been doing this for 23 years, and we were always dependent on rentals. I heard through the grapevine that Metropolitan Theaters, whom we rent from, was going bankrupt, and I couldn't live with the idea that if they do close shop, we would be in limbo. It was essential for us to grab this opportunity."
Metropolitan gave up its lease for the property, which was owned by the City of Santa Barbara. The film festival and the city then worked out a new deal, with SBIFF getting an initial five-year lease, with the option to extend for another 25 years.
After renting theater space for decades, the Film Center on the 900 block of State Street will provide a permanent home for the four-decade-old film festival. It's in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. The five theaters have a combined total of 900 seats.
The festival will still rent the 2,000-seat Arlington Theater for major premieres and artist tributes, and use the festival's 350-seat Riviera Theater for medium-sized events.
Durling takes us into one of the five theaters, where seats are being installed after the auditorium was completely overhauled. Instead of being called theaters one through five, they are getting distinct names and flavors.
"Each hall alludes to an iconic Santa Barbara theater, like the Lobero, the Arlington, the Granada, the Riviera, and the Marjorie Luke Theater," said Durling. "Each one is unique, and each one is different, and they're all state-of-the-art."
The rebuild includes everything from the restrooms and concessions area to the projection booths. Durling says the community has stepped up to help with the project.
"This is in total going to be $21 million. We're at $16 million raised. So, we are nicely on our way," said Durling. "We want to raise a little higher than the $21 million to do an endowment for the festival. We are so grateful to all the donors."
The construction crew is excited about the project.
"This one is very, very close and dear to my heart," said Assistant Superintendent Jeremy Ferrera. He said everyone gets this, and it's something very special.
"We've been working around the clock, sometimes seven days a week. This place will bring happiness and joy to Santa Barbara."
Crews are putting the finishing touches on the theater renovation project, including painting, installing carpeting, installing the theater’s projectors, and equipping the concessions stand.
The clock is ticking, but crews and film festival officials are confident the theaters will be ready for the festival's start on February 4.
The 2026 festival runs from February 4 to 14, with more than 40 world premieres and a number of star-studded tributes, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Hudson, and others.
