Santa Barbara Fest to Fete Michael Douglas

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, scheduled March 3-12, celebrates its 10th anniversary by presenting more than 120 features, short films and documentaries and holding special events with Michael Douglas, Jessica Lange, Chazz Palminteri and Shirley Jones.

Opening the festival at the landmark Arlington Theater on State Street will be the Australian film “Muriel’s Wedding,” starring Jeanie Drynan as an unprepossessing 20-year-old who heads to Sydney to find a husband.

Closing the festival will be a 40th-anniversary screening of “Oklahoma!” as a salute to Jones. Douglas will receive the festival’s first Modern Master Award and will reminisce about his days as a UC Santa Barbara drama student.

On March 11, “Blue Sky” will screen and be followed by a question-and-answer session with Lange and Times film reviewer Peter Rainer.

On March 9 Palminteri will present “A Bronx Tale,” which he wrote and co-starred in, and discuss the film and his career.

Among the festival’s world premieres are Merlin Miller’s “A Place to Grow,” a tale of love, honor, values and identity; Scott Wiper’s “Captain Jack,” about a small-town Ohio Superman; Rosanne Ehrlich’s “Dear Babe,” a documentary on her father’s World War II experiences; Hal Selwen’s “Denise Calls Up,” about phone relationships; Paul Duran’s thriller “Flesh Suitcase”; Paul Leder’s thriller “Dr. Boris and Ms. Duluth”; Joseph Sargent’s film of Willa Cather’s “My Antonia” and Steve Railsback’s “The Spy Within.”

Also planned are seminars on special effects and mass media violence, a session with Oscar-winning documentarian Chuck Workman and a children’s mini-festival to honor Canadian filmmaker Rick Demers.

Information: (805) 963-0023.