The sun is out, so let’s go to the movies

One of the benefits of Southern California cinephilia is the kick that comes from heading into a dark theater when it’s apparent -- with the beautiful locales and weather -- that there is something else one should be doing. The Santa Barbara Film Festival, which got underway Friday and runs through Feb. 8, is a case in point.

The festival’s timing, during awards season, often translates into fine guests for its panel discussions, and this year is no exception. Today’s directing panel is scheduled to include Patty Jenkins (“Monster”), Anthony Minghella (“Cold Mountain”) and Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit”), among others.

The festival also had the good fortune and foresight to enlist journalist Peter Biskind as the panel’s moderator. His just-released book, “Down and Dirty Pictures,” has been a hotly debated item, and the discussion could veer toward him as much as to the panelists, who likely will have questions of their own.

The festival’s centerpiece and closing-night selections provide a one-two dose of rising British actor Paul Bettany, recently seen in “Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.” Screening Thursday is the unique “Dogville,” directed by Lars von Trier, with a cast that includes Nicole Kidman, James Caan, Lauren Bacall, Patricia Clarkson, Chloe Sevigny and Ben Gazzara.

Bettany gained early notice in Paul McGuigan’s “Gangster Number 1” and headlines the director’s latest effort, “The Reckoning,” which closes the festival. The cast of the rather oddball medieval whodunit includes Willem Dafoe.

Documentaries figure prominently at the festival. Among the selections are the crowd-pleasing “The Mayor of Sunset Strip” (Thursday) about Los Angeles fixture Rodney Bingenheimer, and “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster” (Sunday), a documentary on the making of the hard-rock band’s most recent album, including footage of their group therapy sessions.

On Monday, a screening of Jonathan Demme’s latest documentary, “The Agronomist,” on the culture of Haiti, will be followed by a panel discussion on grass-roots media. Les Blank’s “Burden of Dreams,” a chronicle of the agonizing struggle by Werner Herzog to make his film “Fitzcarraldo” and a stunning portrait of the artistic process in all its glory and excess, will screen the last day of the festival.

On Thursday, noted documentary filmmakers will discuss the challenges of bringing nonfiction to the screen. Panelists include Blank, George Hickenlooper, Steve James, Rick McKay and Academy Award-winner Barbara Trent.

Musicals, both on the stage and screen, receive special attention this year. Rick McKay’s documentary “Broadway: The Golden Age” (Friday) lovingly re-creates a bygone era in American theatergoing. A tribute to legendary choreographer Hermes Pan will include screenings of George Sidney’s “Pal Joey” (this morning), Rouben Mamoulian’s “Silk Stockings” (Sunday) and Mark Sandrich’s immortal “Top Hat” (Feb. 7).

Actress Mary Kay Place, serving as guest curator, has programmed a number of selections for a Sunday afternoon sidebar on women in cinema. Most exciting among her selections is a sampling of work by award-winning animators Emily Hubley and her mother, Faith Hubley. Some of the films feature music by the group Yo La Tengo, which includes family member Georgia Hubley.

The festival also features tributes to actresses Diane Lane and Charlize Theron and will bestow its Modern Master Award to director Peter Jackson. For anyone who has never quite understood the way Jackson lingers over the goop and gore of the dreaded orcs in his “Lord of the Rings” pictures, the festival is helpfully screening his earlier effort “Dead Alive” as part of a cult film section. Jackson seems to have retained most of his formerly outre sensibilities even as he has been accepted into the halls of respectability.

The other left-field gems in the cult film series include the early Frank Darabont effort “Buried Alive” (Feb. 7), Samuel Fuller’s gritty “Pickup on South Street” (Thursday) and Russ Meyer’s indefatigable “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!” (Wednesday). Besides its lively selection, the festival is fortunate to be able to use such gorgeous and historic theaters as the Arlington, Lobero, Metro and Granada.