Thousands of students enjoy a free film and meeting with the filmmaker during SBIFF

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – A special event for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival brings about 2,000 students to the Arlington Theatre.

It’s called Mike's Field Trip To The Movies.

The event is named after the late Mike deGruy, a filmmaker from Santa Barbara and longtime supporter of SBIFF, who passed away while on a film shoot in 2012.

This year, the event screened the Pixar film Elemental.

Students from throughout Santa Barbara County were bused in this morning at 10 a.m. At this event, they watch a film and ask questions of the filmmaker.

For some of the children, they are coming from more than an hour away.

They live in Santa Maria and Guadalupe. Some have never been in a movie theater in their lives, especially one as iconic as the Arlington Theatre, built in the 1930s.

It was the biggest screen in the largest movie theatre some kids had ever experienced..     

Santa Barbara International Film Festival Executive Director Executive Director Roger Durling asked on behalf of a student, "Why did you choose elements rather than people as the character?"

Director Peter Sohn said, "I thought the idea of fire and water as characters was so fun to me and it reminded me alot of my relationship with my wife where I am more like water and I cry at everything and my wife is like fire because she is more passionate and so we went down that route because it was really fun for animation."

Students said it helped them to understand movies a little better and other said it inspired them to have a possible career in film making.

We asked some of them about the trip and if they are creating any short films.

Washington Elementary School student Jasper O'Sullivan,  "we're like making like a movie with all of our friends. It's about people who are like capturing treasure thing."

Student McKenna Dalgarn said, "I kind of like playing with like drawing stuff and making it move. like stop motion"
As for advice they took away from the trip, Bryce Davis said, "it's connecting other people while talking about him and his experiences"
La Honda elementary student Keira Meza,  "I learned you don't always have to follow in your parents footsteps."
Jace Medina from the same school said,  "voice acting,  you have to be good at making different voices to be a good  voice actor. "

The students came in from throughout Santa Barbara County  including Santa Barbara, Lompoc, Santa Maria and Guadalupe.

"This one was really fun," said student Keira Meza.

This event is an annual commitment by SBIFF, as part of its educational outreach to students and future filmmakers.