On Feb 4, the 41st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) kicked off with the premiere of the independent film, A Mosquito In The Ear. In his directorial debut, Nicola Rinciari and producers Emily Dillard, Ali K. Rizvi, and Darren Dean tell a moving story of two adoptive parents travelling to India to adopt their daughter. Starring Jake Lacy and Nazanin Boniadi, this drama tells a true story of the family based on the graphic novel Una Zanzara Nell’Orecchio by Andrea Ferraris.
A Mosquito In The Ear begins with couple Andrew and Daniela in India, preparing for the adoption of their daughter, Sarvari. When they reach the orphanage and first meet their daughter, she is bright and playful, however when they take her to start the journey home, she shuts off. Salvari describes Andrew and Daniela’s voices as “a mosquito in the ear,”hence the name for the movie. Throughout the course of the film, the audience sees Sarvari slowly build trust with her parents and form a beautiful story.
Santa Barbara locals, including council members Wendy Santamaria, Oscar Gutierrez, Kristen Sneddon, Eric Friedman, and mayor Randy Rowse made an appearance on the red carpet Wednesday night. Executive director of SBIFF, Roger Durling, also walked the red carpet. With the opening of The McHurly Film Center, Durling says that “It’s a dream come true… Now with the film center we have ownership and we have control of our future.” Later, he delivered a powerful speech to a full house of 2,000 audience members in the Arlington to start the night, “This is why we need the arts now more than ever… for the next 10 days the film festival will be a welcome distraction” says Durling while talking about the various issues the United States is facing currently.
