What a night! The UNA celebrated Santa Barbara becoming a City of Peace and awarded the UNA Santa Barbara Peace Prize to Roger Durling!  For 17 years Roger has been the Executive Director for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Through his dedication to film and community Roger has brought the world to Santa Barbara audiences with international films and has introduced Santa Barbara to the world. We are so proud that our chapter of the United Nations Association is honoring Roger for his tireless leadership and vision for peace. 

 

Jeff Barbakow, President of the SBIFF Board introduced Roger as a true example of “take your passion and make it happen” As a young boy in Panama, Roger would go to the movies where it was cool and dark and he become infatuated with stories rich with possibilities. He shares films by artists of color and Roger’s brilliant reviews make us feel like we are walking a new path to peace with films we just might have missed. 

Thank you Roger you remind us to be open to peace possibilities as we view the world conditions through film.