Santa Barbara touting connections to ‘It’s Complicated’ and other films

Santa Barbara touts links to ‘It’s Complicated’

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — If you liked the backdrop for “It’s Complicated,” the new comedy about love and divorce starring Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, you might enjoy a visit to Santa Barbara, where parts of the movie were set.

Santa Barbara’s Conference and Visitors Bureau has set up a dedicated Web site for fans of the film at www.santabarbaraca.com/filmtour/its-complicated.

In addition to scenes filmed in residential areas of Montecito, about 5 miles from Santa Barbara, other scenes were shot in front of downtown landmarks including the Santa Barbara County Courthouse and historic El Paseo, California’s first shopping center, which dates to the 1920s.

Santa Barbara is also celebrating a century of filmmaking this year. An early silent movie studio called the Flying A opened there in 1910, and many movies have shot scenes in the area over the decades, from Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” (1923) to “Sunset Boulevard” (1950) to “Sideways” (2004). For detailed information on local movie sites and history, visit www.SantaBarbaraCA.com/filmtour.

In addition, the city hosts the 25th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival Feb. 4-14, when Oscar contenders and other folks from the industry will gather for 10 days of screenings, tributes, panel discussions and parties. A special historic series featuring three shorts filmed in 1910 will be screened in honor of the city’s 100 years of movie-making. Tickets and passes are available from sbiff.org/main/.