The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, January 25 – February 4, will open their 22nd edition with the highly-anticipated film “Factory Girl” starring Sienna Miller, Guy Pearce, Hayden Christensen and directed by George Hickenlooper, it was announced today by SBIFF director Roger Durling. Opening night will take place at the Arlington Theatre and is sponsored by CafeFx and Studio 7.

“Factory Girl” imaginatively unfolds the comet-like rise and fall of 60s “It Girl” Edie Sedgwick, the blazing superstar who came to define both the glamour and the tragedy of our celebrity-obsessed culture. Sedgwick appeared to be the quintessential American princess, with her blue blood, her trust fund and her Harvard education, not to mention her ethereal beauty and vivacious charisma. But she was also a lost and fragile little girl; and when she met up with counter-culture anti-hero Andy Warhol, everything changed. Suddenly, Edie found herself at the center of a Pop Art universe bursting with sex, drugs, style and rock ‘n’ roll -- and a mad rush for fame and fabulousness that was destined to spin out of control.

Arriving into the chaos of mid-60s New York, Edie (Sienna Miller) is taken under the wing of the famously deadpan artist Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce) who sees in her untamed vulnerability the makings of an irresistible muse. Warhol invites Edie into the wild world of The Factory, a former downtown hat factory he has transformed into a bohemian paradise. Here, a rag-tag mix of musicians, poets, artists, actors and misfits gather to create avant-garde movies during the day and throw glam parties all night long. Edie quickly ascends to become the star of Warhol’s movies, an idol at The Factory and a media darling. She is on top of the world when she falls in love with a larger-than-life rock star (Hayden Christensen). But when Edie becomes caught between Warhol’s world of sexy surfaces and her new love, she winds up rejected by both – and once again, set adrift in the modern world.

“Factory Girl” is a Holly Wiersma Production of a Weinstein Company and Lift Productions presentation, which is being distributed in the US by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. (MGM).

“We are pleased to be able to present ‘Factory Girl’ to launch this year’s amazing program,” stated Roger Durling, Executive Director of the SBIFF. “This film, the story, the cast is right in line with our goal of being cutting edge as well as an all-encompassing film festival. Of course, it also seemed fitting given that Edie Sedgwick was not only born in Santa Barbara, but she died here as well.”

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, set to run January 25 through February 4, 2007, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture and raising consciousness of film as an art form. The SBIFF presents quality American and world independent films, Latin American and Asian sidebars as well as documentary cinema within the beautiful setting of downtown Santa Barbara, a premier tourist destination. The SBIFF is also committed to education through its Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Field Trip to the Movies, and educational seminars. With a projected audience of over 60,000 viewing more than 200 films over its eleven-day run, SBIFF attracts an affluent local and national consumer base, while maintaining strong ties with the entertainment industry in nearby Los Angeles.