Along with Egypt, I also heard that Canada had Internet trouble as well; though I heard it wasn't as bad. Is there anyone in Canada that can clear this up?

Eddie's a-a-a-a m-m-m-m-moderator?!

With the technical issues resolved, the Festival's introduction starts. A real surprise the first time around, it's a colorful animated short with a band of Legos characters marching to a hip-hop song called "Megaphone." Listen carefully and you'll hear lyrics fairly critical of the SBIFF. Turns out a local musician, Parry Gripp, wrote the tune after one year's festival, aptly describing the reactions of some Santa Barbara residents who'd felt pushed to the side or made to wait in long lines by megaphone-wielding festival volunteers. It's not an unusual response in this or any town with a long-standingly ambivalent relationship toward its economy-feeding events and tourism.

Enter youtube. In England, a kid named Harry Bossert (aka, Zoot101) makes animated films, often with Legos, and also regularly downloads Parry Gripp's spoofy tunes. He decides to animate this one. When SBIFF learns about it, rather than smarting from the criticism, they make a bold move, adopting it as the 2011 theme and opening. They even put a megaphone-wielding figure on the poster. And they fly in Harry, a sweet-faced 16, and his pleasant father, both amazed at suddenly being here in southern California, the red carpet for the moment at their feet.

That's the magic of a festival. Filmmakers of all ages and many backgrounds have gathered from 49 countries, mixing together in a common language: cinema.