Kasdan's 'Companion' to open Santa Barbara fest

'Darling Companion'Lawrence Kasdan's "Darling Companion" will open the 27th Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Jan. 26 at the Arlington Theater. Sony Pictures Classics release stars Diane Keaton, Kevin Kline, Dianne Wiest, Richard Jenkins, Sam Shepard, Elizabeth Moss and Mark Duplass. "We are privileged to have the world premier of a Lawrence Kasdan film. Marking his return to directing after eight years, Darling Companion is a great choice to kick off the festival," said the fest's exec director Roger Durling. Fest, which runs through Feb. 5, will also feature a Lawrence Kasdan retrospective including "Body Heat" "The Big Chill" and "Grand Canyon" and a Q&A with the filmmaker. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com