Jeffrey Wright to Be Honored With Montecito Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

October 2024 · 9 minute read

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Jeffrey Wright with the Montecito Award at a Feb. 15 event. At the event, Wright will discuss his career leading up to this year’s performance in “American Fiction,” for which he has received lead actor nominations for the Gotham, Spirit, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Awards.

“I’ve been a fan of Mr. Wright since I first saw him in 1993 in the original Broadway production of “Angels in America.” I’ve since admired that he brings a high level of class and integrity to every role he does. Yet, no film had capitalized on his extraordinary range and virtuosity until “American Fiction.” It is about time,” SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling.

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Wright has received Tony, Emmy, AFI and Golden Globe awards and has appeared in “Rustin,” “No Time to Die,” “Westworld,” “Asteroid City” and “The Batman.”

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Past recipients of the Montecito Award include Angela Bassett, Penélope Cruz, Amanda Seyfried, Lupita Nyong’o, Melissa McCarthy, Saoirse Ronan, Isabelle Huppert, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Naomi Watts and Javier Bardem.

Danielle Brooks, Colman Domingo, America Ferrera and Andrew Scott Among Second Group to Receive Virtuosos Award

Danielle Brooks (“The Color Purple”), Colman Domingo (“Rustin,” “The Color Purple”), America Ferrera (“Barbie”) and Andrew Scott (“All of Us Strangers”) comprise the second group of recipients to be given the Virtuosos Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The actors will discuss their work and receive their awards in person on Feb. 10 during the festival.

“I’m thrilled to add Danielle, Colman, America and Andrew to our already impressive lineup of Virtuosos. This group of eight artists is simply the most diverse of any class in the 14 years that I’ve been hosting the event,” Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movies host, said in a statement.

The honor recognizes “a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in films this season have elevated them into the national cinematic dialogue,” per the release. The festival announced the first group of Virtuosos Awards recipients last month, which includes Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), Greta Lee (“Past Lives”) and Charles Melton (“May December”).

Mark Ruffalo to Receive American Riviera Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Mark Ruffalo is set to be honored with the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s American Riviera Award. Ruffalo will receive his award Feb. 11 at an in-person conversation about his career, leading up to his performance in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things.”

Ruffalo is an Emmy winner and has been nominated for three Oscars, for his performances in “Spotlight,” “Foxcatcher” and “The Kids Are All Right.”

“Ruffalo has been such a remarkable performer for years – deserving all the honors year after year – but his go-for broke acting in ‘Poor Things’ is a revelation. An extraordinary talent that just keeps outdoing himself,” said SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling.

Ruffalo has also produced films including “Lakota Nation vs. United States,” “Invisible Hand” and “Dear President Obama: The Clean Energy Revolution Is Now.”

Previous recipients of the American Riviera award, which recognizes actors who have made a significant contribution to American cinema, include Brendan Fraser, Kristen Stewart, Delroy Lindo and Renée Zellweger.

Lily Gladstone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Greta Lee and Charles Melton to Receive Virtuoso Award

Lily Gladstone (“Killers of the Flower Moon”), Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”), Greta Lee (“Past Lives”) and Charles Melton (“May December”) will receive the Virtuoso Award at the 39th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival during a ceremony on Feb. 10. The four actors will sit down to discuss their work and receive their awards in person. 

The Virtuoso Award is “an honor created to recognize a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in films this season have elevated them into the national cinematic dialogue,” as per the press release. The four actors are the first group to receive the award, with a second group to be announced in December. 

Previous Virtuoso honorees for the past four years include Austin Butler, Kerry Condon, Danielle Deadwyler, Nina Hoss, Stephanie Hsu, Jeremy Pope, Ke Huy Quan, Jeremy Strong, Caitriona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Jamie Dornan, Alana Haim, Ciarán Hinds, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Simon Rex, Saniyya Sidney, Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Andra Day, Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, Zendaya, Awkwafina, Taron Egerton, Cynthia Erivo, Beanie Feldstein, Aldis Hodge, George MacKay, Florence Pugh and Taylor Russell.

Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movies host, will moderate the awards recognition ceremony. 

“Our first four Virtuosos honorees are among the most interesting and exciting performers working today, and they all play unforgettable roles in some of the year’s best films. I’m so excited at the prospect of chatting with each of them in Santa Barbara in January,” said Karger.

Robert Downey, Jr. to Receive Maltin Modern Master Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

Robert Downey, Jr. will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the highest accolade given out by the festival. He will be honored at a ceremony scheduled for Feb. 9.

The ceremony involves an in-person conversation with Downey and film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, the namesake of the award. They will discuss Downey’s expansive career, from his start in the industry to his recent performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher’s Nolan’s “Oppenheimer.”

While best known for playing Tony Stark/Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Downey now has over 110 acting credits to his name and has been nominated for two Academy Awards and won two Golden Globes. His forthcoming titles include Max’s series adaptation of the novel “The Sympathizer,” in which he plays four supporting roles, and Paramount’s remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic 1958 film “Vertigo.”

“Robert Downey Jr. has staged one of the most spectacular second acts in show business history…and we in the audience are the beneficiaries. He commands the screen without any visible effort, which is perhaps the greatest feat of all,” said Maltin.

Christopher Nolan said, “It’s thrilling to see audiences responding not just to Robert Downey Jr’s incredible charisma, but to a performance which, stripped of any movie star trappings, shows once again that he is one of the greatest actors.”

Ryan Gosling to Be Honored With Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film

“Barbie” actor Ryan Gosling will be honored with the 16th Annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. This is the second time the honor will be awarded since Kirk Douglas died. Previous recipients of the award include Michelle Yeoh, Martin Scorsese, Hugh Jackman, Dame Judi Dench, Harrison Ford and Quentin Tarantino, among others.

“Ryan Gosling has long been both a dramatic and comedic force in front of the camera. This year, thanks to his universally hailed, triumphant performance as Ken in ‘Barbie’ – a film that truly demanded the attention of critics and moviegoers around the world – he has become a true cinematic powerhouse,” executive director Roger Durling said in a statement.

Gosling was previously recognized with the SBIFF “Outstanding Performer of the Year” award for his performance in “La La Land,” which also garnered him an Oscar nomination. He will next be seen starring alongside Emily Blunt in the David Leitch-directed action comedy film “The Fall Guy.”

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