SBIFF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 32 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States – attracting 90,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film and arts.
Additionally the festival is regarded as an awards season must stop and features nine nights of galas celebrating the top talent in Hollywood. For this year, SBIFF previously announced Warren Beatty(Rules Don’t Apply) as the recipient of the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film (held onDecember 1, 2016) as well as Aaron Taylor Johnson (Nocturnal Animals), Dev Patel (Lion), Janelle Monáe (Hidden Figures, Moonlight), Mahershala Ali (Moonlight), Naomie Harris(Moonlight), Ruth Negga (Loving), Simon Helberg (Florence Foster Jenkins), and Stephen Henderson (Fences) as the Virtuoso honorees (held on February 4, 2017).
The remaining tributes have yet to be announced but previous recipients include the likes of Johnny Depp, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Anniston, Rooney Mara, Alicia Vikander, Clint Eastwood, Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Julianne Moore and Kate Winslet among countless others.
