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The Santa Barbara International Film Festival
is honored to announce that
actor, writer, producer, and comedy legend Will Ferrell will
be receiving the 17th annual Kirk
Douglas Award For Excellence in Film.
The prestigious award, which benefits Santa Barbara
International Film Festival’s year-round educational
programs, will be presented on Wednesday,
December 11, 2024 at a
Black-Tie dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara.
This marks the third time since the passing of screen legend
Kirk Douglas that the honor will be awarded.
Ferrell’s incredible talent can next be seen
in the Gloria Sanchez Productions and Netflix’s upcoming
documentary, one of this year’s crowd favorites at Sundance
Film Festival, “Will &
Harper.” In the film,
Ferrell’s good friend of 30 years, Harper Steele, comes out
as a trans woman.
The pair embark on a road trip to process
this new stage in their friendship and reintroduce Harper to
the country she loves as her authentic self.
This documentary is Ferrell’s seventh
collaboration with Harper Steele, having previously worked
together on “Saturday Night Live,” where Ferrell was a cast
member for multiple years, as well as projects such as
EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA,
“The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish!”, “The Ron
Burgundy Podcast,” Funny or Die, and Old Milwaukee Campaign.
With a career spanning over three decades,
Ferrell has become one of the most influential figures in
comedy as well as a box office sensation. The multifaceted
powerhouse began his journey on “Saturday Night Live” and
quickly rose to stardom with iconic performances in films
such as
ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RON
BURGUNDY, ELF, STEP BROTHERS, STRANGER THAN FICTION and most
recently, the global hit BARBIE.
Along with producing partner Jessica Elbaum,
Ferrell is also the co-founder of Gloria Sanchez
Productions. In 2020, the company announced a multi-year
first-look deal with Netflix on the heels of the incredible
overnight success of the Emmy-nominated series “Dead to Me.”
The production shingle set a multi-year first-look deal with
20th Century Studios in 2021.
Since its inception, the production company has also been
credited with HUSTLERS, BOOKSMART, MAY DECEMBER, THEATER
CAMP, SPIRITED, and BARB & STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR, all of
which garnered critical acclaim and numerous award
nominations.
“Comedy is the hardest and you make
it look easy Will. Congratulations! Dad loved you!” stated
Michael Douglas.
Since 2006, the annual Kirk Douglas Award for
Excellence in Film has been awarded to a lifelong
contributor to cinema through their work in front of the
camera, behind, or both. Past honorees are Ryan Gosling,
Michelle Yeoh, Martin Scorsese, Hugh Jackman, Dame Judi
Dench, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Jessica Lange, Forest
Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford,
Quentin Tarantino, Ed Harris, and John Travolta.
The 40th Santa Barbara International Film
Festival will take place LIVE February 4 - February 15,
2025.
Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and
celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city,
including at the historic Arlington Theatre. Passes for the
2025 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.
Last year, the festival had a program of 200+
films from over 48 countries with honorary awards feted on
Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Paul
Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, America Ferrera, Lily Gladstone,
Greta Lee, Charles Melton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Andrew
Scott, Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet, Billie Eilish, Ludwig
Göransson, Jennifer Lame, and Rodrigo Prieto.
A-list and industry guests will once again ascend to Santa
Barbara, making it a must-stop location on the awards
circuit, and delivering a record number of films with many
World and U.S. premieres. The film lineup and schedule will
be announced January 2025.
About the Santa Barbara International Film
Festival
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival
(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
39 years, SBIFF has become one of the top 10 film festivals
in the United States – attracting 100,000 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.
SBIFF continues its commitment to education
and the community throughout many free educational programs
and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 kids,
students and families in our local community by introducing
film as an art form to young children with programs like
AppleBox and Mike’s FieldTrip to the Movies; teaching film
analysis to highschool and college students with programs
like Rosebud and the Film Studies Program; and teaching the
craft of screenwriting and filmmaking with Film Camp and
10-10-10 Mentorship programs. Most importantly SBIFF’s
programs are always directed towards the under-represented
and under-served communities within Santa Barbara County.
In 2016, SBIFF acquired the historic and
beloved Riviera Theatre. After a capital campaign and
renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF’s state-of-the-art,
year-round home, showing new international and independent
films every day. In 2019, SBIFF opened its own Education
Center in downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as
a home for its many educational programs and a place for
creativity and learning.
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