SANTA BARBARA, CA -
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is honored to
announce cinema icon Jamie Lee Curtis will be receiving the
prestigious Maltin Modern Master Award at the 38th annual
Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Curtis will
receive the award on Saturday, February 11th following an
in-person conversation about her career leading up to this
year’s performances as Laurie Strode in Halloween Ends, a
beloved character that she has portrayed for a record 44
years as well as Deidre Beaubeirdre in A24’s critically
acclaimed smash hit Everything Everywhere All At Once.
“Jamie Lee Curtis has long since proven that she has staying
power. People want to watch her, whether it’s in a Halloween
movie or an offbeat character role. She’s talented and
charismatic, and in the process does her movie-star parents
proud” said Leonard Maltin.
Jamie Lee Curtis has demonstrated her versatility as a film
actress, starring in acclaimed films such as the blockbuster
True Lies, for which she won a Golden Globe Award; Trading
Places, for which she earned a BAFTA (British Film Academy
Award) for Best Supporting Actress; A Fish Called Wanda, for
which she received duel Best Actress nominations from BAFTA
and the Golden Globes; and the Disney feature film Freaky
Friday, for which she received a Golden Globe nomination. In
2021 Jamie received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement
at the Venice Film Festival.
It was her portrayal of Laurie Strode in Halloween, which
was her film debut and brought her to the attention of
audiences worldwide. 40 years later, in 2018, Curtis
reprieved that signature role in David Gordon Green’s
record-breaking horror feature, Halloween, produced by
horror guru Jason Blum. Halloween’s opening weekend was the
biggest debut ever, for any movie in any genre, to feature a
female lead character over 55 years of age. The second film
in the trilogy Halloween Kills was released in October 2021,
and Halloween Ends, the final film in the trilogy was
released October 14. In 2015, Curtis returned to her horror
roots, starring in two seasons of the Ryan Murphy-created TV
series Scream Queens, for which she received a Golden Globe
nomination. In 2019 Curtis appeared in the smash hit Knives
Out and in 2021 completed filming Borderlands alongside Cate
Blanchett and Kevin Hart. Earlier this year Jamie appeared
opposite Michelle Yeoh in the critically acclaimed box
office smash Everything Everywhere All At Once. Next August
she will appear as Madame Leota in the Disney feature
Haunted Mansion.
In 2019 Curtis formed Comet Pictures, which is a film,
television and podcast production company that has a
first-look deal with Blumhouse. Comet's projects in the
works include: Scarpetta, a series based on Patricia
Cornwell's best-selling novels about forensic pathologist
Kay Scarpetta; Mother Nature, an eco-horror film that Curtis
will direct and co-wrote with Russell Goldman, based on the
forthcoming graphic novel written by Curtis and Goldman and
illustrated by Karl Stevens; a third and final season of the
best-selling Audible scripted comedy/mystery podcast Letters
From Camp, written by Boco Haft; a horror short Return to
Sender, directed by Goldman and starring Allison Tolman.
Curtis is also the founder and CEO of the website MY HAND IN
YOURS, which is a charitable organization that offers
comfort and celebration items with 100% of every sale being
donated directly to Children's Hospital Los Angeles, an
organization Curtis has been associated with for a very long
time. Curtis is also a New York Times best-selling
children’s book author having written 13 books.
The Modern Master Award was established in 1995 and is the
highest accolade presented by SBIFF. Created to honor an
individual who has enriched our culture through
accomplishments in the motion picture industry, it was
re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 in honor of
long-time SBIFF moderator and renowned film critic Leonard
Maltin. Past recipients include Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem,
Bill Murray, Brad Pitt, Glenn Close, Denzel Washington,
Michael Keaton, Bruce Dern, Ben Affleck, Christopher
Plummer, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood,
Cate Blanchett, Will Smith, George Clooney and Peter
Jackson.
The 38th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take
place LIVE February 8 - February 18, 2023. 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 and
tickets for the 2023 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.
Last year, SBIFF had a triumphant return to in-person
screenings, panels, and events. The festival had 48 world
premiere, 95 U.S. premieres, with honorary awards feted on
Javier Bardem, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Stewart, Penélope
Cruz, Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis, Benedict Cumberbatch,
Caitriona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Alana Haim, Ciarán Hinds,
Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Simon Rex, Saniyya Sidney, Paul
Thomas Anderson, Kenneth Branagh, Jane Campion, Ryusuke
Hamaguchi, and Steven Spielberg. Historically, A-list guests
ascend to Santa Barbara, making it a must-stop location on
the awards circuit, and the festival delivers an unpresented
number of films with many World and U.S. premieres. The film
lineup and schedule will be announced January, 2023.
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 37
years, SBIFF has become one of the leading 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. In 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the
acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre.
After a capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now
SBIFF’s new 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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