Let the Santa Barbara International Film Festival Stargazing Commence

The star-studded tribute announcements from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) team are starting to stack up to one of the most exciting celebrity-filled events in memory. First up, on January 13, everyone’s favorite Ken is coming to town. Ryan Gosling — whose critically acclaimed performance in this year’s Barbie has been generating Oscar buzz from the get-go, not to mention a multitude of marvelous memes — will receive the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at a black-tie fundraising dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. Proceeds go to benefit SBIFF’s year-round educational programs.

“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,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

Iron Man himself, two-time Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Robert Downey Jr. will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award on February 9. This prestigious award is SBIFF’s highest accolade, and Downey will be interviewed on stage at the Arlington by legendary film historian and critic Leonard Maltin, for whom the award is named.

“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 of Downey’s five-decade acting career. Downey’s most recent on-screen appearance was as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan’s global blockbuster Oppenheimer.

Also hitting the SBIFF red carpet is Mark Ruffalo, who will be honored with the American Riviera Award on February 11. Ruffalo will next be seen in Yorgos Lanthimos’s film Poor Things and Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17. Ruffalo — who is also respected for his environmental and social justice activism — was nominated for Academy Awards for his roles 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 Thing is a revelation,” said Durling. “An extraordinary talent that just keeps outdoing himself.” 

Additional extraordinary talent on the calendar to be recognized include the Virtuosos Award winners. The first four (with more to be announced in December) to appear on February 10 at the Arlington are: Lily Gladstone (Killers of the Flower Moon), Greta Lee (Past Lives), Charles Melton (May December), and Da’Vine Joy Randolph (The Holdovers). —Leslie Dinaberg

SBIFF will take place February 7-17, 2024. Passes are on sale now at sbiff.org. The film lineup and schedule will be announced in January.