Awkwafina, Taron Egerton & More To Be Honored At Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today the first wave of recipients to receive the Virtuosos Award presented by UGG®, an honor created to recognize a select group of talent whose noteworthy performances in film have elevated them into the national cinematic dialogue. Awkwafina (The Farewell), Taron Egerton (Rocketman), Florence Pugh (Midsommar), and Taylor Russell (Waves) will receive the award on Saturday, January 18th, which will be moderated for the tenth year by Turner Classic Movies host and IMDb special correspondent host Dave Karger. The tribute will take place at the historic Arlington Theatre during the 35th Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

"Awkwafina, Taron, Florence, and Taylor are four of the most exciting rising talents and they're all breaking through in a major way this year," says Dave Karger. "I can't wait to see all of them, plus our yet-to-be-announced honorees, up in Santa Barbara."

Last year's recipients of The Virtuosos Award were Yalitza Aparicio, Sam Elliott, Elsie Fisher, Claire Foy, Richard E. Grant, Thomasin McKenzie, John David Washington, and Steven Yeun.

The 35th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place January 15th through 25th, 2020.

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 34 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States - attracting 95,000 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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