Saoirse Ronan To Receive Santa Barbara Award at 33rd Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Saoirse Ronan will receive their prestigious Santa Barbara Award, presented by UGG, for her critically acclaimed role in Greta Gerwig's Lady Bird, an A24 release. Given to a person in the entertainment industry who has made a great contribution to film, the award will be presented to her at a ceremony on Sunday, February 4, 2018 at the historic Arlington Theatre.

"In Lady Bird, Saoirse Ronan has once again proven that she is a force of nature and one of her generation's most exciting young talents," stated SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. "She embodies her characters with a poignant accuracy and ease every time she appears on screen."

Ronan's numerous film credits include The Grand Budapest Hotel, Hanna, The Lovely Bones, and The Way Back. She has received Academy Award nominations for her performances in Atonement and Brooklyn, and recently was awarded the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy for her performance in Lady Bird.

Past recipients of the award include Isabelle Huppert, Sylvester Stallone, Jennifer Aniston, Oprah Winfrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Javier Bardem, Bill Condon, and Naomi Watts.

The 33rd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place from Wednesday, January 31st through Saturday, February 10th. The festival previously honored Judi Dench with its Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The festival has also announced that it will honor Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) with its Maltin Modern Master Award, Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) with its Cinema Vanguard Award, and Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Hong Chau (Downsizing), John Boyega (Detroit), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), and Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name) with the Virtuosos Award.

The Santa Barbra International Film Festival would like to thank the City of Santa Barbara's first responders and emergency authorities that have assisted with the relief from the fires and flooding that have recently devastated the city. Their bravery and sacrifice cannot be overstated in providing relief during what has been an increasingly difficult time for Santa Barbara. To support those affected in the immediate aftermath of the disaster please visit www.redcross.org, as well as http://cafirefoundation.org/ and https://www.directrelief.org/ .

For more information, and to purchase tickets, festival passes and packages, please visit www.sbiff.org.

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival 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 30 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.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community through free programs like its 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Mike's Field Trip to the Movies, National Film Studies Program, AppleBox Family Films, 3rd Weekend and educational seminars. In June of 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. The theatre is SBIFF's new home and is the catalyst for program expansion and marks the first time that Santa Barbara has had a 24/7 community center to expand their mission of educational outreach.

Two-time Oscar nominee Saoirse Ronan broke into Hollywood at just 13-years-old with her critically-acclaimed performance as 'Briony Tallis' in ATONEMENT, opposite Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. The role garnered her a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Oscar nomination. In 2015, Ronan starred as 'Eilis' in FOX Searchlight's BROOKLYN, directed by John Crowley and screenplay by Nick Hornby. Her portrayal of a young Irish woman in the 1950s, forced to choose between two men and two countries, earned her Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA nominations for Actress in a Lead Role. The film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year.

Ronan can currently be seen in LADY BIRD, directed by Greta Gerwig, about the adventures of a young woman living in Northern California for a year. The role earned her a Golden Globe as well as a BAFTA, Critics' Choice, and Independent Spirit Award nomination for Actress in a Leading Role. Also released this year was LOVING VINCENT, an illustrated feature film about the life and death of Vincent Van Gogh. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Animated Motion Picture.

She recently wrapped production on MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS produced by Focus Features. Ronan plays the title character and the film follows her LIFE AFTER being condemned to years in prison after attempting to overthrow her cousin Queen Elizabeth I. She also recently wrapped production on ON CHESIL BEACH, a drama set in the early 1960s centered around a young couple on their honeymoon, directed by Dominic Cooke with screenplay and novel by Ian McEwan.

Last year, Ronan made her Broadway debut in Ivo van Hove's revival of THE CRUCIBLE alongside Ben Whishaw, Sophie Okonedo, and Ciaran Hinds. She also wrapped production on the movie adaptation of Anton Chekhov's THE SEAGULL directed by Michael Mayer, where she stars opposite Annette Bening and Corey Stoll. The film centers on the fading actress Irina Arkadina's relationship with her son Konstantin, a failing playwright in love with a young actress 'Nina,' portrayed by Ronan.

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy

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