This year’s Virtuoso Award winners will be featured at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on April 3. From left are (top row) Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Andra Day; (bottom row) Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim and Zendaya.
SANTA BARBARA — Eight actors will receive this year’s Virtuoso Award at the 36th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
The festival will run from March 31 through April 10. Virtuoso award winners will be honored April 3.
The actors are being recognized for noteworthy cinematic performances that sparked national dialogue, according to a festival news release.
This year’s winners are Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”), Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”), Kingsley Ben-Adir (“One Night in Miami”), Andra Day (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”), Sidney Flanigan (“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”), Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”), Tahar Rahim (“The Mauritanian”) and Zendaya (“Malcolm & Marie”).
“Even though the movie industry was turned upside down in 2020, this year’s impressive — and international — roster of Virtuosos proves that there is still a great deal of exciting rising talent delivering wonderful work,” event moderator Dave Karger said in a statement.
“I can’t wait to gather this phenomenal group and introduce them to the Santa Barbara audience,” said Mr. Karger, who is a Turner Classic Movies host.
Tickets for the festival will be available soon at sbiff.org.
— Madison Hirneisen
