The 39th Annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival kicks off on February 7th,  and this week the festival announced two more legendary actors who will be receiving special awards, adding more hype to an already star-studded lineup: Paul Giamatti and Annette Bening. Both Academy Awards nominees this year, Giamatti and Bening will receive their honors during the second week of SBIFF.

Paul Giamatti to Receive the Cinema Vanguard Award

On Wednesday, February 14th Paul Giamatti will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award at the festival. In addition to his decades-long body of work, Giamatti will be honored for his role as a curmudgeonly teacher in The Holdovers. Earlier this month, Giamatti won both a Golden Globe & Critics Choice Award for his performance in the Alexander Payne-directed film.

“This is a long overdue tribute for an actor’s actor who deserves all the accolades.  His work has been exemplary and his collaborations with Alexander Payne are nothing short of perfection. I can’t think of anyone more worthy of this recognition for a performance in a film that so effortlessly navigates the intricate tapestry of human relationships” SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling noted.

Giamatt joins his Holdovers co-star Da’Vine Joy Randolph in being honored both at SBIFF (Randolph is set to receive a Virtuoso Award from the festival) and by the Academy.

Annette Bening to Receive Inaugural Arlington Award

Annette Bening will receive the first ever Arlington Award from the festival on Friday, February 16th, an in-person conversation. The discussion will span Bening’s career leading up to her acclaimed performance in this year’s film Nyad. Her performance as athlete Diana Nyad who completed an 110-mile open ocean swim from Cuba to Florida also garnered Bening an Academy Award nomination this year, making her a five-time Oscar nominee.

Durling said the following about the new award and its inaugural recipient:

“This is the first award added to our slate in twenty years. It is made to honor an artist who is greatly admired and who has demonstrated an incomparable commitment to film and its craft. Ms. Bening has not only displayed all of those qualities, but is considered by us to be a friend of the film festival. It feels fitting that this award – named after the home of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival – is first given to her.”

The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 7 – February 17, 2024. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city. Passes for the 2024 Festival and tickets to the above awards are on sale now at sbiff.org.

More About the 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival

A-list and industry guests will again ascend to Santa Barbara, making it a hot location on the awards circuit, and delivering a record number of films with many premieres. The festival will open with the World Premiere of Disney’s MADU and close with the World Premiere of CHOSEN FAMILY. The festival will debut 45 World Premiere and 77 U.S. Premieres from 48 countries. Check out the film lineup and full festival schedule on sbiff.org.