The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Kristin Scott Thomas with the Cinema Vanguard Award at the 24th edition of the Fest, which runs January 22-February 1, 2009, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

The Cinema Vanguard Award was created in recognition of an actor who has forged his/her own path - taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. Formally known as The Independent Award, it was bestowed last year to Ryan Gosling. This year's well-deserving recipient is Kristin Scott Thomas, and she will be feted on Tuesday, January 27, 2008.

Comments Durling, "A masterful performance by a British actress in a French film and a triumphant Broadway debut in Chekhov in the same year - Kristin Scott Thomas is in a league by herself and an artistic force to be reckoned with."

Scott Thomas has a reputation for never shying away from challenging roles and is always determined to not repeat herself. Her body of work is an extraordinary collection of acclaimed film, television and theatre performances. Making her US film debut in Prince’s “Under the Cherry Moon,” she went on to great acclaim in the 1994 comedy “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” starring opposite Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell, which won her a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress. Scott Thomas won over audiences and critics alike in 1996 with her Academy-award nominated performance in the late Anthony Minghella’s “The English Patient,” where she starred opposite Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. In 2001, Scott Thomas was part of the ensemble for Robert Altman’s acclaimed, Oscar® -winning film, “Gosford Park.” The cast, which included Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren, went on to garner numerous awards and nominations including The SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture and the Broadcast Film Critics Award for Best Ensemble. Other notable credits include: Richard Loncraine’s “Richard III,” opposite Sir Ian McKellen and Annette Bening; Philip Haas’ “Angels and Insects;” Robert Redford’s “The Horse Whisperer;” Sydney Pollack’s “Random Hearts,” starred opposite Harrison Ford; Irwin Winkler’s “Life as a House,” opposite Kevin Kline.

This fall, Scott Thomas can be seen in Phillipe Claudel’s “I’ve Loved You So Long (Il y a Longtemps que je t’aime),” a story of redemption following a woman who has committed a terrible crime and returns to live with her young sister after being banished from her family.

Scott Thomas will next be seen in “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella, including Isla Fisher, John Goodman, Joan Cusack, and John Lithgow; and in Stephen Elliot’s “Easy Virtue,” which is based on the play by Sir Noël Coward and stars opposite Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes and Colin Firth.

Tickets for The Cinema Vanguard Award Tribute to Kristin Scott Thomas at the Lobero Theatre are available now, discounted 20% until November 28, and can be purchased through www.sbfilmfestival.org or through the Lobero Box Office 805.963.0761 and the Arlington Theater Box office, 805.963.4408. Mini-Paks for the festival (NOT passes) are also discounted 20% until November 28. Festival Platinum and Cinema Passes are currently on sale exclusively at the Lobero Box Office. Box Office fees will apply for all Film Festival Passes, Mini-Paks, and event tickets.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, set to run January 22 through February 1, 2009, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture and raising consciousness of film as an art form. The SBIFF presents quality American and world independent films, Latin American and Asian sidebars as well as documentary cinema within the beautiful setting of downtown Santa Barbara, a premier tourist destination. The SBIFF is also committed to education through its Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Field Trip to the Movies, and educational seminars. With a projected audience of over 70,000 viewing more than 200 films over its eleven-day run, the SBIFF attracts an affluent local and national consumer base, while maintaining strong ties with the entertainment industry in nearby Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.sbfilmfestival.org.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Kristin Scott Thomas with the Cinema Vanguard Award at the 24th edition of the Fest, which runs January 22-February 1, 2009, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

The Cinema Vanguard Award was created in recognition of an actor who has forged his/her own path - taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. Formally known as The Independent Award, it was bestowed last year to Ryan Gosling. This year's well-deserving recipient is Kristin Scott Thomas, and she will be feted on Tuesday, January 27, 2008.

Comments Durling, "A masterful performance by a British actress in a French film and a triumphant Broadway debut in Chekhov in the same year - Kristin Scott Thomas is in a league by herself and an artistic force to be reckoned with."

Scott Thomas has a reputation for never shying away from challenging roles and is always determined to not repeat herself. Her body of work is an extraordinary collection of acclaimed film, television and theatre performances. Making her US film debut in Prince’s “Under the Cherry Moon,” she went on to great acclaim in the 1994 comedy “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” starring opposite Hugh Grant and Andie McDowell, which won her a BAFTA award for Best Supporting Actress. Scott Thomas won over audiences and critics alike in 1996 with her Academy-award nominated performance in the late Anthony Minghella’s “The English Patient,” where she starred opposite Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. In 2001, Scott Thomas was part of the ensemble for Robert Altman’s acclaimed, Oscar® -winning film, “Gosford Park.” The cast, which included Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren, went on to garner numerous awards and nominations including The SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by the Cast of a Theatrical Motion Picture and the Broadcast Film Critics Award for Best Ensemble. Other notable credits include: Richard Loncraine’s “Richard III,” opposite Sir Ian McKellen and Annette Bening; Philip Haas’ “Angels and Insects;” Robert Redford’s “The Horse Whisperer;” Sydney Pollack’s “Random Hearts,” starred opposite Harrison Ford; Irwin Winkler’s “Life as a House,” opposite Kevin Kline.

This fall, Scott Thomas can be seen in Phillipe Claudel’s “I’ve Loved You So Long (Il y a Longtemps que je t’aime),” a story of redemption following a woman who has committed a terrible crime and returns to live with her young sister after being banished from her family.

Scott Thomas will next be seen in “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” based on the novel by Sophie Kinsella, including Isla Fisher, John Goodman, Joan Cusack, and John Lithgow; and in Stephen Elliot’s “Easy Virtue,” which is based on the play by Sir Noël Coward and stars opposite Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes and Colin Firth.

Tickets for The Cinema Vanguard Award Tribute to Kristin Scott Thomas at the Lobero Theatre are available now, discounted 20% until November 28, and can be purchased through www.sbfilmfestival.org or through the Lobero Box Office 805.963.0761 and the Arlington Theater Box office, 805.963.4408. Mini-Paks for the festival (NOT passes) are also discounted 20% until November 28. Festival Platinum and Cinema Passes are currently on sale exclusively at the Lobero Box Office. Box Office fees will apply for all Film Festival Passes, Mini-Paks, and event tickets.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, set to run January 22 through February 1, 2009, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture and raising consciousness of film as an art form. The SBIFF presents quality American and world independent films, Latin American and Asian sidebars as well as documentary cinema within the beautiful setting of downtown Santa Barbara, a premier tourist destination. The SBIFF is also committed to education through its Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Field Trip to the Movies, and educational seminars. With a projected audience of over 70,000 viewing more than 200 films over its eleven-day run, the SBIFF attracts an affluent local and national consumer base, while maintaining strong ties with the entertainment industry in nearby Los Angeles. For more information, please visit www.sbfilmfestival.org.