SBIFF's Cinema Vanguard Award honoree Benedict Cumberbatch announced!

CINEMA VANGUARD AWARD

HONORING BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 9th, 2022

Academy Award nominee Benedict Cumberbatch will be honored with the Cinema Vanguard Award at the 37th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. He will receive the award on Wednesday, March 9th following an in-person conversation about his career leading up to this year’s performance in Jane Campion’s THE POWER OF THE DOG from Netflix.

"He’s an intelligent, enigmatic and deeply committed artist who comfortably straddles a career in blockbusters and independent cinema where he works with visionary talent like Jane Campion. We’re ecstatically planning our celebration of Benedict Cumberbatch" remarked SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling.

The Cinema Vanguard Award recognizes actors who have forged their own path, taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. Previous honorees include Carey Mulligan, Laura Dern, Michael B. Jordan, William DaFoe, Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Rooney Mara, Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams, Jean Dujardin, Bernice Bejo, Nicole Kidman, Peter Sarsgaard, Christoph Waltz, Vera Farmiga, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stanley Tucci and Ryan Gosling.

The 37th Santa Barbara International Film Festival, presented by UGG®, will take place LIVE on March 2 through March 12, 2022. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre. This year’s lineup will be announced February 2022.