SBIFF TO BESTOW BEN AFFLECK WITH  MODERN MASTER AWARD   The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, presented by lynda.com, will honor director, producer and actor Ben Affleck with the Modern Master Award at the 28th edition of the Fest, which runs January 24 -February 3, 2013, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.  The Tribute will take place on Saturday, January 26, 2013 at the historic Arlington Theatre.   “Afflec...

The Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) announced today that multiple Academy Award® winning actor and humanitarian Sean Penn will receive the coveted Golden Icon Award at this year’s Festival, taking place September 22nd – October 2nd. The announcement was made by ZFF Directors Karl Spoerri and Nadja Schildknecht. Serving as the Festival’s most prestigious symbol of recognition, awarded in appreciation of the lifetime achievements of an actor or actress, the Golden Icon Award will be...

Clint Eastwood has been selected to receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s highest honor, The Modern Master Award, it was announced by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. The Tribute will take place on Thursday, January 29, at the historic Arlington Theatre.The Modern Master Award is the highest honor presented by SBIFF. Established in 1995, it was created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through his/her accomplishments in the motion picture industry. ...

Cate Blanchett can only be described as gorgeous, gracious, well, really a host of other adjectives. And she's funny, and smart. And stunning when pregnant. When she sat on stage to review and discuss the body of work that has given her the title of Modern Master, it was a chance for the hundreds in attendance, braving the Saturday night rain, to sit with Cate for two hours and get a glimpse of the person behind the on-screen persona, or the plethora of compelling characters. One of the remarkab...

The 19th Annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will honor Academy Award winner Sean Penn with the Director of the Year Award for his latest film Into the Wild at the Festival’s annual Awards Gala on Saturday, January 5, 2008. Past director honorees include Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel, Anthony Minghella for Cold Mountain, Alexander Payne for Sideways and Ang Lee for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.Festival chairman Earl Greenburg said, “Into the Wild is a magnif...

The 2007 Santa Barbara International Film Festival announces their slate of films for the 22nd installment. The festival, which welcomes Chrysler and The New Yorker as Premiere Sponsors, takes place over 11 days beginning Thursday, January 25, through Sunday, February 4, and will feature 22 World Premieres, 18 US Premieres, and introduce films from 40 countries. “This is the most ambitious and most diverse line up of events and films the Festival has ever had,” commented SBIFF Director Ro...