Will Ferrell To Receive SBIFF’s 17th Annual Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence in Film

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is honored to announce that actor, writer, producer, and comedy legend Will Ferrell will be receiving the 17th annual Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence in Film. The prestigious award, which benefits Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s year-round educational programs, will be presented on Wednesday, December 11, 2024 at a Black-Tie dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. This marks the third time since the passing of screen legend Kirk Douglas that the honor will be awarded.

Ferrell’s incredible talent can next be seen in the Gloria Sanchez Productions and Netflix’s upcoming documentary, one of this year’s crowd favorites at Sundance Film Festival, “Will & Harper.” In the film, Ferrell’s good friend of 30 years, Harper Steele, comes out as a trans woman. The pair embark on a road trip to process this new stage in their friendship and reintroduce Harper to the country she loves as her authentic self. This documentary is Ferrell’s seventh collaboration with Harper Steele, having previously worked together on “Saturday Night Live,” where Ferrell was a cast member for multiple years, as well as projects such as EUROVISION SONG CONTEST: THE STORY OF FIRE SAGA, “The Royal Wedding Live with Cord and Tish!”, “The Ron Burgundy Podcast,” Funny or Die, and Old Milwaukee Campaign.

With a career spanning over three decades, Ferrell has become one of the most influential figures in comedy as well as a box office sensation. The multifaceted powerhouse began his journey on “Saturday Night Live” and quickly rose to stardom with iconic performances in films such as ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND OF RON BURGUNDY, TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RON BURGUNDY, ELF, STEP BROTHERS, STRANGER THAN FICTION and most recently, the global hit BARBIE.

Along with producing partner Jessica Elbaum, Ferrell is also the co-founder of Gloria Sanchez Productions. In 2020, the company announced a multi-year first-look deal with Netflix on the heels of the incredible overnight success of the Emmy-nominated series “Dead to Me.” The production shingle set a multi-year first-look deal with 20th Century Studios in 2021. Since its inception, the production company has also been credited with HUSTLERS, BOOKSMART, MAY DECEMBER, THEATER CAMP, SPIRITED, and BARB & STAR GO TO VISTA DEL MAR, all of which garnered critical acclaim and numerous award nominations.

“Comedy is the hardest and you make it look easy Will. Congratulations! Dad loved you!” stated Michael Douglas.

Since 2006, the annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film has been awarded to a lifelong contributor to cinema through their work in front of the camera, behind, or both. Past honorees are Ryan Gosling, Michelle Yeoh, Martin Scorsese, Hugh Jackman, Dame Judi Dench, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Jessica Lange, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, Ed Harris, and John Travolta.

The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 4 – February 15, 2025. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre. Passes for the 2025 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.

Last year, the festival had a program of 200+ films from over 48 countries with honorary awards feted on Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, America Ferrera, Lily Gladstone, Greta Lee, Charles Melton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Andrew Scott, Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet, Billie Eilish, Ludwig Göransson, Jennifer Lame, and Rodrigo Prieto. A-list and industry guests will once again ascend to Santa Barbara, making it a must-stop location on the awards circuit, and delivering a record number of films with many World and U.S. premieres. The film lineup and schedule will be announced January 2025.

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. Over the past 39 years, SBIFF has become one of the top 10 film festivals in the United States – attracting 100,000 attendees and offering 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums, fulfilling their mission to engage, enrich, and inspire the Santa Barbara community through film.

SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 kids, students and families in our local community by introducing film as an art form to young children with programs like AppleBox and Mike’s FieldTrip to the Movies; teaching film analysis to highschool and college students with programs like Rosebud and the Film Studies Program; and teaching the craft of screenwriting and filmmaking with Film Camp and 10-10-10 Mentorship programs. Most importantly SBIFF’s programs are always directed towards the under-represented and under-served communities within Santa Barbara County.

In 2016, SBIFF acquired the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. After a capital campaign and renovation, the theatre is now SBIFF’s state-of-the-art, year-round home, showing new international and independent films every day. In 2019, SBIFF opened its own Education Center in downtown Santa Barbara on State Street to serve as a home for its many educational programs and a place for creativity and learning.