Sam Rockwell to Receive American Riviera Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced today that Golden Globe and Critics' Choice Award winner Sam Rockwell will be honored with the 2018 American Riviera Award at the 33rd edition of the Fest, which runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 10, 2018. Rockwell will be fêted with a Tribute celebrating his remarkable performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. The film opened in November of 2017 to critical acclaim. The Tribute will take place Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at the historic Arlington Theatre.

"In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, audiences are treated to the kind of mesmerizing and extraordinary performance we have come to expect from Sam Rockwell," stated Roger Durling, Executive Director of SBIFF. "We are long overdue to celebrate this tremendous talent who has lit up the screen for decades."

Martin McDonagh's Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, follows a mother who, when the police in her town fail to find a suspect in her daughter's murder, purchases three billboards to call public attention to the unsolved crime. When the town's revered chief of police and his second-in-command get involved, the battle between the mother and Ebbing's law enforcement becomes exacerbated.

The American Riviera Award was established to recognize actors who have made a significant contribution to American Cinema. Rockwell will join a prestigious group of past recipients, including last year's honoree Jeff Bridges (2017), Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Mark Ruffalo (2016), Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke (2015), Robert Redford (2014), Quentin Tarantino (2013), Martin Scorsese (2012), Annette Bening (2011), Sandra Bullock (2010), Mickey Rourke (2009), Tommy Lee Jones (2008), Forrest Whitaker (2007), Philip Seymour Hoffman (2006), Kevin Bacon (2005) and Diane Lane (2004).

The 33rd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place from Wednesday, January 31st through Saturday, February 10th. The festival previously honored Judi Dench with its Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film. The festival has also announced that it will honor Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird) with its Santa Barbara Award, Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour) with its Maltin Modern Master Award, Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project) with its Cinema Vanguard Award, and Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Hong Chau (Downsizing), John Boyega (Detroit), Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), and Timothée Chalamet (Call Me by Your Name) with the Virtuosos Award.

The Santa Barbra International Film Festival would like to thank the City of Santa Barbara's first responders and emergency authorities that have assisted with the relief from the fires and flooding that have recently devastated the city. Their bravery and sacrifice cannot be overstated in providing relief during what has been an increasingly difficult time for Santa Barbara. To support those affected in the immediate aftermath of the disaster please visit www.redcross.org, as well as http://cafirefoundation.org/ and https://www.directrelief.org/.

For more information, and to purchase tickets, festival passes and packages, please visit www.sbiff.org.

About the Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival 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 30 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading film festivals in the United States - attracting 90,000 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 through free programs like its 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Mike's Field Trip to the Movies, National Film Studies Program, AppleBox Family Films, 3rd Weekend and educational seminars. In June of 2016, SBIFF entered a new era with the acquisition of the historic and beloved Riviera Theatre. The theatre is SBIFF's new home and is the catalyst for program expansion and marks the first time that Santa Barbara has had a 24/7 community center to expand their mission of educational outreach.