Santa Barbara Film Festival Announces 2027 Virtuosos Award Honorees

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has named the actors receiving the 2027 Virtuosos Award. This prize honors film performers whose recent work has made them a major part of the conversation about the year's best acting. The eight honorees are Carrie Coon, Mariana di Girolamo, Rosalind Eleazar, Jordan Firstman, Anthony Ippolito, Jaafar Jackson, Inde Navarrette and Kate O'Flynn. Coon is being recognized for "The Liberation," while di Girolamo is honored for "Wild Horse Nine" and Eleazar for "Misty Green." Firstman gets the award for "Club Kid," Ippolito for "I Play Rocky," Jackson for "Michael," Navarrette for "Obsession" and O'Flynn for "Tender Loving Care." Past winners over the last six years include stars like Zendaya, Austin Butler, Jacob Elordi and Andrew Scott.

Event Details

The group will travel to the festival to accept their awards and talk about their acting projects on Feb. 7. The 42nd annual festival runs from Feb. 3 to Feb. 13 with events across the city, including at the Arlington Theatre and the new SBIFF Film Center. Other major honorees at the festival include John Malkovich and Andrew Garfield.

Context

Film festivals often hand out special acting honors before their main award ceremonies to highlight rising stars and actors from critically praised independent or major movies. These events help build public interest and media buzz for the films and performers ahead of the wider awards season.