Santa Barbara Film Fest: ‘Disclosure Day’ Star Emily Blunt Set for Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film
Emily Blunt, the Oscar-nominated actress who is back in awards contention this year for her performance in Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day, will receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival‘s 19th annual Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence in Film, the fest announced on Tuesday. Blunt will be feted at a black-tie gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara — a fundraiser for SBIFF’s year-round educational programs — on Thursday, Dec. 10.
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Blunt’s notable credits include The Devil Wears Prada, which helped to make her a star 20 years ago, as well as Sicario, A Quiet Place and A Quite Place Part II, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns, Looper, Oppenheimer, for which she received her Oscar nom, and The Smashing Machine, for which she received a Golden Globe nom. This year, she starred in The Devil Wears Prada 2, reprising her character from the first film, and in Disclosure Day, in which she plays a Kansas City TV meteorologist whose increasingly inexplicable experiences draw her into a sweeping effort to reveal the existence of extraterrestrial life to the world.
Michael Douglas, the two-time Oscar-winning son of the award’s legendary namesake, said in a statement: “Emily Blunt takes risks most actors wouldn’t dare, moving between drama, comedy, and blockbuster spectacle with the same precision and commitment. That range and authenticity are exactly what the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film was created to celebrate. We’re proud to honor her.”
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Previous recipients of the Kirk Douglas Award include the aforementioned Michael Douglas, as well as Cynthia Erivo, Will Ferrell, Ryan Gosling, Michelle Yeoh, Martin Scorsese, Hugh Jackman, Dame Judi Dench, Warren Beatty, Jane Fonda, Jessica Lange, Forest Whitaker, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, Ed Harris and John Travolta.
The 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place Feb. 3–13, 2027.
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