Ethan Hawke to be Honored with American Riviera Award at 41st Annual SBIFF

ETHAN HAWKE TO BE HONORED WITH

AMERICAN RIVIERA AWARD

AT 41^st ANNUAL SANTA BARBARA

INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2026

SANTA BARBARA, CA, January 28, 2026 – Ethan Hawke will be honored with the American Riviera Award at the 41st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Hawke will receive the award on Friday, February 6 at an in-person conversation celebrating his remarkable career, culminating in his performance in BLUE MOON. In the film, Hawke delivers one of the most transformative performances of his career as lyricist Lorenz Hart, earning his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and his fifth Oscar nomination overall. The film marks his ninth collaboration with filmmaker Richard Linklater and has garnered widespread critical acclaim, along with BAFTA, SAG, Golden Globe, Critics Choice and Gotham Award nominations. The conversation will be moderated by TCM’s Dave Karger.

“Ethan is a greatly admired, versatile and risk-taking artist who has always gravitated toward complex roles. It has been a thrill over the past 40 years to watch this remarkable performer mature from a young heartthrob into one of America’s greatest character actors. In film, in theater, and as a director, Ethan is a powerhouse,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

The American Riviera Award was established to recognize actors who have made a significant contribution to American cinema. Previous recipients include Zoe Saldaña, Mark Ruffalo, Brendan Fraser, Kristen Stewart, Delroy Lindo, Renée Zellweger, Viggo Mortensen, Sam Rockwell, Jeff Bridges, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Patricia Arquette, Robert Redford, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Annette Bening, Sandra Bullock, Mickey Rourke, Tommy Lee Jones, Forrest Whitaker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane.

Over the past four decades, Hawke has established himself as one of the most versatile and respected artists working today. An actor, writer, director and producer, he has earned five Academy Award nominations for both his performances and his screenwriting. He is also currently receiving strong reviews for his starring and executive producing role in FX’s The Lowdown, named one of AFI’s Television Programs of the Year.

Hawke’s expansive body of work includes acclaimed performances in Training Day, Boyhood,First Reformed, Showtime’s limited series The Good Lord Bird, plus Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, Gattaca, Reality Bites, Maudie, The Northman, Sinister, The Purge, The Black Phone, Leave the World Behind, Great Expectations, White Fang, Marvel’s Moon Knight, Pedro Almodóvar’s short film Strange Way of Life and the celebrated Before trilogy (Before Sunrise and its sequels Before Sunset and Before Midnight), for which he received two writing Oscar nominations alongside his collaborators Julie Delpy and Richard Linklater. As a filmmaker, he has directed the narrative features Chelsea Walls, The Hottest State, Blaze and Wildcat, as well as documentaries including Seymour: An Introduction and The Last Movie Stars. A Tony Award nominee for Tom Stoppard’s The Coast of Utopia, Hawke has maintained an active stage career alongside his film and television work and is also a best-selling author.

The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place February 4-14, 2026. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels and celebrity tributes will be held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre and the new McHurley Film Center. Passes for the 2026 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.

Other recently announced tributes include Michael B. Jordan (Outstanding Performer of the Year Award), Adam Sandler (Maltin Modern Master Award), Stellan Skarsgård (Montecito Award), Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro (Hammond Cinema Vanguard Award), Kate Hudson (Arlington Artist of the Year Award), and the Virtuosos Award honoring Jacob Elordi, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Chase Infiniti, Amy Madigan, Wunmi Mosaku, Wagner Moura, Sydney Sweeney, Teyana Taylor and Jeremy Allen White.

Last year, the Festival featured more than 200 films, including 33 world premieres and 74 U.S. premieres from 60 countries, and celebrated more than 50 Academy Award winners and nominees. A-list and industry guests will once again ascend to Santa Barbara, solidifying the Festival as a must-stop on the awards circuit.

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 40 years, SBIFF has become one of the leading 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, to engage, enrich, and inspire through film.

Sponsors of the 41st SBIFF include: Nora McNeely Hurley Foundation, FIJI Water, Santa Barbara City, Yardi, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, Panavision, John C. Mithun Foundation, US Bank, Sonos, The Veraison Fund, Montecito Bank & Trust, The Fund for Santa Barbara, ADL Santa Barbara/Tri-Counties, Kaleidoscope Productions, Patagonia, Film Florida, Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts, American Society of Cinematographers, The Santa Barbara Independent, Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation, Bentson Foundation, Morton Family Foundation, Zegar Family Fund, Volentine Family Foundation, Toad&Co, El Encanto, Longoria Wines, Topa Topa Brewing Company, Nosotros Tequila & Mezcal, and many more generous supporters through donations and trade.

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 the 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 high school 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.

More recently, SBIFF secured a long-term lease for the iconic multi-plex at 916 State Street in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara. This landmark acquisition and recent renovation of a state-of-the-art Film Center will be a vibrant, year-round destination that will serve as a central hub for cinema enthusiasts and the heart of SBIFF’s renowned Film Festival. Building on the success of the Riviera Theatre revitalization in 2016 and the opening of its own Education Center in 2019 in the downtown area, SBIFF continues to strengthen its commitment to the cultural fabric of Santa Barbara.