SANTA BARBARA, CA, October 30, 2025 – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has announced the recipients of the 2026 Virtuosos Award, an honor established to recognize a select group of talent whose exceptional work in films this year has placed them at the center of the conversation around noteworthy cinematic performances. Jacob Elordi, Chase Infiniti, Amy Madigan, Wagner Moura, Renate Reinsve, Sydney Sweeney, Teyana Taylor and Jeremy Allen White will discuss their work and receive their awards in person on Sunday, February 8 during the 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The evening will be moderated for the 16th year by Dave Karger, Turner Classic Movies host.
“This year’s group of Virtuosos are as impressive as they are eclectic. We’ve got three international actors, two megastars from acclaimed television series, two breakouts from the latest Paul Thomas Anderson film, and even one veteran performer who earned an Oscar nomination 40 years ago. I can’t wait to return to Santa Barbara for my 16th year and chat with them all,” said Karger.
Virtuosos honorees from the last five years include Kieran Culkin, Harris Dickinson, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Clarence Maclin, Mikey Madison, John Magaron, Lily Gladstone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Greta Lee, Charles Melton, America Ferrera, Andrew Scott, Austin Butler, Kerry Condon, Danielle Deadwyler, Nina Hoss, Stephanie Hsu, Jeremy Pope, Ke Huy Quan, Jeremy Strong, Caitriona Balfe, Ariana DeBose, Jamie Dornan, Alana Haim, Ciarán Hinds, Emilia Jones, Troy Kotsur, Simon Rex, Saniyya Sidney, Riz Ahmed, Maria Bakalova, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Andra Day, Sidney Flanigan, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim, and Zendaya.
The 41st Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place February 4 – February 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 at the soon-to-be-completed SBIFF Film Center. Passes for the 2026 Festival are on sale now at sbiff.org.
Last year, the festival’s program featured more than 200 films, showcasing 33 world premieres and 74 U.S. premieres from 60 countries. More than 50 Academy Award winners and nominees were celebrated, including Angelina Jolie, Zoe Saldaña, Colman Domingo, Ralph Fiennes, Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, Monica Barbaro, Selena Gomez, Ariana Grande, Clarence Maclin, Mikey Madison, John Magaro, Sebastian Stan, Fernanda Torres, Timothée Chalamet, Brady Corbet, Coralie Fargeat, Jacques Audiard, James Mangold and Sean Baker, among others. 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.
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 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 through film.
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. In 2024, with support from the City of Santa Barbara, SBIFF acquired SBIFF’s Film Center; a 5-plex movie theatre at 916 State Street in the heart of downtown. Soon the theatre will have a state-of-the-art renovation and will exponentially elevate SBIFF’s impact to new heights as well as secure the future of the annual 11 day Film Festival.
SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community throughout many free educational programs and events. SBIFF’s programs support over 18,000 young people, 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.