The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will honor Javier Bardem at the 23rd edition of the Fest with the Montecito Award, which runs January 24-February 3, 2008, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling.

Bardem, whose performance in “No Country for Old Men” has already garnered him accolades, will be presented with the Montecito Award on Monday, January 28, at the Lobero Theatre. Bardem plays the chilling and offbeat villain Anton Chigurh who flips coins for human lives and leaves no witnesses behind. “After a rising career in Europe and in the U.S., Bardem is an amazing artist at the top of his game,” comments Durling, “and his performance in ‘No Country,’ in particular, is as classic as Tony Perkins in ‘Psycho’ and Anthony Hopkins in ‘Silence Of The Lambs’.

The Montecito Award was created in recognition of a performer who has given a series of classic and standout performances in his/her career. Bardem first stood out in 1992 with a lead role opposite Penelope Cruz in “Jamón, jamón,” and has played a variety of characters in Spanish cinema, including the classic Almodovar film “Live Flesh,” also opposite Cruz. His exceptional work eventually captured the attention of Hollywood; he became the first Spaniard to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor in 2000 for his portrayal of the Cuban poet and dissident Reinaldo Arenas in Julian Schnabel’s “Before Night Falls.” That role also garnered him awards for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival, National Society of Film Critics, the Independent Spirit Award and the National Board of Review, as well as a Golden Globe nomination. He received a second Best Actor Award at the Venice Film Festival (only one other actor has won this award twice) and Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Alejandro Amenabar’s “The Sea Inside.” He also stars in Mike Newell’s “Love in the Time of Cholera,” due to be released in November, 2007.

The Montecito Award Tribute to Javier Bardem will take place at the Lobero Theatre with a multimedia presentation produced by Paul Fagen of P. Fagen Productions. Tickets for the events will go on sale Monday, October 29 and can be purchased through HYPERLINK "http://www.sbfilmfestival.org" www.sbfilmfestival.org or through the Lobero Box Office, 805.963.0761 and the Arlington Theater Box office, 805.963.4408. Festival Platinum and Cinema Passes are currently on sale exclusively at the Lobero Box Office. Box Office fees will apply for all Film Festival Passes, Mini-Paks, and event tickets.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, set to run January 24 through February 3, 2008, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture and raising consciousness of film as an art form. The SBIFF presents quality American and world independent films, Latin American and Asian sidebars as well as documentary cinema within the beautiful setting of downtown Santa Barbara, a premier tourist destination. The SBIFF is also committed to education through its Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Field Trip to the Movies, and educational seminars. With a projected audience of over 60,000 viewing more than 200 films over its eleven-day run, the SBIFF attracts an affluent local and national consumer base, while maintaining strong ties with the entertainment industry in nearby Los Angeles. For more information, please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.sbfilmfestival.org" www.sbfilmfestival.org.