EGOT-to-be Earns SBIFF’s Big Honor

Actress, singer, and producer Cynthia Erivo continues to defy gravity, as the multi-hyphenate has been announced as the recipient of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s 18th annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, given in honor of the late screen legend who called Montecito home for decades. Erivo is more than three-quarters of the way toward the entertainment industry’s rarified EGOT achievement having already earned Tony, Grammy and Emmy Awards, as well as three Oscar nominations, including for 2024’s Wicked. She is an odds-on favorite to be up for the Academy Award again for reprising Elphaba in this year’s upcoming sequel Wicked: For Good.

The prestigious Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film, which benefits the film festival’s year-round educational programs, will be presented at a black-tie gala on December 4 at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara. The 41st SBIFF takes place February 4-14, 2026. Visit www.sbiff.org.