The 35th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival will be honoring Brad Pitt with the Maltin Modern Master Award on Jan. 22. Pitt is being recognized for his indelible contributions to the film industry as an actor and a producer. The award is the most prestigious accolade presented by SBIFF since it was established back in 1995.
In a statement to Variety, esteemed critic Leonard Maltin acknowledged Pitt’s performances for the past. decades. “Brad Pitt wears the mantle of a movie star with good grace,” he explained.
“He’s been giving great performances for several decades, but he makes it look so easy that I fear he’s been taken for granted. After the one-two punch of ‘Ad Astra’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ this year he’s an ideal choice to be presented the Maltin Modern Master Award.”
Maltin will serve as the event’s moderator for that evening. The festival’s Modern Master Award is presented to “an individual who has enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry,” as per Variety.
Pitt will now join the roster of talented personalities who have previously been given the award including: Denzel Washington, Ben Affleck, Glenn Close, Michael Keaton, Christopher Nolan, James Cameron and Cate Blanchett.
The actor had a big year this 2019. He stars alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino’s 8th film, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Last September, his film Ad Astra, debuted in international theaters making over $100 million in global box office. Starring alongside him in the film is Tommy Lee Jones and Liv Tyler.