Emily Blunt to be honoured with Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at Santa Barbara Film Festival

LOS ANGELES: With the awards season arriving, Hollywood star Emily Blunt is in line for a tribute.  As per a Variety report, the Academy Award nominee will receive the 19th annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The honour will be presented on December 10, 2026, at a black-tie dinner in Santa Barbara.  Notably, the award benefits the festival’s year-round educational programs.

Speaking on her honour, Michael Douglas, in a statement, hailed Emily Blunt’s capability as an actor.  “Emily Blunt takes risks most actors wouldn’t dare — moving between drama, comedy and blockbuster spectacle with the same precision and commitment. That range and authenticity are exactly what the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film was created to celebrate. We’re proud to honour her”, he said, as quoted by Variety.

Emily Blunt will be honored with the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film.

“Emily Blunt takes risks most actors wouldn’t dare, moving between drama, comedy and blockbuster spectacle with the same precision and commitment. That range and authenticity are exactly what the… pic.twitter.com/WH6sQj3bed

— best of emily blunt (@badpostblunt) September 1, 2026

The past honourees of the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film include Ryan Gosling, Cynthia Erivo, Will Ferrell, Michelle Yeoh, Martin Scorsese, Hugh Jackman, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, and John Travolta, among others.

The honour comes amid the Hollywood star’s busy slate. She was nominated for a Supporting Actress Oscar in 2024 for Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’. For this year, she reprised her breakout role in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ followed by Steven Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’.

Her other film credits include ‘The Smashing Machine’, ‘A Quiet Place’, ‘A Quiet Place Part II’, ‘Sicario’, ‘Edge of Tomorrow’, ‘Into the Woods’, and ‘Mary Poppins Returns’, among others.  She even won the Actor Award (formerly known as the SAG Award) for her supporting role in John Krasinski’s ‘A Quiet Place’ along with a Golden Globe for British TV drama ‘Gideon’s Daughter’.

Meanwhile, the 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival will run from February 3 to 13, 2027. (ANI)