Actress and talk show queen Oprah Winfrey will be feted with the Montecito Award at the 29th Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), to be held next year.
The Montecito Award, named after a beautiful and stylish area in Santa Barbara, is given to a recipient whose style has been a contribution to films. Winfrey, who has been appreciated for her role in Lee Daniels’ “The Butler” this year, will be honoured Feb 5, 2014 at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara.
The award celebrates her role opposite Forest Whitaker as Gloria Gaines in “The Butler”, a performance that is already earning her Oscar buzz. “Winfrey, the actress, inhabits Gloria Gaines with such gusto – she makes you forget Oprah the impresario,” said SBIFF executive director Roger Durling in a statement. Winfrey made her acting debut in 1985 with a supporting role in “The Color Purple”, for which she was even nominated for an Academy Award.
Past recipients of the Montecito Award include Daniel Day-Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Jarvier Bardem, Naomi Watts and Annette Bening. (IANS)