Los Angeles: Hollywood actor Emily Blunt will receive the 19th annual Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
According to a Variety report, the Academy Award nominee will receive the honour on December 10 2026, at a black-tie dinner in Santa Barbara.
The award supports the festival’s year-round educational programmes.
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Speaking about Blunt's honour, Michael Douglas praised her versatility and range 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.
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 as Blunt continues to work on several projects. She received a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination in 2024 for Christopher Nolan’s ‘Oppenheimer’. She reprised her role in ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ and also starred in Steven Spielberg’s ‘Disclosure Day’ in 2026.
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.
Blunt also 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 the British television drama ‘Gideon’s Daughter’.
Meanwhile, the 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival will run from February 3 to 13, 2027.
