Ethan Hawke is slated to receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s American Riviera Award during the event’s Feb. 4–14 run, according to a report published Thursday. The honor would place Hawke in the festival’s annual lineup of tributes timed to the heart of awards season, days before Academy members begin final-round voting.
Festival materials released this month list the American Riviera Award ceremony on Friday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre, while still describing the recipient as “to be announced.” In the same program release, programming director Claudia Puig said the festival is “especially proud to continue SBIFF’s legacy” with its 2026 slate and tributes.
Hawke enters the festival stretch with fresh Academy momentum. He earned his first lead-actor Oscar nomination for Richard Linklater’s “Blue Moon,” playing songwriter Lorenz Hart during a single, late-career night at Sardi’s as Hart waits for his former partner Richard Rodgers. Hawke told the Los Angeles Times the nomination “means a lot,” calling it “a long road” from his earlier nominations for acting and writing.
The Santa Barbara event would extend a month of high-profile recognition for Hawke, who recently received the Career Achievement Award from the Palm Springs International Film Awards. That organization cited his “impressive body of work,” while local coverage of the gala noted Hawke used his remarks to credit friends and long-running collaborators who shaped his career.
