Everything Everywhere All at OncestarMichelle Yeohwill receive the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s 15th annualKirk DouglasAward for Excellence in Film. The award will be presented to Yeoh on December 9 during a black-tie fundraiser for SBIFF’s educational programs and serves as thefirst presentation of the award since the passing of Douglasin early 2020.
Yeoh is a Malaysian actress who made a career breakthrough in Hong Kong action films where she performed her own impressive stunt work solidifying herself as a skilled martial artist. She’s best known internationally for starring in the 1997 James Bond filmTomorrow Never Diesas well asAng Lee’smartial arts action filmCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. These roles brought her to the attention of Western audiences and the latter film earned her a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actress.
Since then, she’s gone on to star in many eclectic roles, such as a prominent geisha tutor inMemoirs of a Geishaand an intimidating matriarch inCrazy Rich Asians. Her most recent role inEverything Everywhere All at Onceis her most complex role yet and further shows her range as an actress. She’s also worked with Save China’s Tigers project to protect South China tigers from extinction.
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The Kirk Douglas Award in Film has been around since 2006 and is given to talents that have been longtime contributors to cinema, whether that be through acting, behind-the-camera work, or both. Past honorees includeMartin Scorsese,Hugh Jackman,Dame Judi Dench,Warren Beatty,Jane Fonda,Jessica Lange,Forest Whitaker,Robert De Niro,Michael Douglas,Harrison Ford,Quentin Tarantino,Ed Harris, andJohn Travolta.
Douglas’ son, Michael Douglas, released a statement regarding Yeoh’s receiving the award, saying:
A well-deserved honor for the legendary and multi-talented Michelle Yeoh. She has been entertaining and thrilling us in films since the 1980s …… AND she does her own stunts!! Bravo Michelle!
The 38th Santa Barabara Film Festival will be run in person from February 8 through February 18. The film lineup will be announced in January.
Recently, Yeoh and herEverything Everywhere All at Onceco-star,Jamie Lee Curtis, sat down with Collider to discuss the film as well as its directors,Daniel KwanandDaniel Scheinert(commonly known as The Daniels). The full interview can be found in the video below:
