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SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival announced today that Lenny Abrahamson, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Tom McCarthy, Adam McKay and George Miller will receive the 2016 Outstanding Directors of the Year award. They will each be celebrated individually for their films ROOM, THE REVENANT, SPOTLIGHT, THE BIG SHORT and MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, respectively. The individual honors will be followed by a joint conversation between the directors on their craft and the landscape of modern day filmmaking. The ceremony will take place on Thursday, February 11th at the historic Arlington Theater.

“These directors have each made their mark on the film canon and have solidified their standing as some of the best directors of our time,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. “The fact that these films come on the heels of already illustrious and established careers makes this honor even more special.”

The Outstanding Directors of the Year award is given to directors not afraid to push the envelope in the cinematic world. They have an eye for the picture they want to present and then do so, with an expertise that is both gracious and bold. Past recipients include Damien Chazelle (WHIPLASH), Richard Linklater (BOYHOOD), Bennett Miller (FOXCATCHER), Laura Poitras (CITIZENFOUR), Morten Tyldum (THE IMITATION GAME), David O. Russell (AMERICAN HUSTLE), Kathryn Bigelow (THE HURT LOCKER), and Danny Boyle (SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE).

For more information, and to purchase tickets, festival passes and packages, please visit SBIFF Website