Santa Barbara Festival to Honor Michael B. Jordan for ‘Black Panther,’ ‘Creed II’

By Dave McNary

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has selected Michael B. Jordan as the recipient of its Cinema Vanguard Award for his work in “Black Panther” and “Creed II.”

Jordan will be honored at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Feb. 7. The 34th annual will take place from Jan. 30 to Feb. 9.

“It’s thrilling to honor this year for the emboldened way he’s shown us what it means to be a movie star for the 21st century — mixing sensitivity with swagger, choosing important material that remains full of integrity yet becomes world phenomenon, and forging a cinematic partnership with visionary director Ryan Coogler,” said Roger Durling, executive director of the festival.

Jordan broke out in “Fruitvale Station,” his first collaboration with Coogler. He reteamed with Coogler on the 2015 release “Creed.” Jordan launched his own production company, Outlier Society Productions, with a multiyear first-look deal with Skydance Media in 2016 and starred this year as the tormented and revenge-driven Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther.”

He also starred in and produced “Creed II” and worked on implementing a broad diversity and inclusion policy, which has been adapted by Warner Media for all productions from HBO, Warner Bros., and Turner.

The Cinema Vanguard Award recognizes actors who have forged their own path, taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. Previous honorees include Willem DaFoe, Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Rooney Mara, Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Amy Adams, Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, Nicole Kidman, Peter Sarsgaard, Christoph Waltz, Vera Farmiga, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stanley Tucci, and Ryan Gosling.