Will Smith, Aunjanue Ellis to be honored at 2022 Santa Barbara International Film Festival

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- SBIFF is honoring Will Smith and Aunjanue Ellis with the Performer of the Year Award at the 37th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Both Smith and Ellis will be honored at an in-person conversation about their cinematic careers leading up to their outstanding performances in this year’s “King Richard” from Warner Bros Pictures.  

“We're so excited to be able to salute the incomparable Will Smith and the revelatory Aunjanue Ellis with this award. The ‘doubles match’ of their intricate relationship onscreen as Richard and Oracene in “King Richard” is electrifying and a joy to behold,” remarked SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling.

The dates of the award ceremony have yet to be determined by the organization.

King Richard is based on the true story of Richard Williams, the father of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams. The movie follows his and his wife's journey in raising two of the most extraordinary and gifted athletes of all time from their hometown of Compton to the global stage of tennis.

Will Smith plays Richard Williams and Aunjanue Ellis plays Oracene, Venus and Serena's mother and Richard's then-wife.

The 2022 film festival will be from March 2 through March 12, 2022.

The lineup will be announced in February of 2022.

For more information on SBIFF events, click here.