Jeffrey Wright awarded with Montecito Award at 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Jeffrey Wright is up for his first Oscar for his role in “American Fiction.”
In the film, Wright plays a frustrated writer who’s fed up with the establishment that profits from portrayals of black experiences that rely on offensive tropes.
He writes a satirical book to highlight the ludicrous nature of it all.
But the film itself is a satire of its own—one that explores what it means to be black in America.
“The film includes social commentary on prickly issues. In some ways, the satire is a kind of tragedy in disguise. Tragedy disguised as comedy, this absurdly strange world that he's he's confronting as this writer, as someone who is misperceived by the outside world, he's forced to to, you know, where two hats this disguise is, this character that he creates in his head. Stagger Lee. But what he really is, is a man like any other man dealing with the responsibilities of family,” said Jeffrey Wright, who was honored with the Montecito Award Thursday night for his performance.
Even though this film highlights what it means to be black in America, the themes of grief, navigating family dynamics and finding artistic integrity are universal.
“In many ways, the the family aspect is a kind of solution to the absurdity on the other side of the film. So it's wonderfully subversive in some ways. I love it. For me, it's the emotional center of the film, and it really is the story that at the end of the day, we want to tell. It's if there is a message that we want to send, we want to say, let's just celebrate the beauty and humanity of these people,” said Wright.
Fans say the title “American Fiction” is fitting.
“Media creates that fiction. It created a fiction for him and he had to react to it. And at the same time, he's trying to live a true life,” said Bruce Covington, who lives in Santa Barbara.
“You can have a reality, but you can still operate in a make believe world,” said digital reporter Dennis Freeman.
“American Fiction” is currently nominated for 5 oscars including “Best Picture” and “Best Actor”.
