Quentin Tarantino to be honored at Santa Barbara Film Festival
Quentin Tarantino is stepping in for his "Django Unchained" star Leonardo DiCaprio at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
DiCaprio was to receive the American Riviera Award but can not attend the festival due to scheduling conflicts, organizers said Wednesday. Tarantino will now be presented with the honor on Jan. 30.
"We were obviously saddened by DiCaprio's conflict, but blown away at the chance to honor Tarantino, one of the most stylistically daring directors who is an SBIFF's favorite," said Roger Durling, the festival's executive director.
The American Riviera Award recognizes "an artist who has had a strong influence on American Cinema." Past recipients include Martin Scorsese, Annette Bening, Sandra Bullock, Mickey Rourke and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
"Django Unchained" is up for five Oscars at next month's Academy Awards ceremony, including best picture, best original screenplay and best supporting actor Christoph Waltz.