Robert DeNiro to Receive Santa Barbara Film Festival Award for 'Excellence in Film'

Director, producer and Academy Award-winning actor Robert DeNiro has been chosen to receive The Santa Barbara International Film Festival's seventh annual Kirk Douglas AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN FILM at a black-tie Gala dinner at Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara on Saturday, December 8, 2012.

Mr. DeNiro will accept this honor from Mr. Douglas in recognition of his exceptional career spanning over four and a half decades, leading up to this year's highly anticipated Silver Linings Playbook for which he is already receiving accolades, including the Best Supporting Actor from the Hollywood Film Festival.

DeNiro will join an illustrious group of past recipients of the award including Michael Douglas, Harrison Ford, Quentin Tarantino, Ed Harris, John Travolta and Kirk Douglas himself. The Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film serves as a fundraiser for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, presented by lynda.com, which is set to run January 24 through February 3, 2013.