Gold Standard: Santa Barbara Film Festival to honor Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton didn’t have to wait long to pick up his first honor for his career-reviving turn in Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman.”

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will present Keaton with its highest honor, the Modern Master Award, in a tribute on Jan. 31 at the Arlington Theatre.

“There is no actor more befitting of the Modern Master Award than the legendary Michael Keaton,” festival executive director Roger Durling said in a statement. “His performance in ‘Birdman’ is tremendous, showing the range of decades-long experience.”

Established in 1995, the award has been presented to numerous A-listers over the years, including Clint Eastwood, George Clooney and Will Smith. Bruce Dern received the honor last year.

In “Birdman,” which opened in theaters Friday, Keaton portrays a fading actor, most famous for his movie franchise work as a comic book superhero, who’s mounting a Broadway play to reinvigorate his career (and reputation). It’s a self-referential turn, deeply felt, empathetic and completely absent of vanity. (We present the following as evidence.)

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival runs Jan. 27 to Feb. 7. For passes and tickets, go to www.sbiff.org or call (805) 963-0023.