Maltin award for Washington

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival has found its 2017 Maltin Modern Master in actor, director and producer Denzel Washington, as announced Tuesday morning.

The award, renamed in 2015 to honor film critic and longtime festival moderator Leonard Maltin, was established in 1995 to honor an individual whose accomplishments in the film industry have enriched American culture.

“Denzel Washington directing, producing and acting in ‘Fences’ defines the Modern Master for the 21st century,” festival executive director Roger Durling said in a statement.

The 32nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival begins Feb. 1, and Washington will receive the Maltin Modern Master award Feb. 2 at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre. The ceremony will feature a 90-minute conversation between Washington and Maltin.