# John Malkovich to receive Santa Barbara festival performer award

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/santa-barbara-film-festival-awards-wild-horse-nine-star-john-malkovich-to-get-performer-of-the-year-honor/
- Published: 2026-09-24T18:22:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-09-25T00:39:31+00:00
- Original publisher: Deadline
- Original article: https://deadline.com/2026/09/santa-barbara-film-festival-awards-2027-honorees-1237112049/
- Topics: Art, Celebrity, Culture, Entertainment, Film

## Key points

- John Malkovich will receive SBIFF’s Performer of the Year Award.
- He won Venice’s Best Actor prize for *Wild Horse Nine*.
- The film reaches cinemas on 6 November.

## Summary

John Malkovich will receive the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s Outstanding Performer of the Year Award at its 42nd edition, running from 3–13 February 2027. The honour recognises his acclaimed performance in Martin McDonagh’s upcoming black comedy *Wild Horse Nine*, continuing the festival’s role in highlighting prominent awards contenders.

Malkovich, a two-time Oscar nominee, won Best Actor at this year’s Venice Film Festival for the film. He stars with Sam Rockwell as CIA agents travelling from Santiago to Easter Island on the eve of Chile’s 1973 coup, where they confront their pasts and become entangled in present-day conspiracies; Searchlight Pictures will release the film in cinemas on 6 November. SBIFF executive director Roger Durling praised Malkovich’s performance for combining pathos, volatility, vulnerability and tenderness.

## Coverage

- [Deadline: John Malkovich to receive Santa Barbara festival performer award](https://deadline.com/2026/09/santa-barbara-film-festival-awards-2027-honorees-1237112049/)
- [The Hollywood Reporter: Santa Barbara Film Fest: John Malkovich Tapped for Performer of the Year Award for ‘Wild Horse Nine’](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/santa-barbara-film-fest-john-malkovich-performer-of-the-year-1236709160/)

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.