Santa Barbara Film Fest: ‘Disclosure Day’ Star Emily Blunt Set for Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film

Emily Blunt has been announced as the recipient of the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film at this year’s Santa Barbara Film Festival. The honor, presented by the festival’s board, recognizes outstanding contributions to cinema and is named after the late actor and philanthropist Kirk Douglas.

The award ceremony will take place during the festival’s opening weekend, where Blunt will join a slate of honorees that includes other notable figures from the industry. The Kirk Douglas Award is intended to celebrate a body of work that exemplifies artistic achievement and dedication to the craft of filmmaking.

Blunt is also starring in the upcoming science‑fiction thriller “Disclosure Day,” a film directed by Steven Spielberg that blends a 1970s‑style aesthetic with contemporary themes. In promoting the film, Blunt discussed the use of artificial‑intelligence technology to create the alien voice for her character.

She described the process as “a bit terrifying,” noting that the AI-generated vocalizations produced “really strange sounds.” To retain creative control, Blunt worked closely with the sound team and contributed to shaping the final alien voice, blending the AI output with her own vocal experimentation.

The Santa Barbara Film Festival will feature a screening of “Disclosure Day” as part of its program, providing audiences an early look at the film that will later be released in theaters. Blunt’s receipt of the Kirk Douglas Award and her involvement in the film’s innovative sound design are highlighted as key elements of the festival’s celebration of contemporary cinema.