Quentin Tarantino will receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s American Riviera Award, which was originally set to be awarded to Leonardo DiCaprio.
DiCaprio, who stars in Tarantino's film Django Unchained, could not attend the event due to a scheduling conflict so Tarantino will now step in and receive the award on January 30, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
"We were obviously saddened by DiCaprio's conflict, but blown away at the chance to honor Tarantino, one of the most stylistically daring directors, who is an SBIFF favorite," said Roger Durling, the festival’s executive director.
Aside from receiving the American Riviera Award, which recognizes “an artist who has had a strong influence on American Cinema," Tarantino's Django is also nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Original Screenplay.
Past recipients of the American Riviera Award dating back to 2004 are Martin Scorsese, Annette Bening, Sandra Bullock, Mickey Rourke, Tommy Lee Jones, Forrest Whitaker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane, reports AwardsDaily.com.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival runs through February 3 and Tarantino will receive the American Riviera Award at the Arlington Theatre, according to Deadline.