Virtuosos Award

Reviewed by Melanie McComb

The Virtuosos Award was an enjoyable and inspiring experience. Six up and coming actors were honored with the award this year; Ann Dowd, Elle Fanning, Ezra Miller, Eddie Redmayne, Omar Sy, and Quevanze Wallis. The event was moderated by Dave Karger who kept a light and comfortable environment for the actors while also asking interesting questions that kept the actors engaged.

The first actor interviewed, due to alphabetical order was Ann Dowd of the film Compliance. She was very intelligent, warm and articulate. She spoke with confidence but gentility at the same time that made the audience fall in love. When she described her approach to her character in Compliance, which is based on a real person, I was inspired; she analyzes scripts the way great actors do. She’s an artist.
The second actor to come on stage was fourteen year old, Elle Fanning. While she’s the little sister of the famous Dakota Fanning, Elle has made a name for herself as an actor and was honored with the Virtuoso for her performance in Ginger and Rosa. Before her entrance, a clip of the film was shown to display a nipped of Elle’s performance and it was fantastic. She was very impressive in the clip and she had a beautiful vulnerability to her that moved me. She was very bubbly during the interview and seems to be very enthusiastic about acting.
Third to come up was the quirky and quick-witted Ezra Miller. Ezra Miller had an excellent self-deprecating sense of humor that the audience adored. He is twenty years old and, like many successful actors at that age, comes off a lot older and more traveled.
The fourth to come up was the most popular amongst the young ladies of the audience: Eddie Redmayne. I had seen his work in My Week with Marilyn but had not seen Les Miserables which has brought him to mainstream fame. His accent was endearing and, like Ann, spoke with a confident gentility. He was very humble and enjoyed speaking more about “the work” than himself.
French actor, Omar Sy was the fifth actor to speak with Dave Karger and he was charm-on-a-stick. I mistook his French accent and struggle with the English language as innocence and enjoyed listening to him laugh and try to find the right words o express his thoughts. He was very enjoyable to watch and incredibly funny.
Last to come out was Best Actress Oscar Nominee Quvhanze Wallis. She was precocious without bordering on obnoxious and is clearly a natural comedian; she had everyone in the audience cracking up throughout her interview. I was so impressed with the seemingly impossible combination of maturity and innocence that she had. I’m excited to see more of her.
The night ended with a short group discussion and lastly, with the actors being presented with their awards. It was a beautiful and inspirational night that Dave Karger, the actors and the SBIFF staff executed perfectly for a night that many people won’t forget.

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Published:
02.10.13 / 3pm
Category:
Films, Santa Barbara Film Festival 2013