Adrien Brody and Guy Pearce will be honored with the Cinema Vanguard Award at the 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Spotlighting their riveting performances in Brady Corbet’s The Brutalist, Brody’s portrayal of Toth highlights an immigrant’s struggle to overcome his war-torn past and rebuild his life in a Post-War America. Pearce, in contrast, delivers a chilling, domineering performance as a wealthy art patron whose vision of American modernity collides with Toth’s. The tension between the two not only drives the narrative but also symbolizes the larger struggle between innovation and tradition.