Cheers, or rather screams, erupted as Michael B. Jordan stepped out of the van Thursday night for the Outstanding Performer of the Year award at the Santa Barbara International Film
Festival.
Hundreds of fans awaited him as he followed his family and friends, his “tribe” as he called
them, out of the side door.
Jordan signed posters and hats, and most notably a fan’s pink american flag that featured a
massive image of a shirtless Jordan on it.
He couldn’t help but laugh as he signed.
He greeted press and Film Festival staff with a big smile and embraced “Sinners” co-star and the award presenter for the night, Delroy Lindo.
Inside the event SBIFF executive director Roger Durling and Jordan discussed his expansive
career from his young days on the TV show “Wired” to his most recent, and first, Oscar-nominated performance in “Sinners.”
the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Thursday. (Photo by Aston Smith/Special for
the Santa Barbara News-Press)
Three standing ovations from the sold out, 2,000 person crowd interrupted the night.
The crowd even synchronized to sing happy birthday to the now 39 year old actor.
Durling and Jordan also went into depth about his director and actor partnership with Ryan
Coogler. From their first time working together on “Fruitvale Station” to “Sinners,” Durling
described Jordan and Coogler’s partnership as one of the most successful in history.
“Mike, Ryan, they’re creating a new paradigm of what it means to be a creative worker and to
impact the world,” Lindo said.
In “Sinners”, Jordan took on the role of twin brothers which presented different types of
challenges. He said that “Smoke” and “Stack” represented “both pieces” of his personality.
Prior to presenting the award, Lindo spoke about how Jordan is showing the world what it looks like when an artist takes, “agency over his, over his life, and the impact that follows on from that.”
“And he’s doing it with such humility, such understatement, and such power,” Lindo said.
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