Los Angeles, Jan 20 (IANS): Filmmaker David O. Russell will be honoured with the outstanding director award at the upcoming Santa Barbara International Film Festival, which will begin Jan 30.

Russell will receive the award at the Arlington Theatre Jan 31, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

"Russell has matured into one of the most essential voices in film today. His deeply personal trilogy -- comprised of 'The Fighter', 'Silver Linings Playbook' and 'American Hustle' -- tap deeply at the core of the American dream where anyone should be guaranteed the opportunity of a second chance, of reinvention and triumph," said festival boss Roger Durling.

"As a writer and director, he is not afraid to push the envelope in the cinematic world. He has the eye for the picture he wants to present and then does so, with an expertise that is as bold as it is a joy to watch," Durling added.

Russell joins a long list of fellow festival honourees, including Emma Thompson, Daniel Day-Lewis, Ben Affleck and frequent movie collaborators Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio, who will receive the Cinema Vanguard Award.