Zoe Saldaña announced as 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s American Riviera Award winner
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – On Tuesday, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) announced that Zoe Saldaña will receive the American Riviera Award during the 40th iteration of the film-focused event.
Saldaña will be presented the award on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, during an in-person conversation about her impressive career including her performance in the Spanish-language musical crime comedy, Emilia Pérez.
Emilia Pérez premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, receiving the Jury Prize and Saldaña received the Best Actress Award.
Netflix will release Emilia Pérez in theaters this Fall.
"Zoe Saldaña has a fantastic filmography worth celebrating any year, but her commanding and stouthearted performance in EMILIA PÉREZ makes our tribute to her imperative," explained SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling.
Saldaña has a well-earned reputation as an exceptional on-screen talent. She is the only actor in history to have starred in four films that grossed over $2 billion including the three highest-grossing films of all time: Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Avengers: Endgame.
More recently, Saldaña executive produced the independent film The Absence of Eden and stars in the CIA drama "Lioness" on Paramount+ which she is also an executive producer on through her production company, Cinestar Pictures.
The American Riviera Award was created to recognize those who have made a significant contribution to American cinema and previous recipients include: Mark Ruffalo, Brendan Fraser, Kristen Stewart, Delroy Lindo, Renée Zellweger, Viggo Mortenson, Sam Rockwell, Jeff Bridges, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Robert Redford, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese, Annette Bening, Sandra Bullock, Mickey Rourke, Tommy Lee Jones, Forrest Whitaker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, and Diane Lane.
The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place Feb. 4 through Feb. 15, 2025.
Passes for the event are on sale now at sbiff.org and the festival's full film lineup will be announced in January of 2025.
