Acclaimed performer Zoe Saldaña will be honored with the American Riviera Award at the 40th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) on Friday, February 7, with an in-person conversation about her career. Her current Oscar buzzworthy role is as Rita Moro Castro in Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and took home the Jury Prize. Saldaña received the festival’s prestigious Best Actress Award alongside the female ensemble. Netflix will release the film in theaters this fall, and it screens on Netflix beginning November 13.
The film, written and directed by Jacques Audiard, is described as “an audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations. Through liberating song and dance and bold visuals, this odyssey follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness.” The double Cannes-winning film also stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Édgar Ramírez.
“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,” said SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling.
A Santa Barbara resident who recently appeared onstage with Cameron Diaz to introduce Pink at the One805LIVE! Benefit concert for local first responders, Saldaña has had an impressive career spanning more than 20 years as an actor and producer. She is the only actor in history to have starred in four films that have grossed more than $2 billion and the top three highest-grossing films of all time, Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, and Avengers: Endgame.
Most recently, Saldaña led and executive produced the independent film The Absence of Eden, and currently stars in Taylor Sheridan’s undercover CIA drama series Lioness, which she also executive produces with her production company Cinestar Pictures.
The American Riviera Award was established to recognize actors who have made a significant contribution to American cinema. 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, Forest Whitaker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Bacon, and Diane Lane.
The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 4-15, 2025. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes, will be held throughout the city, including at the historic Arlington Theatre. Passes for the 2025 SBIFF are on sale now at sbiff.org.
