Zoe Saldaña, an Oscar contender for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Jacques Audiard's unique musical Emilia Pérez, is set to receive the American Riviera Award from the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, as announced by the festival on Tuesday.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival will celebrate the actress on Friday, February 7, at the historic Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara. The award presentation will immediately follow a retrospective interview on her career.
At 46 years old, Saldaña, who holds the distinction of being the only actor to have appeared in four films that each grossed over $2 billion, was awarded the Best Actress prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival alongside her Emilia Pérez co-stars Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz. According to SBIFF executive director Roger Durling, Zoe Saldaña's impressive body of work is deserving of recognition at any time, but her powerful and brave portrayal in Emilia Pérez makes honoring her a necessity.
The American Riviera Award was created to acknowledge "actors who have had a significant impact on American cinema." Past honorees include a list of distinguished names such as Mark Ruffalo, Brendan Fraser, Kristen Stewart, and many others.
The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival is scheduled to take place from Feb. 4-15.