Three-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening, who has received critical acclaim this year for her performances in The Kids Are All Right and Mother and Child, will be honored with the American Riviera Award at the 2011 Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF).

I fell in love with Annette Bening the moment I saw her on Broadway in Coastal Disturbances in 1987, commented SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. “It was one of those ‘a star is born’ moments. Ever since, she’s been one of my favorite actresses, and she will always have a home here at the festival.”

The American Riviera Award was established to recognize an actor who has had a strong influence on American Cinema. Bening will join an illustrious group of past recipients: Sandra Bullock (10), Mickey Rourke (09), Tommy Lee Jones (08), Forrest Whitaker (07), Philip Seymour Hoffman (06), Kevin Bacon (05) and Diane Lane (04).

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) runs January 27- February 6, 2011