Zoe Saldaña will be honored at the 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival with the American Riviera Award at an in-person conversation about her career, leading up to her acclaimed performance this year as Rita Moro Castro in Netflix’s Emilia Pérez. Saldaña will receive the award on Friday, February 7, 2025 .
Zoe Saldaña has enjoyed a remarkable career spanning more than 20 years as an actor and producer and is the only actor in history to have starred in four films that have grossed over 2 billion dollars and the top three highest grossing films of all time, Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water and Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame.
Most recently, Saldaña lead and executive produced the independent film The Absence of Eden, directed by Marco Perego in his feature film debut, and currently stars in Taylor Sheridan’s undercover CIA drama series “Lioness” for Paramount+, which she also executive produces with her production company Cinestar Pictures. Next, Saldaña will star in the Spanish-language musical crime comedy from Jacques Audiard, 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 and Netflix will release the film in theaters this fall.
From renegade auteur Jacques Audiard comes Emilia Pérez, 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 fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. Written and directed by Audiard (Rust and Bone, A Prophet), 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,” remarked SBIFF’s Executive Director Roger Durling.
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, Forrest Whitaker, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Kevin Bacon and Diane Lane.
The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 4 – February 15, 2025.