Angelina Jolie to be Honored with Maltin Modern Master Award at 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is honored to announce that cinema icon Angelina Jolie will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 40^th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 5, 2025. 

Angelina Jolie’s career as an actress has been marked by versatility and critical acclaim, with significant impact globally. Her latest film, Maria marks a significant turn in her career, as she portrays the iconic opera singer Maria Callas. Critics have praised Jolie for her transformative performance, particularly her ability to embody Callas’ intensity and grace. Her performance evokes the emotional depth and fragility behind the operatic legend’s public persona. 

“Angelina Jolie makes bold choices, both as an actress and as a director. She sets the bar high in both disciplines and always comes through. I look forward to reviewing her career with her in Santa Barbara!” remarked Leonard Maltin.

An Academy Award-winning actress, director, and producer, with film credits including Walt Disney Pictures’ Maleficent series, Salt, and Girl, Interrupted, Jolie has also directed, produced and co-wrote the critically acclaimed feature First They Killed My Father, the Oscar-nominated drama Unbroken and the upcoming Without Blood. She is also a Tony Award-winning producer on the acclaimed new Broadway musical The Outsiders.

With over 20 years working as a humanitarian focusing on work with refugees and human rights, Jolie also champions local leadership in environmental conservation and has funded schools, health and education initiatives globally. Additionally, she is founder of the Maddox Foundation, an integrated development program headquartered in Cambodia, with a focus on conservation, agriculture, education and economic development projects in the area. For her humanitarian work she has received the United Nations Association of the United States of America’s Global Humanitarian Action Award in 2005, the International Rescue Committee’s Freedom Award in 2007, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award in 2013.

The Modern Master Award was established in 1995. Created to honor an individual who has enriched our culture through accomplishments in the motion picture industry, it was re-named the Maltin Modern Master Award in 2015 in honor of long-time SBIFF moderator and renowned film critic Leonard Maltin. Past recipients include Academy Award-winning actors Jamie Lee Curtis, Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, Robert Downey Jr., Denzel Washington, Cate Blanchett, George Clooney, and Christopher Plummer, and acclaimed filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, James Cameron, Clint Eastwood, and Peter Jackson.

The 40th Santa Barbara International Film Festival will take place LIVE February 4 – February 15, 2025. Official events including screenings, filmmaker Q&As, industry panels, and celebrity tributes will be held at SBIFF’s Riviera Theatre and its new Film Center, plus the historic Arlington Theatre.

Last year, the festival had a program of 200+ films from over 48 countries with honorary awards feted on Robert Downey Jr., Bradley Cooper, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, America Ferrera, Lily Gladstone, Greta Lee, Charles Melton, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Andrew Scott, Martin Scorsese, Justine Triet, Billie Eilish, and Ludwig Göransson.