The honor—SBIFF’s highest—recognizes artists whose career achievements have made a profound and lasting impact on cinema. Jolie’s tribute drew industry insiders, devoted fans, and a community that has long embraced the festival’s tradition of celebrating world-class filmmaking in an intimate setting.

A Career in Focus

Film critic and historian Leonard Maltin led the evening’s conversation, guiding Jolie through a reflective look at her decades-spanning career. The discussion, accompanied by an array of film clips, revisited her early breakout performances in Hackers, Gia, and Girl, Interrupted, the film that earned Jolie her Academy Award.

The program moved through her action-era roles—Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Salt, and Wanted—before shifting to her more dramatic turns in Changeling, The Good Shepherd, and A Mighty Heart, and her transition into directing films such as Unbroken, First They Killed My Father, and In the Land of Blood and Honey.

Maltin praised Jolie for her artistic courage, noting,
“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.”

Jolie on Craft, Courage, and Curiosity

Jolie spoke candidly about approaching roles that challenge her, particularly her portrayal of Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s Maria, her latest project and a performance already earning widespread acclaim. Clips from the film highlighted the emotional intensity of her work as she brings to life one of the 20th century’s most celebrated—and most complicated—opera icons.

She described the moment Larraín reached out to her about the film, recalling that she took several days to consider whether she was ready for such an emotionally heavy role. Ultimately, it was Callas herself—her interviews, her public composure, her private ache—that convinced Jolie.

“What I saw was a person who was really holding herself under a lot of stress, and a very articulate, thoughtful woman who was a really complex artist,” Jolie said. She saw the film as an opportunity to tell the story of someone “who felt very alone and abandoned at the end of her life.”

The role required Jolie to learn opera—an unexpected challenge. She admitted she accepted the part without telling the director she had never sung before.

“It’s such an amazing gift to say, ‘We’re going to help you. You’re going to meet nice people who are gonna help you learn to do something you’ve never done before,’” she told the audience. “That’s the extraordinary thing about being an actor.”

A Life Shaped by Global Experiences

The conversation also touched on Jolie’s deep connection to Cambodia, where she filmed Lara Croft: Tomb Raider early in her career. The country left an indelible mark on her life. She later adopted her son, Pax, from Cambodia, and was granted Cambodian citizenship. Her relationship with the country influenced not only her worldview but also her humanitarian advocacy and directing career, including her critically acclaimed film First They Killed My Father.

A Tribute from a Trailblazer

The evening concluded with a surprise appearance by writer-director Ava DuVernay, who presented Jolie with the Maltin Modern Master Award. DuVernay offered a heartfelt tribute, calling Jolie a woman she admires deeply—an artist unafraid of reinvention, vulnerability, and truth.

“She’s never settled for the expected,” DuVernay said. “She’s always searched for the truth beneath the surface, the unspoken emotion, the quiet strength in the midst of struggle.”

A Place Among Icons

Jolie now joins the ranks of past Modern Master recipients, including Robert Downey Jr., Cate Blanchett, Denzel Washington, Christopher Nolan, and Brad Pitt—artists whose careers have shaped the landscape of contemporary cinema. Her recognition this year reflects not just her longevity but her continual evolution as a performer, filmmaker, and global humanitarian.

SBIFF continues through February 15, celebrating world cinema, emerging voices, and the community that has made Santa Barbara a beloved hub for filmmakers.