CA- Academy Award® and three-time Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie will be honored on Saturday, February 2, 2008 at the 23rd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival with the Outstanding Performance of the Year Award for her critically acclaimed performance in “A Mighty Heart”, it was announced today by SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. Past recipients include Kate Winslet, Heath Ledger and Helen Mirren for her performance in “The Queen.”

Based on the bestselling book by Mariane Pearl and featuring a career best performance by Jolie “A Mighty Heart” was described by Newsweek as “a movie without melodrama or movie-star lighting…allowing Jolie to deliver the most delicate, powerful and human-scale performance of her career.” Jolie’s performance was widely touted by top critics as her finest artistic achievement to date. “We are honored to celebrate Ms. Jolie in what is arguably one of the most extraordinary female roles of the year,” commented Durling.

Having studied under famed acting coach Lee Strasberg, Jolie has been critically lauded throughout her career, receiving the Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as an Emmy nomination, for her breakout performance in the title role of HBO’s “Gia.” For her standout performance in “Girl, Interrupted” Jolie won the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actress, as well as earning a Golden Globe, Broadcast Film Critics, and the Screen Actors Guild awards. She has starred in such blockbuster hits as “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” and will next be heard in Robert Zemeckis’s fantasy adventure “Beowulf.” She begins production on the Clint Eastwood directed “The Changeling“ this fall.
The festivities will take place at the historic Arlington Theatre with a multimedia presentation produced by Paul Fagen of P. Fagen Productions. Tickets for the Tribute to Angelina Jolie for Outstanding Performance of the Year will go on sale today and can be purchased through HYPERLINK "http://www.sbfilmfestival.org" www.sbfilmfestival.org or through the Lobero Box Office, 805.963.0761 and the Arlington Theater Box office, 805.963.4408. Festival Platinum and Cinema Passes are currently on sale exclusively at the Lobero Box Office. Box Office fees will apply for all Film Festival Passes, Mini-Paks, and event tickets.
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, set to run January 24 through February 3, 2008, is a non-profit organization dedicated to enriching local culture and raising consciousness of film as an art form. The SBIFF presents quality American and world independent films, Latin American and Asian sidebars as well as documentary cinema within the beautiful setting of downtown Santa Barbara, a premier tourist destination. The SBIFF is also committed to education through its Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Field Trip to the Movies, and educational seminars. With a projected audience of over 60,000 viewing more than 200 films over its eleven-day run, the SBIFF attracts an affluent local and national consumer base, while maintaining strong ties with the entertainment industry in nearby Los Angeles. For more information, please visit HYPERLINK "http://www.sbfilmfestival.org" www.sbfilmfestival.org.