Angelina Jolie posing on the red carpet before the event. (Shiuan Cheng / Daily Nexus)
Actress and director Angelina Jolie received the Maltin Modern Master Award at the 2025 Santa Barbara International Film Festival at the Arlington Theatre. The Maltin Modern Master Award is the highest honor that the Santa Barbara International Film Festival presents, intended to honor individuals who have made significant cultural contributions to the world of film.
The actress has recently received critical acclaim for her performance in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” which follows opera singer Maria Callas in her final days. Her portrayal of the titular character brought her nominations for the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Award for Best Actress.
A cinematic icon, Jolie has long been revered for her ability to convey complex stories with depth. From her Academy Award-winning performance as psychiatric patient Lisa Rowe in “Girl, Interrupted” to her acclaimed foray into directing with “Unbroken,” her career exemplifies both versatility and cultural impact.
The Feb. 5 event consisted of a moderated discussion with the award’s namesake, film critic Leonard Maltin, and an award presentation by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, a friend of Jolie who is best known for her directorial work on “Selma” and “When They See Us.”
On the red carpet, Jolie was greeted by Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) Executive Director Roger Durling, who also kicked off the event with the night’s opening speech. Inside the auditorium, Durling addressed the crowd with excitement, saying, “I love a sold-out crowd here at the Arlington Theatre!” The packed crowd cheered in response to Durling’s remark.
“Angelina Jolie, this woman does it all. She’s an incredible performer, she’s an incredible director,” Durling said. He then introduced Maltin as moderator before exiting the stage: “The man, the myth, the legend, Leonard Maltin!”
Clad in a purple velveteen suit, Maltin walked up to the podium and addressed the audience with a smile, asking, “Are you guys here because you’re a fan of Angelina Jolie?”
Maltin responded to the cheers with “I am, too! And I’ve never had a chance to interview her!”
“This is a woman of such incredible achievement, and to look at all she’s accomplished while raising a family — six children. There’s nothing more leveling in life than children, and she has done that and continues to do that,” Maltin remarked. “To take on a role like Maria Callas, where not only did she have to learn to sing on a professional level, but to sing opera — she did that.”
Maltin then directed the crowd’s eyes to the screen, where a montage of Jolie’s filmic achievements played — from her star-turning role in “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” to her triumph in “Girl, Interrupted.”
As the montage ended, Maltin made the announcement everyone had been waiting for, “Ladies and gentlemen, Angelina Jolie!”
Jolie emerged from the wings and took her seat next to Maltin to the sound of thunderous applause. Audience members shouted “I love you!” as Jolie bade the crowd with a wave of the hand and a soft smile.
After greeting Jolie, Maltin started the conversation with what seemed to be an unconventional question: “Where’s home for you?”
“In my heart, Cambodia,” Jolie replied, which launched a conversation about her time filming “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” on-location in Cambodia 25 years ago.
“I think back so much on my life and all the things I almost didn’t do, almost missed, that would have changed the course of my life. I said no to ‘Tomb Raider,’” she said. When asked what made her change her mind, she replied, “They said, ‘You can travel the world and train with the British military,”’ which received a heavy smattering of laughs.
The conversation continued on a reflective path as Jolie chatted about her tumultuous adolescent years, striking a balance between honesty and humor. With refreshing frankness, she talked about her struggles with mental health as a young actress.
“I was really dark, and I’m sure a lot, I think, actually a lot of people who probably respond to some of my work is because they identify with some of the struggle and some of the mind on fire, or the pain in the heart or the madness,” she shared. “And one of the darkest was when I became famous.”
Maltin and Jolie’s conversation also touched on other personal topics like Jolie’s experience raising her children in the spotlight. “I’m having therapy with Leonard!” Jolie joked, which elicited laughter from the crowd.
Jolie discussing her career with Leonard Maltin, who the award is named after. (Shiuan Cheng / Daily Nexus)
At several points throughout the night, Maltin directed the audience to watch the main screen for standout clips from Jolie’s film career. When asked if she connected with her role as supermodel Gia Carangi in the 1998 film “Gia,” due to her celebrity status, Jolie replied, “I’m sure I probably relate to characters more than you’re conscious of, but I think I’m close to almost everybody I’ve played. I always think about it as like removing a part of myself.”
Also featured among the highlighted clips was “Unbroken,” a biopic drama directed by Jolie. When asked when she first wanted to become a director, Jolie told the audience that her love for directing came much later in her career.
“I was told when I was young you could act; you could model. Nobody ever said to me you could be a lawyer; you could be a writer,” she shared.
“I was never really supported to do anything else, so it took me a very long time to try to write and discover I could. And then because I’d written something, I ended up directing it,” she continued. “But I never had the nerve to think of myself as a director.”
As the night progressed, Jolie continued to shed light on aspects of her life outside the spotlight, including her close relationship with her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand. She talked about the support that her mother — an actress herself — provided her with. Jolie shared an anecdote about her first Academy Award win in 2000 for her performance in “Girl, Interrupted,” which proved to be a powerful full circle moment in her relationship with her mother.
“When she was in her 20s, because she had me when she was very young, she was divorced to a very famous man,” Jolie said, in reference to her father, famed actor Jon Voight. “And she was home with her babies, in an apartment watching him win an Oscar.”
“So, to have that moment, to get off that stage and call her and say ‘it’s yours’ and give it to her, was like one of the best moments for me in my life.”
Concluding the chronological recap of Jolie’s many filmic triumphs was “Maria.” The riveting biopic has received accolades such as a Golden Globes nomination for Jolie and a pending nomination for Best Cinematography at the Academy Awards.
Jolie spoke about what drew her to portray Callas initially. “What I saw was a person who was really holding herself under a lot of stress,” she said. “And I especially saw her last interviews and some of the last things that were said about her — they were so mean; they were just horrible.”
“I want to honor her life,” she continued. “I wanted to defend her.”
The Daily Nexus had the opportunity to ask Jolie about her process in discovering the essence of Maria’s character. In response, she referenced a little-known insight about Callas that impacted the way she approached the role.
“I discovered that she couldn’t see very well. And that may be a little thing. But I realized that at the time when she was coming up, she couldn’t wear contacts. She couldn’t say ‘I can’t see’ or they might’ve kicked her out of the conservatory,” Jolie shared.
“She’s a woman who covers a lot of her struggles and steps up and fights forward and just does the best she can, to be the best she can,” she continued. “And when you see her sing on stage she was effortless, but she was dealing with not being able to see, a lot of personal pain, a lot of illnesses. So I think that says a lot about her, a lot about women, and it made me really respect her.”
Despite the multifaceted nature of Jolie’s resume, singing opera presented a challenge that Jolie had yet to tackle.
“I didn’t really tell Larraín I’d never sung, ever,” she shared, a fact that undoubtedly surprised the crowd.
She talked about her determination to master the craft, lauding Larraín’s ability to adapt to Jolie’s skill set in various ways while filming.
“A world-class filmmaker comes to you and says, ‘Okay, here’s the deal. You get to play one of the most interesting and notorious, famous, celebrated women of the 20th century, but you have to learn to sing opera.’”
Jolie went on to liken the intense vocal training she underwent for “Maria” to the physical training she experienced for “Lara Croft,” not only in the rigor of the process, but also in the support she received from those working on the film.
“You have a job, and in your job, you’re going to learn a new skill, right? That’s such an amazing gift,” she said. “That’s the most extraordinary thing about being an actor.”
The audience then watched a scene from the movie’s climax, where Callas sings out the window of her Paris apartment to awed passersby on the street below — a moment that is equal parts sorrowful and spectacular. The crowd resounded with applause in response, an obvious testament to Jolie’s commitment to her craft and to the character of Callas herself.
Maltin then welcomed DuVernay onto the stage to present Jolie with the award.
“Angelina Jolie’s career is a testament to the power of cinema that centers risk, reinvention and reflection,” DuVernay shared. “She’s always searched for the truth beneath the surface, the unspoken emotion, the quiet strength in the midst of struggle.”
“Angie, your work has moved us, your artistry has inspired us and, personally, there are moments in life where someone’s actions transcend mere gesture, they become a profound affirmation of faith, of friendship, of the quiet power of human connection,” she continued.
As DuVernay embraced Jolie and presented her with the award, the audience again erupted in applause of the talented multihyphenate.
Jolie accepting the Maltin Modern Master Award. (Shiuan Cheng / Daily Nexus)
In her acceptance speech, Jolie expressed gratitude for the opportunity to connect with audiences as a creative.
“Those of us who are able to question and explore and feel deeply with audiences that feel with us, like I did tonight, share this feeling and are very, very fortunate. It is a real privilege to be an artist,” Jolie said.
