The Academy Award-winning actress will be celebrated February 5 for her remarkable career and acclaimed performance as Penelope in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
Academy Award-winning actress Anne Hathaway will receive the prestigious American Riviera Award at the 42nd annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF), adding another major Hollywood celebration to the festival’s highly anticipated 2027 program. The honor will be presented Friday, February 5, at 8 p.m. during an in-person tribute and career conversation at Santa Barbara’s historic Arlington Theatre.
The recognition arrives amid an extraordinary period for Hathaway, whose performance as Penelope in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has become one of the defining achievements of her career. Starring opposite Matt Damon as Odysseus and Tom Holland as Telemachus, Hathaway portrays a woman balancing the responsibilities of family and kingdom while awaiting her husband’s return. The sweeping epic, which has earned widespread critical acclaim and surpassed $1.8 billion at the worldwide box office, marks Hathaway’s third collaboration with Nolan, following The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar.
“Anne Hathaway has always impressed me with her theatrical sophistication, unwavering commitment, and remarkable versatility as a performer,” said SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling. Praising her work in The Odyssey, Durling described the performance as among the finest of her career, highlighting its emotional complexity and the balance of strength and vulnerability she brings to the role.
Established to recognize performers who have made significant contributions to American cinema, the American Riviera Award has become one of SBIFF’s signature honors. Previous recipients include Ethan Hawke, Zoe Saldaña, Mark Ruffalo, Brendan Fraser, Kristen Stewart, Delroy Lindo, Renée Zellweger, Robert Redford, Martin Scorsese, Sandra Bullock and Quentin Tarantino.
For Hathaway, the recognition reflects a career distinguished by remarkable range across drama, comedy, musicals and major studio franchises. She won the Academy Award, Golden Globe, SAG Award and BAFTA for her portrayal of Fantine in the 2012 adaptation of Les Misérables, following an earlier Academy Award nomination for Rachel Getting Married.
Her filmography includes The Devil Wears Prada, Brokeback Mountain, The Princess Diaries, The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar, Ocean’s Eight, The Intern, Dark Waters and The Idea of You. Beyond acting, Hathaway has expanded her creative influence through her production company, Somewhere Pictures, contributing to projects including The Idea of You, Verity and Mother’s Instinct.
Her prolific 2026 slate further underscores the versatility that has defined her career, with projects including Mother Mary, The Devil Wears Prada 2, The End of Oak Street and Verity. Among her upcoming projects are The Princess Diaries 3, in which she will reprise her beloved role as Mia Thermopolis, along with Alone at Dawn and Days of Thunder 2.
Hathaway’s tribute joins an impressive collection of honors already announced for the 2027 festival. Andrew Garfield will receive the Maltin Modern Master Award on February 6, while John Malkovich will be celebrated with the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award on February 12.
The festival’s Virtuosos Award celebration, scheduled for February 7, will recognize Carrie Coon, Mariana di Girolamo, Rosalind Eleazar, Jordan Firstman, Anthony Ippolito, Jaafar Jackson, Inde Navarrette and Kate O’Flynn. The evening will be moderated by Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger.
The 42nd Santa Barbara International Film Festival runs February 3–13, 2027, with screenings, filmmaker conversations, industry programming and celebrity tributes presented throughout Santa Barbara, including at the Arlington Theatre and the SBIFF Film Center.
Hathaway’s American Riviera Award tribute promises an opportunity to revisit a career that has continually evolved across genres and generations, while celebrating an actress whose latest collaboration with Nolan has introduced another defining chapter in an already distinguished body of work.
