SBIFF Montecito Award to Jennifer Aniston

Aniston is honoured for her career including her performance in Cinelou Films’ Cake, which has catapulted her into contention for an Oscar nomination.

The Montecito Award was created in “recognition of a performer who has given a series of classic and standout performances throughout his or her career and whose style has made a major contribution to film.”

The previous recipients are Oprah Winfrey, Daniel Day-Lewis, Geoffrey Rush, Julianne Moore, Kate Winslet, Javier Bardem, Naomi Watts and Annette Bening, the award’s first winner in 2005.

“Once in a while a performer who we thought we knew gets outside of his or her comfort zone and shows us the unexpected,” said SBIFF executive director Roger Durling. “When that happens it is cause for celebration - and this is why the 2015 Montecito Award is bestowed upon Ms Aniston.”

The 30th SBIFF is set to run from January 27-February 7.

• The Imitation Game earned best picture and took best director honours for Morten Tyldum as the 2014 Capri, Hollywood - The International Film Festival came to a close in Italy. Timothy Spall was named best actor for Mr. Turner, while Jennifer Aniston and Amy Adams tied the best actress contest for Cake and Big Eyes, respectively. Ellar Coltrane from Boyhood and Gugu Mbarta Raw of Beyond The Lights were named rising stars and Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida won the best foreign film award.