Actress Rooney Mara, joined a notable group of honorees last night at the historic Arlington Theater, including last year’s recipients Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones as she accepted the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s (SBIFF) prestigious Cinema Vanguard Award.

The event was moderated by  Joe McGovern from Entertainment Weekly. McGovern engaged with Mara gently drawing out the diminutive actress. Throughout the conversation, clips were intermittently shown from Mara’s body of work including the Side Effects , Her and The Social Network, a biographical drama of Mark Zuckerberg and the genesis of Facebook.

Festival Director Roger Durling praised Mara by saying,

“From her scene-stealing turn in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo to her outstanding performance in Carol, Rooney has repeatedly showcased her talents as one of the most gifted actors of her generation. I truly admire the enigmatic and complex nature of her performances. She’s an adept, beguiling actor, and we are proud to present her with this year’s Cinema Vanguard Award.”

Rooney’s Carol Director, Todd Haynes presented the award with Aussie Cate Blanchette providing a rousing tribute recorded earlier from her home Down Under.

Past recipients of the award include Amy Adams, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Ryan Gossling and Stanley Tucci. The award was created to recognize “actors who have forged their own path – taking artistic risks while making a significant and unique contribution to film.”