All eyes were on Nicole Kidman as she made an elegant entrance at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival last night.
Several hundred screaming fans lined the streets hoping to get a glimpse of Nicole, whose name was splashed across the marquee of the festival's Arlington Theatre, located about an hour outside of Los Angeles.
Wearing an elegant white Nina Ricci dress, strappy sandals and carrying a bouquet of flowers, Nicole arrived at the festival last night to accept its Cinema Vanguard Award.
Grand entrance: Nicole Kidman arrived to the screams of hundreds of excited fans last night at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California
Major honour: Nicole was awarded the festival's prestigious Cinema Vanguard Award
Each year the honour is bestowed upon someone in the movie business who has taken 'artistic risks and has made a significant and unique contribution to film.'
'I'm very fortunate and very grateful because I have certainly lived my fair share of pain and loss,' Kidman told reporters gathered along the arrivals line.
'So now to be where I am waking up in the morning going "Thank you, God" is a very beautiful place to be existing.'
Her name in lights: Nicole's name was splashed across the marquee at the festival's Arlington Theatre
Festival organizers presented teh award to Nicole in recognition of her prolific career both in film and theatre.
The event included clips of movies the American public has enjoyed since they first discovered the Australian actress in the 1980's.
Kidman won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe in 2003 for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in The Hours.
True Grit: Up-and-coming actress Hailee Steinfeld also chose to wear a white dress to the festival Friday night
She is again nominated for a Best Actress Oscar this year for her performance in Rabbit Hole.
The day before, True Grit star Hailee Steinfeld was honoured at the festival as a future star to watch.
The 14-year-old American actress also wore white, choosing an Albert Ferretti cocktail
A trio of Oscar nominees: Hailee posed with fellow nominees Jacki Weaver and John Hawke
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1354305/Nicole-Kidman-shines-stylish-dress-receives-Hollywood-honour.html#ixzz1DHqHoOvl
Hailee kept her look age-appropriate with a scoop neck dress with cap sleeves and lace detail that fell just above the knee.
The mix of lace and a classic cocktail dress silhouette effortlessly kept Hailee’s ensemble stylish and fun while revealing just enough leg.
Hailee’s style has evolved during her brief time in front of the camera. The young star has been in the acting game since the ripe old age of 11 when she began going out on auditions but was regularly turned down because she lacked any real experience and was considered to be ‘too green.’
A younger, more innocent Hailee got her first big break in 2007 landing a role in Kelsey Grammer’s short lived FOX sitcom Back To You but things did not take off for the young starlet until she went into for her January 2009 audition for True Grit.
Three auditions later Hailee had landed the role of Mattie Ross and the rest, as they say, is history.
Hailee’s first major film role has also landed her in the coveted spot of being nominated for an Oscar in the category of Best Supporting Actress.
