Breaking: Angelina Jolie might have been snubbed at the Oscars this year, but that’s not stopping her from continuing to win awards for her role as Maria Callas in the biopic Maria while also shutting down the red carpet at the same time……See More

Angelina Jolie might have been snubbed at the Oscars this year, but that’s not stopping her from continuing to win awards for her role as Maria Callas in the biopic Maria while also shutting down the red carpet at the same time.

Case in point? On Wednesday, the actress accepted the Maltin Modern Master Award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, where she wore an elegant white slip dress with a sexy surprise in the back. Putting a fresh spin on the traditional mullet dress, Jolie’s gown was business in the front with a high square neckline and a party from behind given its backless design.

Upon first arriving on the red carpet, Jolie added to the business aspect with a matching oversized blazer slung over her shoulders, before stripping it off to reveal her bare back covered with tattoos. She kept her accessories simple, sporting just a pair of black velvet pumps and a sleek blowout. As for glam, she stuck to her beauty signatures—including a glossy pink lip, rosy cheeks, and a subtle smoky eye.

While accepting the evening’s honor, Jolie got emotional when referencing her late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, in her speech. “I think of my mother…she had to give up her dreams of a creative life but she embraced that side of mine,” Jolie said of her mom, who was also an actress.

Jolie noted that while she was alive, her mom would write letters to the characters she played in movies. “‘Dear Gia,’ ‘Dear Lisa Rowe,’ ‘Dear Lara Croft’—and for the last 16 years, I haven’t had those letters,” she continued. “I try to imagine sometimes what she would write, and she would probably have told Maria that she loved her because Maria had many things but she never had a mother’s love.”

As tears rushed to her eyes, Jolie concluded, “I would be absolutely nothing without mine. She passed away many years ago at this time of year, so it’s always this weather that reminds me of her. And that feeling and that sensibility that makes that actually hard for me is part of what is my work and what connects many artists to their work, and I know I’m not alone in this.”