CASEY AFFLECK, MARION COTILLARD and JAMES McAVOY are among the stars who will be honoured with the Santa Barbara Film Festival’s inaugural Virtuosos Award next month (Jan08).

Bosses at the California movie event have introduced the award to pay tribute to stand-out performances by younger actors.

Affleck will be recognised for his recent parts in Gone Baby Gone and the Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford; Cotillard for Le Vie En Rose; McAvoy for Atonement; Ellen Page for Juno; and Amy Ryan for Gone Baby Gone.