Matt Damon and Marion Cotillard receive career tributes at the 22nd Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards.

On the red carpet, a humble Cotillard had a hard time explaining what the honor meant.

SOUNDBITE: Marion Cotillard, actress, saying (English):

"It's hard to express, you know, how I feel, I feel very lucky, very welcomed in this country and very happy."

The night celebrated the best independent films of the year including "Beast of the Southern Wild" and "Your Sister's, Sister" co-starring Emily Blunt, who turned the event into a date night.

SOUNDBITE: Emily Blunt, actress, saying (English):

"We always try to make it a date night, I think you can turn it into a date night, I mean it's always fun and I have some friends here as well, so it's nice."

Matt Damon, who has effortlessly juggled careers in the independent and Hollywood-world said there is no real difference in the creative process.

SOUNDBITE: Matt Damon, actor, saying (English):

"The film making and the problem solving, it's all really the same, it's just, you have kind of a bigger canvas so paint on when you do a really big movie and we both done big movies and smaller movies and it's kind of the same creative problem solving that goes into it. But you have better craft service and catering and trailers on the big movies."

With award season right around the corner, Oscar chatter has already started for Cotillard, for her role in "Rust and Bone".

But the French actress said she tries to stay in the moment.

SOUNDBITE: Marion Cotillard, actress, saying (English):

"You have to enjoy those things when it's there, but thinking ahead, which I'm not - that's not me. So I'm just enjoying the present time right now."