Georgia has been a booming state in the U.S. for the film and entertainment industry for the past decade. Savannah has been no exception, hosting the 26th SCAD Savannah Film Festival this year! While there was so much to see in only eight days of festivities, CGMagazine was able to witness and capture some of the highlights and flourishing essence of the festival events. Some notable names included Kevin Bacon, Eva Longoria, Lulu Wang and more. It was amazing to see a lot of production crew who have worked behind the scenes on some of the biggest films of the year, such as Barbie and Oppenheimer.
1) Savannah Film Studios Backlot
The amazing Savannah Film Studios backlot was unveiled for the first time, providing a first-look into what the university students could utilize to make their own films or TV shows. SCAD School of Film and Acting dean Andra Reeve-Rabb mentioned how Georgia was becoming the “new Hollywood” for the film industry, and the backlot would support that. She discussed how the design was made with the intention of resembling “a quaint European town and be dressed for the 1800s or modern day.”
So far, the filming space contained some classic Savannah-style homes, along with “a café, a pub, hardware/antique retail space, a boutique, barber shop, a general-use lobby for a hotel or hospital with an exterior porte-cochère and automatic doors, and a double-height bank with interior overlook on the most East elevation.” We were able to take a look inside these buildings and interact with some of the actors and props. There was even a stunt performance display on how an action flick could use the backlot.
2) Screenings/Q&A’s
The best part of films festivals are the film screenings themselves! Who would have thunk it? This year, the Savannah Film Festival showed a bunch of movies coming to the big screen later this month and next month. Poor Things, Saltburn and The Bikeriders were among the newer, highly-anticipated films we got to check out. Reviews will be coming out shortly in the coming week or so, so stay tuned for those.
A cool part of these screenings were the Q&A conversations with directors/production staff that worked on these respective films. One of the most recognized directors was Emerald Fennell, who starred in The Crown and directed her debut film, Promising Young Woman. Saltburn was her second directorial movie. Another great conversation was with the director/writer Jeff Nichols who brought the screening of The Bikeriders with him. He has been known to work a lot with Michael Shannon, last notably on Midnight Special.
3) Red Carpet Talks
The Savannah Film Festival red carpet talks were both glamorous, hilarious and informative. We were able to speak with co-directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, and producer/writer Phil Lord. They spoke on how great storytelling commingled with so much reference material was pivotal to connecting with fans and audiences alike. Netflix’s Nimona directors Troy Quane and Nick Bruno spoke about the importance of telling great stories while pushing the normalization of creating diverse and inclusive characters.
The glitz and glitter were in full effect, as the red carpet hosted major celebrities like Kevin Bacon, Eva Longoria, and even had a surprise visit from Aldis Hodge—recently known for portraying Hawkman in DC’s Black Adam. Some other great guests who walked the red carpet were Peter Sohn (Elemental), Hoyte van Hoytema (Oppenheimer) and Kazu Hiro (The Shape of Water), among others.
4) Production Panels
With the SAG-AFTRA strike still in progress, the Savannah Film Festival really pivoted this year from having an abundance of celebrity actors and actresses. This year’s festival provided a spotlight for production crew members who are just as cool to know about since they contribute a lot to making the films we all love. With Oppenheimer being one half of the biggest trending films of 2023, it was really interesting to hear more details that went into the making of the film.
Ruth de Jong (production designer), Richard King (sound designer and supervising sound editor, Jaime Leigh McIntosh (hair department head), and Ellen Mirojnick (costume designer) discussed a lot of interesting facts and anecdotes about making the film. One such notable fact was that majority of the film was filmed in New Mexico, even the Washington D.C. moments.
“…the Savannah Film Festival would not be possible without the amazing students, and the awesome audiences at all the various screenings, panels, workshops and events.”
Probably one of my favourite panels was the panel of stunt performers who offered their insights in the film and stunts industry. The panellists included major performers like Rachel Gelfield (SCAD alum; stunt actor/coordinator; The Gray Man, The Walking Dead), Regis Harrington (stunt driver; Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Adam Hart (DGA second unit director and stunt actor/coordinator; Barbie, Thor: Love and Thunder), Mike Massa (DGA second unit director and stunt actor/coordinator; Free Guy, Blade Runner 2049) and Dan Pera (stunt actor; The Suicide Squad, Ford v Ferrari). They even broke down how a stunt set piece worked using the new backlot at Savannah Studios.
5) The Students/Audiences
And of course, the Savannah Film Festival would not be possible without the amazing students, and the awesome audiences at all the various screenings, panels, workshops and events. The audience’s reactions to screenings were quite audible at times of gut-wrenching movie moments, or in awe of hearing about the advice the students at SCAD could take away from those already big in the industry. Without the students and other audience members, the show could not go on. So, many thanks go towards them all!
To get all the updates and highlights, be sure to check out the SCAD Savannah Film Festival website. It also contains a list of all the guests and honourees who were praised this year. Or even follow along with notifications across SCAD Savannah Film Festival socials: Facebook and Instagram @savfilmfest and TikTok @scaddotedu.
