SCAD wows its audiences at the Savannah Film Festival 2024, bringing many students and fans closer to many of the greatest industry leaders.
With more than 25 years of the Savannah College of Art and Design-run (SCAD) movie festival, this year went bigger to welcome acclaimed films and illustrious guests to the Hostess City of the South. This college of art and design knows no limits to potential as the SCAD Savannah Film Festival (SAVFF) has connected student filmmakers and film enthusiasts alike with actors, directors, industry insiders, and the below-the-line talent. CGMagazine was able to witness the shining entertainment beacon of Savannah, Georgia this year again—but with even more thunderous cheers and applause.
This year’s SAVFF was a major stop in the Academy Awards festival circuit, screening 162 films with 123 narrative feature films, 31 documentary feature films, and 69 shorts, with 10 world premieres and six U.S. premieres. It was really insightful to wait until the Q&A’s began after some of the screenings too. Here is a list of some of the biggest screenings from this year’s festival, most not released yet:
- Blitz — Apple Original Films (Director Steve McQueen)
- Better Man — Paramount (Director Michael Gracey)
- The Brutalist — A24 (Director Brady Corbet)
- Emilia Pérez — Netflix (Director Jacques Audiard)
- The Fire Inside — Amazon MGM Studios (Director Rachel Morrison)
- Juror #2 — Warner Bros. Pictures (Director Clint Eastwood)
- The Last Showgirl — Roadside Attractions (Director Gia Coppola)
- Maria — Netflix (Director Pablo Larraín)
- Nickel Boys — Orion Pictures / Amazon MGM Studios(Director RaMell Ross)
- Nightbitch — Searchlight Pictures (Director Marielle Heller)
- The Piano Lesson — Netflix (Director Malcolm Washington)
- A Real Pain — Searchlight Pictures (Director Jesse Eisenberg)
- September 5 — Paramount (Director Tim Fehlbaum)
- Sweethearts — MAX (Director Jordan Weiss)
- Unstoppable — Amazon MGM Studios (Director William Goldenberg)
One of the biggest highlights of SAVFF 2024, from a panel perspective, had to have been the Pixels and Pencils: Top Animated Contenders Roundtable. The panel was presented in collaboration with Variety’s very own senior awards editor Clayton Davis, where the directors behind the top animated films of the year shared their animation styles and secrets to making great animated works.
These are films that have been the talk of the world film festival circuit and almost locked in as high Oscar-nominated prospects. Some are already popping at the box office to reflect its popularity. Director Chris Sanders almost had students ranting and raving so loud they could be heard all the way from Tybee Island. Here is the list of selected films:
- Flow — Sideshow/Janus Films (Director Gints Zilbalodis)
- Inside Out 2 — Disney and Pixar (Director Kelsey Mann)
- Memoir of a Snail — IFC Films (Director Adam Elliot)
- Piece By Piece — Focus Features (Director Morgan Neville)
- Transformers One — Paramount Pictures (Director Josh Cooley)
- The Wild Robot — Universal Pictures/DreamWorks Animation (Writer/Director Chris Sanders)
One of the highly-anticipated special presentations of SAVFF 2024 was the First Look: Wicked presentation, and offered a look at two of the film’s musical numbers. Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay sat down with cinematographer Alice Brooks, editor Myron Kerstein, and costume designer Paul Tazewell. All three of them discussed their work on the upcoming musical movie based on the worldwide hit Broadway play of the same name and The Wizard of Oz (1939) film. The film is directed by Jon M. Chu (Crazy Rich Asians, In The Heights), and will be coming out on November 22nd, 2024. Last year’s special look dove into details on the 2023 version of The Color Purple.
Each panelist discussed specific details they worked on for the film. One of the cool details Brooks talked about was how she “used every colour of the rainbow on clear resin walls”, and noted how “each colour means something in the movie.” She added how they tried to use less blue screen shots as possible, especially since they could film on a volume and change the backgrounds with Unreal Engine. Kerstein shared that there were many “10-minute takes” and “each one made [him] cry.” So, he had a hard time editing it all down.
Tazewell had a lot to share on the various costume designing choices that went into the film. The key one was how he experimented with making Elphaba’s black outfit look good. He talked about how “there is lots of black materials for black clothing.” He delved into how he experimented with “velvet, chiffon fabrics and ruffled silk gauze.” Going deeper, he explained how he had to consider textures and how the black clothing would look contrasting with other characters in the same scene, and how well it would look with her green skin too.
Filmmakers and actors would not be able to shine without a good working set to film on. That is where the Savannah Film Studios backlot comes in. This year’s expansion into Phase Two of their three-phase plan was a spectacle to check out. SCAD unveiled a magnificent new 17,500 sq. ft. production and costume design building next to the Savannah Film Studios backlot.
This year, there were multiple new sets in buildings and structures. There was a bank or courthouse-looking building, which reminded me of the financial building in The Dark Knight Rises. There was a mock-subway entrance, resembling the New York and many common American subway entryways. The details on the alleyways were also so detailed with how it looked rundown. An old 1950s-60s gas station pump and auto shop was added too, great for period pieces. Some chic storefronts and restaurants across different interior eras was also amazing to see. So many options!
We were able to see a state-of-the-art facility containing costume design sewing labs, a fabulous industrial garment conveyor, and massive production design scene shops for building, welding, painting, and much more. This allows students the opportunity to film their various projects, or work on special projects related across filmmaking disciplines.
SCAD SAVFF 2024 was an amazing time, especially the filmmakers and stars that walked them. Big crowds gathered for major celebs, such as Kevin Costner (Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter 1), Demi Moore (The Substance), Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain), Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing) among many others. It is truly one of the best film festivals on the circuit for its intimate setting in a historically rich city as Savannah. If you ever get the chance to visit Savannah, Georgia, the time around SAVFF is the time to be there!
More details on the festival can be found on the official film festival’s website.
