Editor

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) today announced the inaugural SCAD Savannah Film Festival Audience Award winners, as selected by festival attendees.  

 

Salbturn was the year’s top pick, with Academy Award-winning writer, director, and producer Emerald Fennell on hand to receive the Spotlight Director Award in front of a sold-out audience. American Fiction was the runner-up, continuing its festival run of receiving audience prizes. Director, writer, and producer Cord Jefferson was in attendance and honored with the Breakthrough Director Award.

 

Last Thursday, 19 awards were announced from the 99 films chosen to compete out of over 2,100 submissions in competition categories, which included Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Professional Shorts, Animated Shorts, Documentary Shorts, Student Shorts, Shorts Spotlight, the Global Shorts Forum, and the SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition presented by Amazon MGM Studios.

 

Professional Competition

 

Student Competition

 

Global Shorts Forum

 

Shorts Spotlight

 

The 2023 festival's professional jury members included Seth Fradkoff (publicity principal, Amazon MGM Studios), Migizi Pensoneau (writer and producer), Jeanie Pyun (deputy editorial director, The Hollywood Reporter), and Rishi Rajani (CEO, Hillman Grad).

 

SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition Presented by Amazon MGM Studios

 

Recognizing the need for more inclusive storytelling in the filmmaking industry, the 2023 SCAD Savannah Film Festival (SAVFF) and Amazon MGM Studios have created a dedicated SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition. Amazon MGM Studios will donate $10,000 for the jury-awarded Best Overall Film and $5,000 for an Audience Award. Films in the program are under 40 minutes in length and represent excellence in storytelling and execution in narrative or documentary formats, reflecting unique insight into LGBTQIA+ themes, issues, or ideas.

 

This year’s winner for Best LGBTQIA+ Short is 100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu, directed by Gbenga Komolafe. This year’s Audience Award winner is Fanatic, directed by Taran Killam.

The SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition Presented by Amazon MGM Studios jury members included Adam Keen (co-head of global film PR at Amazon MGM Studios), Anthony Allen Ramos (vice president of communications and talent at GLAAD), Daniel Reynolds (editor in chief at Out Magazine), Jazz Tangcay (senior artisans editor at Variety) and Abbey White (news reporter at The Hollywood Reporter).

 

 

The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is key stop on the festival circuit leading up to the Academy Awards. This year’s event screened 167 films, including 51 narrative feature films, 16 documentary feature films, 100 short films, which were all eligible for the Audience Award. The festival honored Kevin Bacon (Outstanding Achievement in Entertainment Award), Ava DuVernay (Virtuoso Director Award), Emerald Fennell (Spotlight Director Award), Sarah Greenwood (Outstanding Achievement in Production Design Award), Todd Haynes (Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award), Kazu Hiro (Career Achievement Award), Jack Huston (Rising Star Director Award), Cord Jefferson (Breakthrough Director Award), Eva Longoria (Discovery Director Award), Jeff Nichols (Auteur Award), Greta Lee (Spotlight Award), Peter Sarsgaard (Vanguard Award), Cailee Spaeny (Breakthrough Award), Katie Spencer (Outstanding Achievement in Production Design Award), and George C. Wolfe (Storyteller Award). Variety also previously announced in partnership with the SCAD Savannah Film Festival that Hoyte van Hoytema will be honored with the Variety Creative Impact Award in Cinematography Award at a screening of Oppenheimer on 35mm film. Entertainment Weekly also announced their Breaking Big honorees for 2023, which include Taylor Zahkar Perez, Maddie Ziegler, Chloe Coleman, and Aria Mia Loberti. The panel will take place Friday, Oct. 27 at the festival. This year’s SCAD45 recipients included Rachel Gelfeld (Stuntwoman), Alex Hammer (Editor) and Brent Kiser (Sound Editor).