Savannah Film Festival to Honor Famed Film Critic Roger Ebert with Lifetime Achievement Award in Entertainment Journalism

The Savannah Film Festival, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, and sponsored in part by Memorial Health, Coca-Cola and the Savannah Morning News, honors famed film critic Roger Ebert with a Lifetime Achievement Award in Entertainment Journalism, Friday, Oct. 29, 7 p.m., in Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St.

Ebert is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times and co-host of the top-rated television show "Ebert and Roeper," a sequel to the popular "Siskel and Ebert" movie review show he hosted with the late Gene Siskel. He has served for nearly three decades as many moviegoers' authoritative source on which films to see and which to avoid by giving the movies his ultimate judgment--a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. In addition to his film column in the Sun-Times, Ebert is the author of 15 books, including annual volumes of "Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook" and the bestsellers "The Great Movies" and "Ebert's Bigger Little Movie Glossary." Ebert also travels the country conducting his shot-by-shot film analyses for universities and film festivals.

Immediately following the award presentation, the Savannah Film Festival will screen «Kinsey,» starring Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Chris O'Donnell, Peter Sarsgaard, Timothy Hutton, John Lithgow and Tim Curry. Based on the life of Albert Kinsey, a pioneer in the field of human sexuality, this film explores how Kinsey irrevocably changed American culture in 1948 with his book "Sexual Behavior in the Human Male." Interviewing thousands of people about the most intimate aspects of their lives, Kinsey lifts the weight of secrecy and shame from a society in which sexual practices are mostly hidden. His work sparks one of the most intense cultural debates of the past century--a debate that continues today. What begins for Kinsey as a scientific endeavor soon takes on an intensely personal relevance, ultimately becoming an unexpected journey into the mystery of human behavior.

On Friday, Ebert will host the second of a three-part workshop series, «’Citizen Kane:’ A Shot in Time,» which will take place at 12:30 p.m. in Trustees Theater. At the workshop, Ebert will critique for the audience the nuances of the film, arguably one of the greatest movies ever made.

Through frame-by-frame analysis, Ebert will discuss techniques and tricks Welles used to create his masterpiece. The sessions will be unique; each day Ebert will cover about a third of the film. However, it is possible to attend just one of the sessions as they are self-contained.

Also screening on Friday are the professional and student films «Rumpy,» «Maree,» «La Hescritora,» «24 at 1201,» «The War Inside,» «Woman in the Attic,» «American Made,» «Divya,» «Infidelity,» «Finding Eléazar,» «Starlet,» «Entertainment Vietnam,» «The Accordian Player,» «Loopy,» «Pientre de la Tierre,» «Rex Steele: Nazi Smasher,» «Le Vieil Homme et les Poissons,» «Fastest Paperboy in Town,» «Focus,» «Lift» and «Under Fire: A Photographer at War.» The screenings take place at Trustees Theater and the Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn St.

Workshops are also scheduled throughout the day at Red Gallery, 201 E. Broughton St., and include «Careers in Postproduction» and «The Handling of Hollywood: A Symposium of Agents, Managers, Publicists and Casting Directors.»

Individual tickets are $5 per film, workshop or lecture; $3 for senior citizens; $3 with a non-SCAD student ID or free with a SCAD ID. Group discounts are available. The film schedule is subject to change; the films are not rated and may contain mature content. Parental discretion is advised. For more information, call 912.525.5050 or visit the festival’s Web site at www.scad.edu/filmfest.