In Georgia's first city and SCAD's first hometown, the 22nd annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival showcases premier cinematic achievement at the preeminent university for creative careers. In 2019, a record-setting year for Georgia film production, SCAD celebrated a grand-prize win in the Coca-Cola Regal Films Competition. Led by Shayain Lakhani (B.F.A. film and television) and Devon Solwold (B.F.A. film and television), a team of 70+ SCAD students collaborated on a joyous gem of entertainment. Their short film, Choose Happy, has played on 7,200 screens in 550 theaters across the nation. This notable collaboration is one of the many opportunities made possible at SCAD.

The only university lauded in all five of The Hollywood Reporter's academic program rankings, SCAD catalyzes success in majors including film and television, production design, performing arts, sound design, and dramatic writing. Academic excellence and professional insight propel graduates to shining creative professions, illustrated by the 140 students and alumni who contributed to 18 of this year's Oscar-nominated films.

Chockablock with student films, insider panels, anticipated screenings, and show-stopping award presentations, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival centers you in a cinema-lover's dream of buzzworthy films and brilliant professionals. Delight in the exuberance that surrounds you, and watch for the stars of the future right here at SCAD!

Thank you for joining us to celebrate the silver screen,
Paula Wallace
SCAD president and founder

Paula Wallace founded SCAD in Savannah in 1978. As president of SCAD, she has led the university's expansion to locations in Atlanta, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France, and pioneered SCAD eLearning. With 100 academic degree programs and more than 18,500 enrolled students, SCAD is the preeminent source of knowledge in every discipline it teaches and has prepared more than 60,000 alumni for creative professions worldwide.

Wallace created and championed the university's annual events, including the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, SCAD AnimationFest, SCAD GamingFest, SCAD deFINE ART, SCADstyle, SCAD Sidewalk Arts Festival, SCAD aTVfest, and SCAD FASHION shows, providing myriad opportunities for students to engage with industry professionals. Wallace also led the creation of the SCAD Alumni Atelier program, which provides SCAD alumni with an on-campus artist residency program; SCAD Art Sales, which connects SCAD artists with global clients; SCADFILM, which increases the knowledge and network of entertainment arts professionals; and SCADpro, the university's in-house design consultancy that solves high-stakes design challenges with leading-edge business solutions for world-renowned companies.

For her advocacy of education in the entertainment arts, Wallace is a proud recipient of the Southeast EMMY President's Award and the Creative Excellence Award from Women in Film and Television Atlanta. Wallace is also an honorary member of the AIA, a Senior Fellow of the Design Futures Council, a member of the Advisory Board of the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. She is a recipient of the ASID Nancy Vincent McClelland Merit Award, the Arthur Ross Award for Stewardship, the National Trust for Historic Preservation's Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award, and a Roger Milliken Honorary AIA Legacy Award. Wallace has also been named among Blouin Artinfo's "Power List: High-Wattage Women of the Art World" and Condé Nast's "Daring 25." The French Embassy in the United States of America appointed Wallace a Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Palmes Académiques, the Georgia Historical Society named her a Georgia Trustee, the City of Atlanta presented her with a Phoenix Award, the City of Savannah awarded her a key to the city, and DesignIntelligence named her to its "30 Most Admired Educators."