Film showcases and specialty series
The SCAD Savannah Film Festival offers the best in independent and major studio films from around the world. From feature-length films to two-minute shorts and everything in between, the festival celebrates cinematic excellence from award-winning and emerging filmmakers. More than 100 competition films are selected from more than 2,500 annual entries, along with dozens of panels, workshops, and special guest interviews led by leading entertainment journalists.
Competitions are held in several categories and in other specialty film series. The festival's Gala Screenings, Special Presentations, and Signature Screenings feature top and soon-to-be-released films poised for contention in the next Oscar season. The Docs to Watch series, hosted by Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter, presents the top 10 documentaries of the year. Pixels and Pencils: Top Animated Contenders, hosted by Clayton Davis of Variety, highlights the top animated films of the year.
Film series
After Dark
The SCAD Savannah Film Festival's home for late night fun and genre fare, these soon-to-be-cult-classics are selected to thrill, scare, and entertain.
Docs to Watch
Hosted by Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter, Docs to Watch showcases the top 10 must-see documentaries of the year that are campaigning for Academy Award recognition. Directors participate in post-screening Q&A sessions, culminating in the Docs to Watch: Directors Roundtable.
Gala Screenings
Hear from the artists behind high-profile upcoming releases at these red-carpet premiere screenings featuring special guests and honorees.
Signature Screenings
A cross-section of the year's top films — from blockbusters and documentaries to independent and international releases — with award aspirations highlights this screening series, which are followed by Q&As with the creative talent behind them.
Pixels and Pencils: Top Animated Contenders
Hosted by Clayton Davis of Variety, Pixels and Pencils spotlights the top animated films of the year. Showcasing a broad array of artistic avenues and animation styles, these films tell compelling stories as they contend for Oscar acclaim. Directors participate in post-screening Q&As and join Davis for a roundtable discussion during the festival.
Special Presentations
Get an early look at buzzworthy films from the world's leading filmmakers premiering at the festival or not yet in wide release. In previous years, these films have gone on to win Academy Awards, Independent Spirit Awards, and other prestigious accolades.
Specialty series
Entertainment Weekly Breaking Big Awards
In this panel hosted by festival media partner Entertainment Weekly, the breakout stars of today discuss their current projects, how they got their start in entertainment, and what's next in their careers.
Variety's 10 Artisans to Watch
Variety senior artisans editor Jazz Tangcay hosts this panel honoring the behind-the-scenes artists and other rising stars invaluable to the year's best films. The list of honorees reflects contributions across cinematography, costume design, editing, hair and makeup, production design, sound, casting, stunts, and visual effects.
TV Sidebar
In an era where television has become as cinematic and boundary-pushing as film, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival has partnered with Deadline to present TV Sidebar, a series of special events and screenings that highlight the artistic renaissance of episodic storytelling.
Behind Their Lens
This series of panels celebrates the female and non-binary cinematic powerhouses who have shattered barriers to create some of the most groundbreaking, influential, and resonant films and TV of recent years.
In Conversation
Leading entertainment journalists and professionals sit down with SCAD Savannah Film Festival honorees for an intimate conversation about their career highlights.
Panels and Workshops
Panels and workshops are an essential part of SCAD Savannah Film Festival programming. From software and special effects demonstrations to discussions with industry stars and insiders, festival panels offer key insights on the filmmaking process.
Competition films
Animated Shorts
With the ability to delight and excite, these animated short films represent the diversity of the process — from hand-drawn figures to stop-motion and digital rendering — and showcase unique storytelling at its finest.
Fiction Features
From side-splitting comedies to heart-wrenching dramas, fiction feature films selected represent diversity in storytelling, excellence in acting and directing, and exemplary cinematography and editing.
Fiction Shorts
Professionally produced films that run the gamut of subject matter and style, Fiction Shorts are selected on their individual merits in storytelling and execution.
Documentary Features
Beyond simple subject matter, documentaries present compelling stories that illuminate and educate audiences in a thought-provoking and timely manner.
Documentary Shorts
Showcasing powerful nonfiction storytelling, Documentary Shorts bring together bold voices and fresh perspectives from around the world, capturing real lives, urgent issues, and voices of truth in cinematic miniature.
Student Shorts
In this collection, student short films represent emerging visions from a broad range of styles, including fiction, documentary, and animation.