The SCAD Savannah Film Festival was founded and is hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) to bring film industry talent and expertise to the students of SCAD and the greater Savannah community, in a relaxed environment that promotes education and a spirit of collaboration.

The festival enters its 27th year with expanded studio premieres, shorts programming, and international films in its continued pursuit of showcasing excellence in film, while offering a diverse and enriching experience for the more than 65,000 attendees.

The SCAD Savannah Film Festival supports the spirit of independent film by offering emerging talents a reprieve from the huge number of submission fees they face in their quest for exposure. The festival waives submission fees for student films until March 15, yearly. Animated shorts are also afforded a window of waived submission fees until April 1. Waivers for other categories are granted by invitation only.

One of the largest university run film festivals in the world, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival showcases the very best in independent filmmaking, from feature-length films to two-minute shorts, running the gamut of cinematic creativity.

The beautifully restored Trustees Theater, built in 1946 in the heart of historic downtown Savannah, and part of the SCAD campus since 1998, is the premier venue for the festival, with a seating capacity of more than 1,100. Around the corner is the Lucas Theatre for the Arts, built in 1921, which serves as the companion festival theater and also seats close to 1,200. Both theaters feature Sony 4K digital projection, Spectral 240 silver screens for pristine 2D/3D imagery, as well as 35mm projection, and 7.1 Dolby Digital surround sound projected by one of the top teams in film festival projection around the globe.

In addition to competition films, the festival also screens award-winning studio releases ahead of their theatrical run. The festival honors leaders in the film industry, from directors and producers to actors, screenwriters, entertainment journalists and editors, before the evening gala screenings. Previous festival honorees include Kevin Bacon, Ava DuVernay, Hoyte van Hoytema, Peter Sarsgaard, Ron Howard, Eddie Redmayne, Mia Goth, Janelle MonĂ¡e, Nicholas Hoult, Henry Selick, Sandy Powell, Kenneth Branagh, Adrien Brody, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Samuel L. Jackson, Millie Bobby Brown, Hugh Jackman, Elisabeth Moss, Daniel Kaluuya, Ethan Hawke, Billy Crystal, Alan Silvestri, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Mahershala Ali, Molly Shannon, Meg Ryan, Jeremy Irons, Glen Keane, Gena Rowlands, Olivia Wilde, John Goodman, Matt Dillon, Stan Lee, Diane Lane, Lily Tomlin, Oliver Stone, Ray Liotta, Aaron Eckhart, Geoffrey Fletcher, Ellen Barkin, Liam Neeson, Sir Ian McKellen, Isabella Rossellini, Woody Harrelson, Arthur Penn, Michael Douglas, Roger Ebert, Kathleen Turner, Norm Jewison, Sidney Lumet, and Peter O'Toole just to name a few.

Savannah becomes a film lover's paradise during this week-long event, with plenty of opportunities to take in the sights of one of the world's most beautiful cities. The festival offers a series of panels and workshops, informal coffee talks, and daytime and evening showings of narrative, animated, and feature films. Master class workshops are presented by industry insiders who give pointers on everything from special effects to selling a film. Filmmakers selected for competition receive complimentary passes to attend the festival and are treated to unparalleled hospitality, including engaging networking opportunities.

The SCAD Savannah Film Festival awards "best of" category awards in every category.

The SCAD Savannah Film Festival LGBTQ+ Shorts Competition presented by Amazon MGM Studios will present a $10,000 jury-awarded prize for Best Overall Film and a $5,000 prize for the Audience Award. See category information for more details.

The Katie Spikes Legacy Scholarship is a jury-awarded cash prize of over $2,500, awarded to a SCAD Student short film, documentary or narrative format, showcasing storytelling excellence. See category information for more details.

PREMIERE STATUS
While the festival always considers films that have screened at other film festivals, or are in the process of being picked up for distribution, the festival refrains from programming films for competition that have already been released theatrically or have online digital sales or are publicly streaming prior to the completion of the 2024 SCAD Savannah Film Festival.

FILM COMPLETION DATE: ALL films submitted for consideration must have been filmed and completed AFTER July 1, 2023. No exceptions will be considered.

DO NOT SUBMIT MUSIC VIDEOS. WE DO NOT ACCEPT NOR SCREEN MUSIC VIDEOS.

WORKS IN PROGRESS ARE CONSIDERED, however, a second, FINAL screener can only be submitted ONCE, after the initial submission, and ONLY at the request of the festival, by July 31st. Please submit films in their most final, complete state, regardless of status. All films selected for competition MUST PROVIDE a direct, password-protected VIMEO LINK upon acceptance for judging purposes.

All entries must be submitted as an online screener. If password protected, please make sure password is typed correctly. We will notify you if your password does not work. We will not consider the film if we do not receive an updated password within the allotted time frame.

All entries must either be in the English language or be subtitled in the English language.

Third parties submitting films on behalf of their clients must include the filmmaker's contact information within the submission. If selected, the festival will contact the filmmaker directly.

DEADLINES
All film submissions must be uploaded by the particular discount deadline, ie. for student films entering their film on FilmFreeway before March 15 to qualify for the waiver, or animation before April 1. Online screeners MUST be uploaded ON or BEFORE the deadline, or the entry will be disqualified and required to submit with the proper submission fees.

Waivers are granted via invitation ONLY. NO UNSOLICITED WAIVER REQUESTS WILL BE HONORED! PLEASE DO NOT ASK. (SCAD students, SCAD alums, and festival alums, see below)

SCAD Students and SCAD and festival Alum must request waiver codes via filmfest@scad.edu prior to submitting their film through FilmFreeway. DO NOT pay the entry fee and then request a waiver, as NO REFUNDS will be given.

Failure to pay proper submission fees with your entry may result in disqualification. You will be notified of failure to pay via email and will be disqualified if payment has not been submitted within 5 business days. NO REFUNDS will be granted to any submission.

Film presentations are scheduled at the discretion of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival and are subject to change.

EXHIBITION
Regardless of original format, all competition films screen on DCP for festival presentation. DCPs with subtitles must have the subtitles embedded in the film file. Filmmakers are responsible for providing their own DCP to the festival by uploading the file to our secure server. DCP is the only accepted format. No other formats will be considered.

JUDGING
Films chosen for the competition are judged by a select panel of jurors who are active industry professionals from various filmmaking fields. Awards are left to the sole discretion of the judges, and a committee selected by the director of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival will make any necessary rulings. Awards are announced at the awards brunch at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival.

ALL FILMMAKERS will be notified on or around September 16, 2024. This is subject to change, we ask for your patience. DO NOT EMAIL FESTIVAL ORGANIZERS before Sept. 16 to "check the status of your film." If your request is contingent on premiere status, we will do what we can to keep you informed as to our decision. Everyone will be notified in a timely fashion. Thank you!

Overall Rating
Quality
Value
Communication
Hospitality
Networking
  • Obinna Onyeri

    OMG, it is Truly one of the best festivals out there regarding Hospitality and overall Quality. If you are fortunate to be selected -- GO! You will have the best time. Thank you SCAD SAV for hosting me and my film. Hope to be back soon.

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you so much, Obinna, for your kind words! We appreciate you submitting your film and taking the time to attend the festival. Wishing you all the best! - The SCAD Savannah Film Festival Team

  • Maya Korn

    They really look after you t this festival with great food and screen for your films. We also were awarded! Thank you so much!

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Maya, for recognizing the care the SCAD Savannah Film Festival extends to its visiting filmmakers and their screenings at our theaters. Thank you for your film and attendance! - The SCAD Savannah Film Festival Team

  • Amir Zargara

    Thanks for having us :)

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Amir, for being a part of the festival! As we mentioned before, all filmmakers who have been accepted to the festival can submit their future projects free of charge! We look forward to your future submissions! - The SCAD Savannah Film Festival Team

  • Jordan Vescio

    The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is a top notch university film festival. The community and opportunities (both for students and filmmakers) is what makes the festival so unique. The staff and volunteers were welcoming and engaging. I was thrilled to be able to return to my alma mater to screen my short film "Pink Flamingos Everywhere" in the beautiful Lucas Theatre. Thank you SavFF for a wonderful experience as a filmmaker and attendee.

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Jordan, for your kind words, and for submitting your film to us, we were happy to include it in our lineup! We look forward to your future work and as a reminder, SCAD Alum can submit future work free of charge. We wish you all the best! - The SCAD Savannah Film Festival Team

  • Elan Golod

    The SCAD Savannah Film Festival is one of the best festivals I've attended or screened at. My film "Nathan-ism" had a sold out screening in a beautiful venue. The venues and the film programming are great, the staff and volunteers were extremely helpful and the hospitality was beyond 5 stars. I definitely hope to return to SCAD with future films.

    November 2023
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    Response from festival:

    Thank you, Elan, for your kind words and your moving documentary, we were thrilled to include it in our lineup. We look forward to your future films and wish you all the best! - The SCAD Savannah Film Festival Team