The 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival is shaping up to be one of its most star-powered editions yet, spotlighting both acclaimed veterans and rising voices in cinema. Running October 25 through November 1, the festival — the largest university-run film festival in the nation — continues its tradition of honoring artistry, storytelling, and cultural impact across film and television.
Among the newly announced honorees are Spike Lee, Tessa Thompson, Miles Caton, and Hannah Beachler, each being recognized for their outstanding contributions to the art of filmmaking.
Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will be honored with the Legend of Cinema Award for his pioneering body of work and continued influence on modern storytelling, most recently with his A24 feature Highest 2 Lowest. Tessa Thompson will receive the Distinguished Performance Award for her role in Hedda, a film that has earned her widespread acclaim for its powerful reimagining of Ibsen’s classic. Rising actor Miles Caton is set to receive the Rising Star Award for his performance in Sinners, while Academy Award-winning production designer Hannah Beachler will be recognized with Variety’s Creative Impact in Production Design Award, also for her work on Sinners.
This year’s honorees will also take part in awards presentations, master classes, and moderated conversations with SCAD students, offering an up-close look at their creative journeys and artistic process.
Full List of 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival Honorees
- Hannah Beachler – Variety Creative Impact in Production Design Award (Sinners)
- Miles Teller – Distinguished Performance Award (Eternity)
- Spike Lee – Legend of Cinema Award (Highest 2 Lowest)
- Miles Caton – Rising Star Award (Sinners)
- Tessa Thompson – Distinguished Performance Award (Hedda)
- Craig Brewer – Spotlight Director Award (Song Sung Blue)
- Rose Byrne – Luminary Award (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You)
- Jon M. Chu – Vanguard Director Award (Wicked)
- Zoey Deutch – Breakthrough Performance Award (Nouvelle Vague)
- Joel Edgerton – Vanguard Award (Train Dreams)
- Mark Hamill – Lifetime Achievement Award (The Life of Chuck)
- Will Arnett – Luminary Award (Is This Thing On?)
- Oscar Isaac – Icon Award (Frankenstein)
- Rian Johnson – Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award (Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery)
- Jennifer Lopez – Virtuoso Award (Kiss of the Spider Woman)
- Dylan O’Brien – Lumiere Award (Twinless)
- Benny Safdie – Maverick Director Award (The Smashing Machine)
- Park Chan-wook – International Auteur Award (No Other Choice)
- Brendan Fraser – Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Award (Rental Family)
- Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas – Rising Performer Award (Sentimental Value)
- Amanda Seyfried – Spotlight Performance Award (The Testament of Ann Lee)
- Kristen Stewart – Visionary Filmmaker Award (The Chronology of Water)
- Sydney Sweeney – Producer Spotlight Award (Christy)
Da’Vine Joy Randolph to Serve as Honored Guest
Academy Award-winning actor and Tony Award nominee Da’Vine Joy Randolph will attend the festival as an Honored Guest. She will join Miles Teller for the Opening Night Gala Screening of Eternity on October 25, where Teller will receive the Distinguished Performance Award presented by Randolph herself.
Festival Screenings and Highlights
The festival will open with A24’s Eternity, directed by David Freyne and starring Elizabeth Olsen, Miles Teller, and Callum Turner — a story set in the afterlife where souls have one week to choose their eternal fate.
The Centerpiece Gala on October 30 will feature Craig Brewer’s Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson, while the Closing Night Gala on November 1 will feature Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.
About the Festival
Presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the festival draws more than 75,000 attendees annually and serves as an early stop on the road to awards season. Its events take place across historic venues and state-of-the-art SCAD spaces throughout the city, merging Hollywood prestige with hands-on student engagement.