The Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah Film Festival celebrates its 22nd year this October. In its two decades of big screens and bright lights, the festival has shown more than 130 films that went on to earn awards and honored more than 75 film industry leaders.
Past distinguished guests have included the likes of Sir Patrick Stewart, Salma Hayek, Hugh Jackman, and Lily Tomlin, among many many others. This year’s honored guests include Sienna Miller, Aldis Hodge, Olivia Wilde, Elizabeth Moss, and Daniel Kaluuya. The level of celebrity astounds. It’s an understatement to say that we’re lucky to live in a city that hosts such a world-renowned event.
For a week in October, Hollywood comes to Savannah, and fills our venues with award-winning movies before their wider release. Here are some to look forward to this year.
The festival kicks off with a screening of The Aeronauts starring Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne in a hot air balloon on Saturday, Oct. 26, at the Opening Night Gala Screening. Joes plays pilot Amelia Wren and Redmayne plays meterologist James Glaisher as they fight for their survival high in the sky. The film is set to be released on Amazon Prime in December.
Alfre Woodward plays death row prison warden, Bernadine Williams, in this drama directed by Chinonye Chukwu. The film will be released to theater audiences in December
Cynthia Erivo stars in this biography portraying the life of Harriet Tubman. Also starring Janelle Monáe, Joe Alwyn, Jennifer Nettles, this film is scheduled to be released to theater audiences on November 1.
Just Mercy tells story of Walter McCmillian, an African American who was falsely accused of murder, imprisoned and sentenced to death. Starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larson, this film tells the story of his appeal and exoneration.
Timothée Chalamet, Lily-Rose Depp, and Robert Pattinson star in this historical drama based on plays by The Bard, himself, William Shakespeare.
This all-star cast includes Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, and Toni Collette. It’s a modern take on the murder mystery thriller a la Agatha Christie.
Edward Norton, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Alec Baldwin, Willem Dafoe, and Bruce Willis lead the cast in this crime drama set in 1950’s New York.
Beautiful people, Antonio Banderas and Penélope Cruz, star in this Spanish drama that tells the story of a director on the decline.
The Report tells the story of Daniel J. Jones, played by Adam Driver, and the Senate Intelligence Committee as they investigate allegations of CIA torture after 9/11. Annette Benning, Jon Hamm, Michael C. Hall, and Maura Tierney round out the cast.
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
At the end of the festival on November 2, catch Tom Hanks in a role only he could play, Fred Rogers. This film tells the story of a jaded Esquire reporter played by Matthew Rhys after he’s been assigned to profile Rogers for the magazine.
