The 29th annual SCAD Film Festival runs from October 24–31, 2026, in Savannah, Georgia, with more than 160 films and dozens of Hollywood stars, according to Savannah College of Art and Design announcements and local coverage on October 27, 2026. It is the biggest annual university-run film festival, drawing as many as 74,000 attendees each fall. Helen Mirren receives the festival’s Legend of Entertainment Award. Mirren won the Oscar for Best Actress for The Queen and earned Oscar nominations for three other films, alongside a Tony Award, four Emmy Awards and numerous BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild honours. The festival’s centrepiece gala presentation on October 27 is A24’s The Debut, while Searchlight Pictures’ Wild Horse Nine closes the festival on October 31.
The Odyssey in the spotlight
Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is discussed at the festival with casting director John Papsidera, while attendees also get a behind-the-scenes look at Disney’s Hexed with chief creative officer Jared Bush, and a career retrospective for production designer Patrice Vermette of Dune fame. The festival will also honour Paul Bettany, Meghann Fahy, Ethan Hawke, Sterlin Harjo, Guitarricadelafuente, Julianne Moore and Emmy Rossum. Anton Corbijn’s thriller A Talent for Murder opened the festival.
A festival with an Oscar track record
Over the years, SCAD has screened more than 250 films that received Oscar nominations, according to the college. That record is why studios and awards campaigners treat Savannah as a serious late-October stop rather than a regional curiosity.
Related reading: Gotham Awards Nominations Spotlight Sundance Films and Disney Hexed Trailer Wins Fans Ahead of November 25 Release
