The 2024 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, scheduled to take place from October 26 to November 2 will celebrate a lineup of distinguished contributors to some of the most anticipated and critically acclaimed films of the year.
The opening night gala presentation of “Blitz” will kick off the 2024 edition of the festival, with director Steve McQueen in attendance to receive the Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award.
This year’s other honorees include Annette Bening, Jerry Bruckheimer, Colman Domingo, Karla Sofia Gascón, Jharrel Jerome, Richard Linklater, Mikey Madison, Isabela Merced, Steve McQueen, Lupita Nyong’o, Daisy Ridley, and Sebastian Stan.
Honorees attending the festival are expected to participate in an awards presentation, moderated conversations, and master classes.
Annette Bening will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at a screening of her 1990 film The Grifters. Bening, is a celebrated actor known for her work on both stage and screen. She most recently starred in the Peacock limited series Apples Never Fall; The Film Nyad, directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, which screened at last year’s film festival, and the film Death On The Nile, directed by Kenneth Branagh.
Jerry Bruckheimer will receive the Legend of Entertainment Award at an In Conversation event discussing his career. Bruckheimer, is the most successful film and television producer of all time. The academy award-nominated producer’s film credits include the Pirates Of The Caribbean, Top Gun, National Treasure, Bad Boys, and Beverly Hills Cop Franchises, as well as such Hits As Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Remember The Titans, Enemy Of The State, Armageddon, Con Air, The Rock, Crimson Tide, and Flashdance.
Colman Domingo will receive the Spotlight Award at a screening of Sing Sing. Domingo is the executive producer and star in Greg Kwedar’s film Sing Sing, which was released in July 2024 by a24. In 2023, Domingo starred as Civil Rights Leader Bagar’s Rustin in Netflix and higher ground’s film Rustin for which he received an Academy award nomination, Golden Globes, Bafta , SAG nomination, critic’s choice nomination as well as many regional nominations.
Karla Sofía Gascón will receive the Distinguished Performance Award at a screening of Emilia Pérez. Gascón began her acting career in Spain, but it was her move to Mexico that cemented her status as an international star in such series and films as El Señor De Los Cielos and Nosotros Los Nobles. It is her role in the Netflix film Emilia Perez that has redefined her career.
Jharrel Jerome will receive the Lumiere Award at a screening of Unstoppable. Jerome is known for his breakout role in the academy award-winning film Moonlight and his Emmy award-winning performance in Ava Duvernay’s “When they see us”. He recently starred in Boots Riley’s “I’m a virgo” and Steven Soderbergh’s “Full circle” earning critical acclaim and multiple award nominations.
Richard Linklater will receive the Lifetime Achievement in Screenwriting Award at a screening of Hit Man. His feature films include Slacker, Dazed and Confused, theBefore trilogy, boyhood, Apollo 10 ½: a space age childhood, and Hit Man.
Mikey Madison will receive the Breakthrough Award at a screening of Anora. Madison assumed the titular role in Sean Baker’s highly anticipated film Anora, which received the Palme d’or at this year’s Cannes film festival. Her other credits include the Apple tv+ limited series The Lady in the Lake, Scream, Once upon a time in Hollywood, and Fx’s critically acclaimed series “Better Things”
Isabela Merced will receive the Rising Star Award at a screening of Alien: Romulus. She recently appeared in alien: Romulus, from producer, director, and writer Fede Alvarez. Her other credits include Turtles all the way down, Madame Web, Rosaline, Father of the bride, Sweet girl, Spirit Untamed, Dora and the lost city of gold, Let it snow, Instant family, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and Transformers: The last Knight.
Steve McQueen will receive the Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award. McQueen is an academy award winner and British film institute fellow. His critically acclaimed first feature hunger, starring Michael Fassbender, won the camera d’or at the Cannes film festival. His subsequent feature shame also featured Fassbender, winning the Volpi cup at the Venice film festival for best actor.
Lupita Nyong’o will receive the Virtuoso Award at a screening of The Wild Robot. She made her feature debut in Steve McQueen’s Academy Award winning film 12 Years a Slave for which she won the Academy Award, the Screen Actors Guild Award, the Critics’ Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the NAACP Image Award. She since has starred in Marvel’s Black Panther franchise, Jordan Peele’s Us, A Quiet Place: Day One, written and will hit the big screen again as robot “ROZ” in The Wild Robot.
Daisy Ridley will receive the Lumiere Award in recognition of her current projects Magpie and Young Woman and the Sea. Her projects this year include the upcoming Magpie, Young Woman and the Sea, and Sometimes I Think About Dying. She is set to return to the Star Wars franchise as Rey in one of the Star Wars: New Jedi Order films, and recently completed filming on the Martin Campbell-directed, London-set action-thriller Cleaner alongside Clive Owen.
Sebastian Stan will receive the Maverick Award at a screening of A Different Man. He earned the Silver Bear Award for Best Leading Performance at the Berlin Film Festival for A Different Man. His next film is The Apprentice, where he portrays Donald Trump alongside Jeremy Strong’s Roy Cohn.