The Sundance of the South: Savannah Film Festival at the Savannah College of Art and Design

The Sundance of the South: Savannah Film Festival at the Savannah College of Art and Design

Whether you're a fan of student shorts or artsy, first-release feature films, the 8-day Savannah Film Festival will have you rubbing elbows in your seat with Hollywood's stars. Held annually in late October or early November, the Savannah Film Festival is hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Georgia. The week-long festival includes movie screenings and celebrity workshops for SCAD students, ticket holders and, of course, college road-trippers with a cinema craving.

Established in 1998, the Savannah Film Festival seeks out aspiring student and novice directors from all over the world. If you're a young director looking for a spot in the 2012 festival, submissions are held through SCAD, which takes submissions throughout the year. If you're interested in a workshop, you better get your tickets the moment they go on the market, which is usually in September. Tickets are available online or over the phone through SCAD, or for local students, at the Trustees Theater on Broughton.

It may not be Cannes or Sundance, but the Savannah Film Festival draws a college-friendly celeb crowd. Past guests of the festival have included Sir Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings fans, anyone?) Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Danny Glover, Tommy Lee Jones, Liam Neeson, Oliver Stone and Natasha Richardson, to name a few. When the credits roll, head to one of Savannah's campus-adjacent hotspots for some more celebrity sightings. SCAD's Lucas Theatre for the Arts, where the festival is held, is not far from student-centric bars, like the Crystal Beer Parlor, the Distillery, and Abe's on Lincoln. You may even get the chance to buy your favorite actress a beer.

Photos: (from Key To Savannah website)

article by Ella Whardon