The 2025 Scad Savannah Film Festival honors filmmaker Jon M. Chu for his contributions to visual storytelling at the Vanguard Director Award.
The awards presentation will be held on October 26th, with a conversation about his career, an upcoming film, “Wicked: For Good,” and a selection of filmography for Chu.
The film festival, presented by Savanna College of Art and Design, returns to its 28th year and will be held from October 25th to November 1st.
“John M. Chew embodies what it means to be a vanguard,” said Christina Routhier, senior executive director of the Scad Savannah Film Festival. “From guiding global icons with a steady and inspired hand to working with top-level authors, designers and musicians, Chu’s vision transforms cultural moments into cinema milestones.”
She continued. “For SCAD students, his career is a masterclass in the way storytelling shapes culture. This conversation has seen internally a groundbreaking contribution to world film.
The 2025 Festival Pass is currently available at https://filmfest.scad.edu/. Individual event tickets will be on sale on Friday, October 3rd.
Saturday, September 6th
Michael Schultz, who wins the Lifetime Achievement Award from Milwaukee Films
The Milwaukee Films will celebrate director Michael Schultz with the Lifetime Achievement Award for contributions to the media on September 13th.
A native and groundbreaking creative in Wisconsin, Schultz directed more than 100 television shows and over 12 features, including Cooley High (1975), Car Wash (1976), and The Last Dragon (1985). Due to “car wash,” Schultz became the first African-American filmmaker to participate in a major competition in Cannes. He also supported the careers of Richard Pryor, Samuel L. Jackson and Denzel Washington, directing the latter’s feature debut, “Carbon Copy,” in 1981.
The award marks the first Michael Schultz award in a Milwaukee film. The Michael Schultz Award is sponsored by the Brewers Community Foundation. In addition to the award presentation, the Milwaukee Films also screened Schultz’s work at the Oriental Theatre.
Schultz, 87, continues to expand his illustrious cinema shoot, and most recently directed an episode of NBC’s “Found” earlier this year.
Friday, September 5th
Leonardo DiCaprio documentary “Yanunni” holds Los Angeles and Brazilian Film Festival
The Los Angeles Brazil Film Festival has announced the official lineup for this year’s event. The opening night film, which will premiere on October 13th, is “Yanunni,” directed by Richard Dorado Kani, and will be produced by Leonardo DiCaprio. The festival will be held in Culver City from October 13th to October 16th.
“Yanuni” transports audiences to Amazon, capturing both the nature and the surprising threats faced by Indigenous communities and vulnerable ecosystems. The film is set not only to raise awareness of the environmental crisis and highlight the voices of those fighting to protect the land. “Yanunni” will tell the story of the indigenous chief Jumasipiah, fighting to protect the tribe’s land despite attempts to assassinate.
The closing night film is “Manas,” directed by Mariana Brenand. “Manus” is set against the background of northeastern Brazil and weaves a story of sisterhood, resilience, and the power of family connections in times of hardship.
Wednesday, September 3rd
Beyond the fest to celebrate Guiller Modelro with 12 movie retrospective
Beyond Fest celebrates Guillermo Del Toro’s career with 12 featured retrospective series Está Vivo: The Gods and Monsters of Guillermo Del Toro. This year’s festival will be held at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood from September 23rd to October 8th.
In a partnership with American Cinematheque, Está Vivo will include a rare 35mm screening, ranging from new restorations, special director cuts, and a rare 35mm screening, ranging from Derrlo’s debut with Chronos to his latest film, Nightmare Alley: Vision Indicator and Light.
Del Toro will take part in a specially curated celebration of four programming blocks. Meanwhile, he shares his personal stories, dreams and nightmares from his life behind the lens. Ahead of his upcoming film Frankenstein, which will be released later this year, the series will be divided into themes of monsters, humanity and imagination.
“The Guillermo del Toro films have been equally inspiring generations of filmmakers and audiences, unlike other artists we’ve experienced,” said Evrim Ersoy, director of programming at Beyond Fest. “To welcome him and celebrate his artistic vision on this scale really respects him as a servant of nature’s creative power and the proud obsession of film.”
Está Vivo opens with In the Mood for Love, a triple building that explores the emotional core of Del Toro’s “beauty and bloody wire balance,” according to Beyond Fest. The opening celebrations include screenings of “The Shape of Water” and a personally directed brand new version of his 2022 Odyssey, Nightmare Alley: Vision of Darkness and Light.
The next block of programming includes features like “Hellboy”, “Hellboy II: The Golden Army” and “Blade II.” Screening of Deltoro’s basic works follows the theatrical premiere of 4K Repair for his debut feature “Chronos”, the LA premiere of 4K Repair for “The Devil’s Backbone”, and the director’s cut of his first studio feature “Mimic.”
“Pan’s Labyrinth” receives a unique programming block that includes Prescribing Q&A. Exhibitions of “Pacific Rim” and “Pinocchio by Guillermo Del Toro” will also be held at the Los Feliz 3 Theater.
‘Torn: Israeli and Palestinian Poster War on NYC Streets’ Documents will expand nationwide through Gathr
The documentary Torn: The Israel-Palestine Poster on NYC Streets, directed by Nim Shapira, will open on Friday at theaters in New York (Cinema Village) and Los Angeles (Laemmle’s Town Center 5).
Gathr is partnering with Hemdale Films to use its direct audience technology platform to expand its “break” nationwide. Gathr’s recent titles include Oscar-winning “No other Land,” the worker’s documentary “Union,” and “The Last Class.”
“‘Tone’ is a film about results. It’s unintentional, human, deep personal,” Director Nim Shapira said. “My hope is for audiences to see their reflections on the people on screen and discover new capabilities for empathy, perhaps even in the most divided conflict.”
“Torn” tracks a grassroots poster campaign and raises awareness of the 251 hostages Hamas took, which escalated into the iconic street war, as pro-Israel and Palestinian activists tore each other’s posters apart.
SCAD AnimationFest announces schedules and winners
Savannah Art and Design’s Scad Animation Fest will return to the university’s Scadshow Theater from September 25-27, with a lineup of film and television projects, special guests, panels and honors back from the animation world.
This year’s festival includes panels and discussions with executives and creators from Amazon MGM Studios/Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Disney Branded Television, Disney Jr., Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation, along with current and former SCAD film students, including Netflix and Warner Bros. Animation.
The festival also honors creators of Phineas and Ferb Dan Povenmia and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh, as well as directors of “KPOP Demon Hunters” Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, for their special awards for their contributions to the craft.
Additional festival information and tickets are available on the SCAD website.
Johanna Coelho and Sandra Valde Hansen will be awarded at the 27th Annual Emerging Film Director Awards
Cinematographers Johanna Coelho and Sandra Valde Hansen will be honored for their contributions to the film and television industry at the 27th Annual Awards for Emerging Film Director.
Cinematographer Stephen Wrighthill will present Valde Hansen with the American Association of Photography Sciences Mentor Award. Coelho is awarded the well-known Filmmaker Award.
Both winners will be recognized at the awards event on September 28th and at the American Association of Photography Science Clubhouse on September 26th.
Coelho is currently filming season 2 of HBO Max’s series The Pitt, and has previously worked on season 2 and four seasons of ABC’s “Rookie” and the film “All Happy Family.” Valde-Hansen is a Filipino-American cinematographer with credits “The Summer I Tunder Pretty” and “Plan B,” and Gregg Araki’s “Now Apocalypse”, “Kaboom” and “White Bird in a Blizzard.”
In addition to the special awards, the International Cinematographer Guild will be screening films from eight winners announced this summer.
The eight winning filmmakers selected from 100 submissions include Isaac Banks’ “Trophy King,” John B. Barrett’s “Recall,” Daniel Cotroneo’s “Yee: The Blind Samurai Woman,” Eitan Maidhoff’s “Class Piero,” Marisquera Beatriz, Mendes’s “Middle” “Maris Kabytu” Russell’s “Hammer” and Alexa Wolf’s “Fad Way.”
The event will be held at the TV Academy Savan Media Center Wolf Theatre.
