From André Leon Talley tributes to breakout filmmakers, Simone Oliver’s inside (and first-timer) look at how Savannah College of Art and Design’s Film Festival is redefining creative education, from the red carpet to the classroom.
Touchdown in a City That Moves Like Art
I spent 72 hours in Savannah, Georgia — my first time at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and my first SCAD Savannah Film Festival.
I came for the films but left overflowing with perspective and inspiration. More than a school, SCAD is a cultural institution. You can feel it in the air, in the classrooms, the galleries, the streets. Savannah itself has become part of SCAD’s canvas – even in my cab, which I shared with Jack Dolman, the music supervisor for Wicked: For Good. The city is transformed: still historic, but now pulsing with creative rhythm. Film and fashion and every elective in between coexists here with purpose.
Art by DAVINA SEMO.
Sculpture by TOMOKAZU MATSUYAMA.
The Heart of the Festival
During the festival, I caught screenings, panels, and conversations that all pointed to one big truth: storytelling is an act of empathy. From student documentary shorts to alumni panels, each film was an invitation to see through someone else’s eyes — proof that SCAD’s film program, led by department chair D.W. Moffett (an actor turned educator, and most recently in One Battle After Another), is as much about heart as it is about craft. “What I wanted to bring to SCAD was not just telling students who I’ve worked with in the industry, but what it was like to work with that person. That’s what will prepare them,” he said.
D.W. MOFFETT, Getty Images.
The alumni panel showcased a spectrum of creatives, spanning acting, animation, sound engineering, and beyond.
Hollywood Names and the Future Architects of Film in the Room
There were red carpets almost every night of the week-long, with the likes of Joel Edgerton, Dakota Fanning, Brendan Fraser, and even Luke Skywalker himself — Mark Hamill — who’s been in the game for over 40 years, in attendance.
You could say SCAD is an aspiring director’s festival, where you share rooms (and ideas) with the creative brains behind your favorite films. Yes, Spike Lee made an appearance; and Kristen Stewart and Benny Safdie were acknowledged for their work.
Rising stars like Dylan O’Brien, Tariq Withers, and Tati Gabrielle also added to the electricity — a reminder that this festival bridges generations as much as genres.
The Craft Lab: SCAD’s Creative Engine
What makes SCAD truly distinct from Venice, Toronto, Sundance, Cannes, or Austin is its heartbeat: the university itself. While there was no shortage of boldfaced names, it was the people behind the scenes — the ones shaping the look, sound, and soul of film — who took center stage. Craig Brewer, one of the most daring voices in music-driven storytelling (Hustle & Flow), was honored alongside visionaries like Hannah Beachler, the award-winning production designer, and Kassandra Kulukunid, the celebrated casting director. You leave wanting to IMDb deep-dive everyone. I definitely did.
SCAD nurtures innovation behind the camera as much as it celebrates it in front — training the next generation in costume, sound, set design, animation, casting, fashion marketing, and luxury management. And if its nearly finished 11-acre film lot isn’t proof enough that the university is serious about closing the gap between academia and real-world experience, I don’t know what is.
The André Leon Talley Exhibition and SCAD’s Curatorial Power
The André Leon Talley: Style is Forever exhibition at SCAD Museum of Art, a sibling to the new, larger show in Atlanta, felt like walking through style and memory at once.
Of all the cultural institutions that might honor André Leon Talley, SCAD feels like the right home. A Southern son, Talley had a long relationship with the university — mentoring students, championing young talent, and sharing pieces of his archive well before this exhibition was imagined.
Style Is Forever spans SCAD’s museums in Savannah and Atlanta, built from Talley’s extraordinary bequest of garments, accessories, photographs, and collectibles to the SCAD Permanent Collection. It also marks the 10th anniversary of SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film — a space Talley helped shape — and will travel to SCAD FASH Lacoste next spring.
The exhibition moves like a living timeline: Met Gala highs, front-row reign, private moments, public transformations, and the quiet details you’d miss if they weren’t preserved. The looks are displayed on custom mannequins cast from a sculpture by SCAD alum Stephen Hayes, adding another layer of meaning and underscoring SCAD’s deep alumni network.
It’s a celebration of influence, yes, but also of connection. Talley’s, and SCAD’s and is open to the public into 2026 (see details below).
During the festival, I caught screenings, panels, and conversations that all pointed to one big truth: storytelling is an act of empathy.
Fashion as Discipline, Not Fantasy
The fashion department’s sprawling (and uniquely accredited) curriculum led by Dirk Stanton spans everything from sneakers to fibers (and they claim the largest in North America), all taught by active industry professionals, including the new Associate chair Patrick Pierre M. De Muynck, who counts Haiker Ackermann and Demna as his former students. No wonder their students’ résumés tend to rise to the top of recruitment piles, from Levi’s to Louis Vuitton. Everyone dreams of becoming a creative director, but at SCAD, students learn what that path actually involves — the craft, the discipline, and the many roles that build toward it and exist around it.
The result is a student and alumni body that moves with agency, confidence, and empathy. These are artists who know by doing. And often they’re rewarded in the real world, case in point Teyana Taylor recently wore a SCAD student’s fashion design from the 2025 student fashion show while on her One Battle After Another tour.
Women at the Center of the Story
Everywhere I turned, women’s stories layered the experience: Regina Hall (also in One Battle After Another), Rose Bryne and Sydney Sweeney were all honored. The line wrapped around the corner for the screening of My Mom Jayne, followed by a Q&A with Law & Order: SVU royalty Mariska Hargitay, who directed and co-produced the intimate film about her mother, 1950s actress and pinup star Jayne Mansfield. Another honoree, Tessa Thompson, said during the Hedda screening that she doesn’t feel like a master of anything — except trying. “I count myself a forever student,” she said. That line stuck with me. It could be SCAD’s motto.
Savannah, a Quiet Muse
Savannah is such an artist’s city. Sunlight filtering through centuries-old oak trees that wrap their many squares, history wrapped around every block as the oldest city in Georgia, its preserved architecture giving the quiet illusion of a film set. Imagination spills from every window, and the fun, food, and shopping match the energy.
After 72 hours, I realized I didn’t just attend a film festival. I walked through a living ecosystem of art, empathy, and evolution.
One of the many squares in Savannah.
The author in front of the Fashion department building on SCAD’s Savannah campus.
The André Leon Talley: Style is Forever exhibition is on view at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion + Film in Atlanta through March 1, 2026, and at the SCAD Museum of Art in Savannah through Jan. 11, 2026.
The Most Unexpected Cultural Collectible of the Year is a LEGO Bamboo Earring The Most Unexpected Cultural Collectible of the Year is a LEGO Bamboo Earring
The Most Unexpected Cultural Collectible of the Year is a LEGO Bamboo Earring
He Shaped the Vocabulary of Modern Shoe Design. Fashion Forgot. He Shaped the Vocabulary of Modern Shoe Design. Fashion Forgot.
He Shaped the Vocabulary of Modern Shoe Design. Fashion Forgot.
The Books That Make a Room The Books That Make a Room
The Books That Make a Room
My Space: Carrie Mae Weems My Space: Carrie Mae Weems
My Space: Carrie Mae Weems
Welcome to the Era of the Slash Welcome to the Era of the Slash
Welcome to the Era of the Slash
My Space: Priyanka Chopra Jonas My Space: Priyanka Chopra Jonas
My Space: Priyanka Chopra Jonas
Creative Inquiry: 7 Questions With Photographer Dee Dwyer Creative Inquiry: 7 Questions With Photographer Dee Dwyer
Creative Inquiry: 7 Questions With Photographer Dee Dwyer
Jennie Baptiste’s New Exhibition Bridges Generations Jennie Baptiste’s New Exhibition Bridges Generations
