"Growing up, my favorite thing about the newspaper was always the funny pages," says Jeanna Pappas (B.F.A., illustration, 2017; M.F.A., sequential art). "I think I was drawing before I learned how to talk, and in some ways, I haven't changed—give me a pencil and a napkin, and I'll have a good time."

Seated at a sunlit, windowfront table inside Neighborhood Comics in Savannah, Pappas is happy as a cat. Midway through a monthlong in-store residency, the artist can be found three afternoons a week drawing comics, engaging with interested patrons, and showing off fab feline merch: t-shirts, posters, and the newest issues of Jeanna's Mini Cat Comic! and Cat Nap.

In conversation, Pappas correlates a wide swathe of interests and influences, from the banjo stylings of Rhiannon Giddens to shoujo manga series Fruits Basket. Much like the cute comics on display, there's more to this artist than meets the eye.

Jeanna Pappas:

I applied online for the Neighborhood Comics residency and owner Lee Heidel got back to me within 24 hours. Lee said, we want you to be here being friendly, drawing, and speaking to customers. Which is great, because I get to talk to kids who are fascinated to see someone creating comics. One family came in, and the daughter was looking at my handmade cat comic and said to her mother, "Hey my brother always gets something, can I get this?" It was really heartwarming.

I create my comics in a limited palette and print them on toned paper, so they have an old newsprint feel. I print them myself at home, and every issue has a different linocut cover. I stamp them individually and hand-tie the binding with twine. The final product feels great in your hands.

There's something alluring about a page of funny cat antics. There have been cat comics for a long time—Garfield, Fat Freddy's Cat [from the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers], George Herriman's Krazy Kat—I collect all the cat comics I can. I'll write my master's thesis expanding on the existing scholarship of the history of cat comics.

When I graduated from Greenwich High School, I came to SCAD and started studying game development. I loved game design and 3D design, but realized I had to be more tactile with my practice. I switched my major to illustration, with a scientific illustration minor. Professor Kristie Bruzenak taught me gestalt principles and continuation theory. She showed how art nouveau pieces contain geometry—Fibonacci sequences, perfect circles, radiating lines. Even in decorative art, there's science.

I graduated in 2017 and decided to stay in Savannah. I was working at Planet Fun and around comics all day. I was still wondering, what's my trajectory? At the time I'd illustrated my first book, Tea With Death, by the poet Abigail Wildes, and had found my niche making illustrations in ink. I wanted to gain more technical ability and learn storytelling, so I decided to pursue my master's degree in sequential art.

This quarter I'm taking Writing for Sequential Art (SEQA 745) with professor Mark Kneece, writing a comic book script. I love writing and delivering zingers, but I was nervous about longform storytelling. Professor Kneece told me to write a story I want to read, and now I have a pitch about an all-girl biker gang who sweeps up another girl who doesn't necessarily want to be on the adventure but has a special skill….

I'm committed to having fun with comics. People today scroll through Instagram and look at images, and it shows that the short-form comic format endures, even on smart phones. Now you've got the four panel Instagram layout, but it's the same concept. The comic strip is doing just fine.

Put your cat mask on and come meet Jeanna at Neighborhood Comics!

Enjoy an intimate look at two new SCAD Museum of Fashion + Film exhibitions at a curator-led, members-only tour, this Thursday, January 13, 2022, 6 p.m. in Atlanta.

SCAD FASH director of fashion exhibitions Rafael Gomes will give a behind-the-scenes tour of some of fashion history's greatest runway moments as he guides museumgoers through an exhibition of the photography of Robert Fairer. Robert Fairer Backstage Pass: Dior, Galliano, Jacobs, and McQueen features intimate portraits of supermodels, designers, and creatives capture the zeitgeist of fashion at the turn of the 21st-century.

The exclusive SCAD FASH also invites guests to witness the future of fashion with Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy. The exhibition offers the opportunity to discover the bold work of emerging fashion designer Wun, a rising star in the fashion world who has dressed fashion mavens Billy Porter, Solange Knowles, Lady Gaga, Céline Dion, Issa Rae, and Tessa Thompson.

This tour is open to SCAD FASH members only. Space is limited, with admission through a first-come, first-serviced basis. Members may RSVP to [email protected].

About the exhibitions:

Robert Fairer Backstage Pass: Dior, Galliano, Jacobs, and McQueen
Before instantaneous access to fashion shows via livestreaming and social media, London-based artist Robert Fairer was backstage photographing the designers, models, hair and makeup artists, and stylists working in crowded spaces at a frenetic pace, moments before the final looks were presented. His intuitive ability to frame the beauty, drama, and energy backstage resulted in stunning images—found in the pages of British Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, and American Vogue—that celebrate the creative talents who contribute to the magic of the runway. A captivating record of a bygone era, the exhibition features behind-the-scenes photographs from the house of Dior, John Galliano, Marc Jacobs, and Alexander McQueen.

Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy
Robert Wun favors a narrative approach to fashion design, embracing a global perspective that honors his heritage yet refuses preconceived notions of Asian identity. He often looks to nature to inform his work, relating the asymmetry of organic forms to the complexity of being human. Energized by the potential of design to function as a universal language, Wun translates bold conceptual ideas into technically rigorous yet accessible garments that empower the wearer.

Rafael Gomes is the director of SCAD fashion exhibitions for the Savannah College of Art and Design. Before joining SCAD, Gomes was an archivist and exhibition coordinator at Vivienne Westwood, where he oversaw the coordination and styling of global fashion shoots, videos and fashion shows. Gomes also designed, planned and executed large-scale exhibitions at numerous world-renowned museums and galleries, including the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Palace of Versailles, the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art and the SCAD Museum of Art.

Learn more about SCAD FASH, and become a member today.

Take the curator-led, members-only tour, Thurs., Jan, 13, 2022, 6 p.m.

SCAD is thrilled to debut Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy, the first solo museum exhibition for internationally acclaimed fashion designer Robert Wun at SCAD FASH Museum of Fashion and Film in Atlanta. The exhibition features over 40 garments from the London-based designer's archive, runway presentations, and celebrity commissions.

Hong-Kong born Robert Wun launched his eponymous label in 2014. His elaborate, sculptural garments and accessories are extolled for their striking silhouettes, technical precision, and masterful proportions, designed to empower and embolden the wearer. Wun often looks to the relationship between humanity and nature to inform his work, incorporating the asymmetry found in organic forms and translating his bold ideas into statement-making pieces. Wun honors his personal heritage without being beholden to preconceptions about what it means to be an Asian designer.

"To share my journey in fashion design, presenting my archives from the very beginning of my career to the latest collections, presented together in one space, is a dream come true," said Wun. "Witnessing the timeline of my growth as a designer is an honor. I am so proud of the incredible set design that beautifully echoes the ROBERT WUN brand ethos and aesthetic."

The exhibition at SCAD FASH highlights Wun's impressive roster of celebrity clientele showcasing avant-garde looks worn by Billy Porter, Celine Dion, Tessa Thompson, Doja Cat, MJ Rodriguez, Issa Rae, Fan BingBing, and Celeste. Also known for his film work, Wun collaborated with director Wong Kar-wai designing select character costumes for the 2015 blockbuster Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Wun has spoken extensively to leading fashion outlets about the significance and inspiration of his SCAD FASH exhibiton.

SCAD students from the university's top-ranked degree programs including fashion design, accessory design, luxury and brand management, advertising, and graphic design will have the opportunity to engage with Wun through virtual exhibition tours, conversations, and other programming.

"We are honored to spotlight Robert Wun at SCAD FASH in his first solo museum exhibition," said Rafael Gomes, director of fashion exhibitions at SCAD FASH. "This exhibition is a celebration of the individualism, feminism, and futurism inherent in Robert's designs. It is incredible what he has accomplished on a global level as a young designer, and he is quite the inspiration to our students."

Robert Wun: Between Reality and Fantasy is the first museum exhibition of Wun's work. Featuring looks and accessories from 2014 to present, the exhibition is set in a modern installation that captures the organic quality of his designs. The show will be on view at SCAD FASH starting November 11 through April 24, 2022. For more information, visit www.scadfash.org.

Photo by Zhong Lin

"By primal, I don't mean primitive, I mean essentialism," says Archana Menon (M.F.A., furniture design), founder of design studio primal-forms. "Simplicity can facilitate reflection and joy."

Strolling coffee-in-hand through Savannah's tree-lined Pulaski Square, Archana is ostensibly on break between academic quarters. In reality, the graduate student has just finished organizing the shipment of her furniture collection to New York City, where the undulating five-foot-long ebonized ash bench and two accompanying ash and alabaster lamps will be displayed during ICFF 2021. She'll be there too, appearing on WantedDesign Manhattan's Emerging Design Showcase panel. Then on to Design Miami, where the designer will discuss her work as part of the Whitewall panel Design Impact: Creating for a More Sustainable Future on November 30.


"I trained as an architect in Mumbai, then worked in interiors and hospitality, and doing residential architecture work in India," Archana says. "During that process, I realized I enjoyed designing furniture and felt that was my calling. SCAD offered me a good scholarship, and I came here to study for a master's degree in Fall 2019—my first time in the United States. Everyone has been so welcoming and supportive, students and faculty. SCAD furniture is family."

Professor Frederic Spector, SCAD associate chair of furniture design, initially encountered Archana in FURN 715, Methods in Furniture Fabrication. "Archana designed and built a tri-legged table with beautiful sculptural tapered turned legs and a curved top," Spector says. "She taught herself how to use the lathe and how to incorporate 3-axis CNC milling, processes typically not covered in that class. In a subsequent graduate studio, where the project was to design and build a work-from-home desk, she designed a desk system where work surfaces, legs, and privacy panels lock in. This whole system was both well-engineered and sculpturally beautiful. She has an amazing eye for form and proportion, and a keen understanding of trends."  

The freshness of Archana's approach is due in part to circumventing the dominant Western design repertoire. "What if there was a more open, pluralistic environment, where we find inspiration in incorporating different cultures into our design?" she asks.

A keen admirer of the artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi, Archana designed and built her primal-forms lamps "Lighting I & II" informed by the ancient monolithic columns of Hampi, India. Her bench "Seating I" nods to Eastern cultural traditions of sitting closer to the ground; per its catalog description, the bench "aims to step away from rigid ergonomic standards and promotes fluidity of interpretation." As Archana says: "You can sit on it however you want!"

Having won the 2021 Hospitality Design/West Elm Student Product Design Competition for her "Bloom" lighting collection, Archana received a $5,000 prize and will have her winning design produced and sold by West Elm—a significant, palpable step towards manifesting her design philosophy in the retail space.

"The multi-cultural aspect of SCAD is something that drew me here," Archana says. "I don't treat SCAD as a school, I see it as a start to a professional journey."

Archana Menon (M.F.A., furniture design).

"To me, the most refined aesthetic art form is fabric design," said Pinnacle Award-winning textile designer Wesley Mancini, speaking to an attentive group of SCAD fibers students in Pepe Hall. "I hope some of you become professional fabric designers."

Judging by the enthusiasm in the room, Mancini's wish will be realized. It was the penultimate week of fall quarter, and ten students were about to present their work for the Design of Distinction Competition. In addition to Mancini, the luminaries on hand included Kravet Inc. principal Scott Kravet, Kravet special projects manager Karen Lerman, and Valdese Weavers Chief Creative Officer Laura Levinson. SCAD chair of fibers Cayewah Easley introduced the special guests before passing the mic to fibers professor Deborah First.

"This project was a collaboration between Kravet, Valdese Weavers, and my class," First said. "Kravet furnished archival documents—designs on paper and actual fabrics—that the students used as springboards for their own interpretations. The students researched the time periods and styles of their chosen artworks, then began sketching."

After intense iteration and revision under Mancini's steadfast mentorship, the students' designs were finalized, before being woven at the Valdese Weavers Mill in Valdese, North Carolina. Now, the weavings were all hanging together in Pepe.

Each student stood to offer a précis, elucidating process and inspiration. What was immediately apparent was the diversity of the work.

Saira Netto (B.F.A., fibers) presents her design.

Quinn Carney was attracted to a neo-classic Jacquard weaving in the Kravet archive. Rebecca Durgy created a mash-up of Art Nouveau floral and her beloved bugs. Luke Doiron was drawn to the modern chromatic pattern of a Deco design. Kayla Perno went with 1970s organic shapes. Hannah Cunningham was inspired by a mid-century Modern design, originally a French luggage pattern.

Saira Mary Netto and Alejandra Fiallos both declared an affinity for Bauhaus master Gunta Stölzl, in turn creating designs inspired by Stölzl's work. Netto: "If you turn [a Stölzl composition] upside down it still looks like a complete piece, which is what I tried to achieve in my design."

The cumulative effect of the presentations was like watching a loom come alive.

"I usually tell designers it takes six months to understand Jacquard weaving, and you all did it in about six weeks, which is amazing," said Valdese CCO Levinson.

"It's very difficult to select a winner," declared the ever-exuberant Scott Kravet. "It's like, what kind of ice cream do you like better? All your designs have different interpretations for different purposes. From a mill perspective, they might favor one design. Considering salability, I may select another design for residential or hospitality."

Finally, Kravet's Karen Lerman said: "After much discussion, we have decided that there is no clear winner. You all will receive a certificate of recognition bearing the SCAD, Kravet, and Valdese logos."

Even to the untutored eye, the decision was just. The quality of the student work was, without exception, stunning. Each student was also rewarded with Valdese notebooks and pins and a Kravet coffee table tome.

Outside Pepe Hall, the Kravet mobile showroom van stood parked, chock full of textiles from the company's extraordinary archive. The students walked outside, not heeding the rain, to see what other inspirations they could find.  

Left-to-right: Students Rebecca Durgy, Alejandra Fiallos, Saira Netto, Luke Doiron, Quinn Carney, Sophia Uribe, Hannah Cunningham, Kayla Perno, Emily Bernier, professor Deborah First. (Not pictured: graduate student Kathryn Montgomery.)

Special thanks to: Wesley Mancini, Scott Kravet, Karen Lerman, Laura Levinson, Kevin von Allmen, SCAD fibers professor Katie Buchanan, and the students of Complex Woven Structures: Jacquard Technology (FIBR 415+733).

With the unveiling of a brilliant large-scale mural enlivening the basketball courts at Arthur Langford, Jr. Park in southeast Atlanta, SCAD is proud to announce the "Paint Our Parks" SCAD SERVE public art initiative. In this inaugural SCAD SERVE POP project, SCAD SERVE Alumni Ambassador and acclaimed artist Emily Eldridge (B.F.A., illustration, 2004), led a team of over 40 SCAD students, alumni, faculty and staff, Joyland community volunteers, and family members of the late Arthur Langford, Jr. in the creation of a vibrant 100 x 100 feet mural.

SCAD's public arts beautification project was developed in partnership with the City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs and the Department of Parks and Recreation. The university contributed significant funds for the restoration of the park's court surface, and towards the creation of a larger-than-life mural to enrich and inspire the local neighborhood community.

Envisioned by SCAD President Paula Wallace, SCAD SERVE is a university initiative that brings together the SCAD community to address neighborhood needs, listen to local leaders, and create meaningful design solutions that improve quality of life. Through SCAD SERVE, the newly launched "Paint Our Parks" (POP) initiative focuses on serving the citizens of Atlanta through the creativity, expertise, and altruism of the university's supremely talented network of students and alumni.

"Our parks are where we find our best selves — and SCAD SERVE's new Paint Our Parks public art initiative, debuting with Atlanta's Arthur Langford, Jr. Park, invites our neighbors and friends to enjoy the work of accomplished SCAD artists," said President Wallace. "SCAD SERVE Alumni Ambassador Emily Eldridge — whose murals enliven streetscapes worldwide, from Berlin to Barcelona, Córdoba, Hong Kong, and beyond — leads the Paint Our Parks public art initiative to realize shared visions of positivity, wellness, and joy, and uplift neighborhoods from Atlanta to Savannah."

"It's been an absolute honor to work together with SCAD SERVE to create artwork for the basketball courts at Arthur Langford, Jr. Park here in Atlanta," said Eldridge. "I've had the incredible opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise in the design field with current SCAD students, the up-and-coming leaders in the art world. I hope that through this experience working together, they have not only gained insight into the mural process, but have also been inspired to create change in their own communities through art. We are so excited to see this project come together and to share our work with the neighborhood!"

The creation of this special collaborative SCAD SERVE POP mural took place during the city of Atlanta's Elevate public arts festival, further illustrating SCAD as a champion of the greater Atlanta community and the university's collective commitment to advancing the arts and education in Atlanta. SCAD is honored to present this showpiece for the Joyland community and everyone in Atlanta to enjoy.

SCAD SERVE will continue to work in partnership with civic leaders in the university's home communities of Atlanta and Savannah to identify deserving public spaces for this unique SCAD SERVE Paint Our Parks mural initiative. For more information visit SCAD SERVE.

Holding court: SCAD SERVE alumni ambassador Emily Eldridge.

SCAD presents the fall installment of the university’s much anticipated Open Studio, this Thursday-Saturday, November 5-7 via both a virtual showcase and an in-person viewing experience. Curated by SCAD Art Sales, SCAD’s premiere curatorial platform and in-house art consultancy, Open Studio will offer discerning collectors and patrons from around the globe exclusive access to works by the university’s supremely talented network of students, alumni, faculty, and staff.

Excitement returns with limited in-person Open Studio showcases. Guests can visit Alexander Hall in Savannah on Friday, November 5, and 1600 Peachtree at SCAD Atlanta on Friday and Saturday, November 5-6 to peruse an expertly curated selection of artist work. The entire Open Studio curation will be available for purchase online November 5-7, allowing worldwide access to this limited-run event that has become a go-to destination for art enthusiasts, collectors, and interior decorators to discover “what’s next” in art and design.

Fall 2021 Open Studio will feature nearly 1,500 outstanding jury-selected works by over 540 artists, from an array of SCAD’s top-ranked degree programs including painting, photography, illustration, sculpture, printmaking, fibers, animation, design for sustainability, architecture, fashion design, graphic design, and motion media.

"We are thrilled to present this fall's Open Studio event, inviting collectors from around the world to preview and shop the best of the best from SCAD's übertalented students, alumni, and faculty," said Victoria Gildersleeve, associate director, SCAD Art Sales. "With a return to on-ground preview events, featuring stellar curations in Savannah and Atlanta, this season's Open Studio Open Studio showcases the excellence and caliber of  SCAD's network of artists and will appeal to all types of collectors."

Fall 2021 Open Studio Spotlight Artist is Carla Contreras (M.F.A., painting, 2020). Contreras is an Ecuadorian visual artist, based in Atlanta, working in various mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, drawing, and installation. Contreras' work documents her inquisitive observations of the booming urban ecosystem and its inhabitants.

Fall 2021 Open Studio Alumni Atelier Ambassador Artist is Mae Heidenreich (B.F.A., fashion, 2009). From Tallahassee, Florida, Heidenreich is an imaginative fashion designer inspired by vintage textiles, technology and deconstructed materials, including antique hardware and vintage military supplies. For the Fall 2021 Open Studio events in Atlanta, Mae will present her latest ready-to-wear capsule collection, FLY, created while serving as an Ambassador with the SCAD Alumni Atelier, a unique residency program for visionary SCAD alumni offering time, space, and resources to immerse themselves in the creative process.

Launched in 2016, SCAD Art Sales is a full-service art consultancy that offers distinctive design and curatorial services to a global clientele of collectors and public and private- sector businesses and organizations. With access to over 45,000 artists, SCAD Art Sales represents a unique channel whereby SCAD champions and promotes its talented students and alumni. For more information about the Fall 2021 SCAD Open Studio events and to shop artworks online, please visit www.scadartsales.com.

Top: "The Delicate Balance" (detail), James Biscardi (B.F.A., photography, 2011), Portland, OR. Fujiflex Supergloss mounted to acrylic, 30x45.

"Fear is fuel — we have it naturally as human beings for a reason," said actor Ruth Negga, from the stage of Trustees Theater in downtown Savannah. "Acting is learning to harness that fear by whatever means, and doing it in way that doesn't freeze you but frees you."

The Academy Award-nominated actor was speaking before a screening of Passing, the new feature film directed by Rebecca Hall, during day three of the 24th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Adapted from the Harlem Renaissance novel by Nella Larsen, Passing refracts the adversarial friendship between two women living contrasting lives across the color line, as portrayed by Negga and Tessa Thompson.

A festival honoree, Negga was presented with the 2021 Spotlight Award by students Jocelyn Webb (M.F.A., production design) and Tamanda Kadewere (B.F.A., performing arts). To Negga's delight, the students got in an enthused mention of her upcoming role on Broadway, while managing to avoid saying the dreaded name "Macbeth" on stage.

Negga thanked SCAD President Paula Wallace, then directly addressed the students she'd met during a master class earlier in the day: "Your questions were inspiring, your energy was inspiring, and I just want to say ‘courage, my friends' because I believe in you, and I believe that your voices will be heard, and they will be valued, because that's the direction we've been moving in."

After the film, Negga sat for a Q+A with Variety film awards editor Clayton Davis, who asked about the origin of the project and its source material.

"It's very rare that you read scripts that are so vital, you think this needs to be seen, this needs to be in production immediately. The book was written in 1929, which is astonishing that it's taken this long for it to come to the screen but, perhaps, not that surprising," Negga said.

"I found my way to Nella Larsen through Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou [and] my interest in Black female writers in the U.S. When [director] Rebecca [Hall] told me she was interested in adapting this, I was absolutely thrilled and I saw it as an opportunity to shine a light on this forgotten writer. I met Rebecca in New York and she told me her plans with such passion and ferocity that it was contagious. I wanted to be part of it.

"Rebecca was deliberate in casting that we all have the same approach, that it can't happen in a vacuum. When you're acting you must be an open channel, and open vessel, in order to interact with everyone's energies and spirit. With Clair and Irene, these characters are almost interchangeable, and we thought a lot about how they are two interrogations of the same psyche — Nella Larsen's — and the tension that exists in one person. Following your desires versus treating them as taboos. That meant that our performances are interdependent, there's a beautiful symbiosis to them."

Negga then turned, making eye contact with the entire audience as one:

"I can't stress enough that Passing was written nearly a hundred years ago. You end up thinking, How far have we come, really?"

The SCAD Savannah Film Festival continues through Sat. Oct. 30, 2021.

SCAD is proud to announce the world premiere of the documentary film Surviving Clotilda this week at the 24th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival. As the largest university-run film festival in the country, SCAD Savannah Film Festival celebrates cinematic creativity from award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers alike. The screening of this student-produced film takes place Thursday, October 28, 2021, 4 p.m. in Trustees Theater.

Surviving Clotilda is a 25-minute documentary telling the extraordinary story of America's last slave ship, the Clotilda, and of the 110 people whose resilience turned horror into hope. In 1860 the schooner smuggled African captives into the Bay of Mobile, Alabama — more than 50 years after the importation of enslaved humans was outlawed. The story of the Clotilda and the names of those enslaved Africans have been passed down for generations by their descendants, many of whom still live in a community called Africatown, only a few miles from where the ship was found.

Surviving Clotilda was produced and directed by SCAD alumna Oliva Grillo (B.F.A., film and television, 2021) and SCAD Atlanta senior Kathryn Jamieson (B.F.A., film and television). Grillo and Jamieson, along with a team of more than 30 SCAD students, worked closely with the descendants to thoroughly research the history of the Clotilda, and to tell the story from their point of view.

"The Clotilda seemed to exist in legend only, and was nearly lost to history until its re-discovery and verification in 2019," producer-director Jamieson said. "By bringing together a curated team of skilled SCAD students with fresh eyes, open hearts, and the drive to create, we were able to listen, record, and piece together the history that this community deserves. I believe as long as someone is remembered, they still exist. As student filmmakers committed to these important people and moments in history, we are passing forward what was nearly forgotten.  We do so with compassion and urgency, hoping that others will pick up this mantle."

The film is as special as the story itself. Surviving Clotilda was created through the prodigious skills of students in the award-winning SCAD film and television program, in collaboration with creative minds from the university's top-ranked degree programs in animation, visual effects, motion media, dramatic writing, and sound design. The film combines deft use of traditional filmmaking techniques with cutting-edge original imagery.

Darron Patterson, President, Clotilda Descendants Association said, "The animated film brought the story to life in a way I never could have imagined. I get emotional every time I watch it. The story and depictions are accurate and precise. The student filmmakers pulled things out of our souls, interpreted it in a way all could understand, and put it on a screen for people to see. Students at SCAD possess a quality that cannot be taught — sincerity."

The film was commissioned by the City of Mobile through the university's collaborative innovation studio SCADpro. "The students and faculty at SCAD went way beyond, as they took extraordinary measures to form relationships with the community and stakeholders," said Visit Mobile President and CEO David Clark. "This story will re-shape the Africatown Community, bring in visitors, and change humanity around the world for the better."

Visit Mobile is incorporating Surviving Clotilda into its tourism plan for the area. With the 2018 discovery of the Clotilda in the Bay of Mobile, just north of the city, Mobile has gained new international attention. Coming in the Spring of 2022, a new Africatown Heritage House museum will open to the world, sharing the experience of Clotilda survivors.

Attendees of Thursday's premiere are encouraged to stick around for the panel discussion with SCAD film and television professor Jennifer Hyde, narrator and SCAD film and television student Rachel Olivia Taylor, Visit Mobile vice president Emily Gonzalez, and Clotilda Descendants Association president Darron Patterson immediately following the screening.

To purchase tickets to the premiere, or a special 24-hour streaming pass, visit the official site.

"In the film you're about to see, you'll see a love of what's happening right now: a large group of people in a movie theater, together, looking at a big screen," said writer-director Kenneth Branagh, addressing a keen crowd from the stage of Trustees Theater, before a gala screening of his film Belfast. "You, coming here to support this film festival in person, you inspire me. And given what's happened to the world, it's a wonderful step. What you're doing is, as Shakespeare would put it, 'a good deed in a naughty world.' And for that, thank you very much."

The ovation in response was spontaneous and electric. Opening night of the 2021 SCAD Savannah Film Festival celebrated a return to the in-person grandeur of a crown jewel of the SCAD event calendar. In a suitably luminous moment, Branagh was presented with the Lifetime Achievement in Acting and Directing Award by SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace.

"It makes me feel proud and privileged to do the work that I do," Branagh said, making mention of being in Savannah 25 years ago while filming The Gingerbread Man with the late, great director Robert Altman. "It's a city throbbing with creativity, vitality, and generosity, and I'm honored to be back. I know Savannah as an incredibly kind place."

Branagh thanked President Wallace and SCAD executive director of theaters and festivals Christina Routhier for their extraordinary work nurturing this "world-famous festival, an amazing achievement." He expressed admiration for "SCAD itself, as an institution producing great work and great students [who are] most impressive with their energy, their concentration, their intelligence, their playfulness and seriousness about the work. A real tonic."

A tribute reel of Branagh's career juxtaposed memorable moments from films including Tenet, Murder on the Orient Express, My Week with Marilyn, and Dead Again. The audience was further roused by a performance by SCAD harmony singing group The Honeybees.

Introducing his own film, Belfast, Branagh said it was a story he had been "waiting and wanting" to tell for 50 years. Based on his own childhood, Belfast follows a nine-year-old boy coming of age in an explosive moment as sectarian violence rocks his city, his community, his very street. As Branagh poetically put it:

"I grew up in a place where it seemed to rain a lot. But there was plenty of sunshine in the hearts of people. And we laughed a lot about silly things. So please feel free to laugh tonight, if you feel moved to do so. And we held each other when we cried about serious things, and generally we were there for each other as a community. And then, as they say, things changed."

Special thanks to Turner Classic Movies host Dave Karger for the superb Q+A with Branagh following the screening. As Karger said: "I have just seen my favorite movie of 2021, and I hope you agree."

For more information about this year's Festival, visit the official site.