SCAD presents 'The Actress'
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA — The Savannah College of Art and Design presents The Actress, a short film directed by interdisciplinary artist and SCAD alum Andrew Ondrejcak (SCAD B.F.A., performing arts, 2002) and starring trans filmmaker and actor Isabel Sandoval. In the film, a woman moves through time and space, embodying classic Hollywood’s feminine ideals on a journey of self-discovery. As Sandoval’s character searches for her unique voice, she infiltrates cinematic history and shape-shifts through Hollywood’s most iconic roles. Yet, when she realizes her sense of self has become obscured, she begins to cast off the glamorous façade, musing on the roles we each play as we reinvent our identities to discover our true selves.
"I make work in different mediums but tend to circle around a central concept of re-examining histories, art forms, and values, and then re-envisioning them for our day," said Ondrejcak. "Many of the filmmakers and films that I love have a problem with the role of women: mainly, the women were hapless or ancillary or decorative. With this in mind, I asked my friend Isabel Sandoval to collaborate on this important work and embody these women anew to offer them the authority and voice they never had. The final film is both an homage to filmmaking and a rejection of some of the problematic ideas of the past — part film, part feminist manifesto."
Executive produced by SCAD President and Founder Paula Wallace, The Actress embodies the university’s mission to champion the creative work of its alumni. More than 20 students and alumni collaborated, performed, and worked on the film from an array of top-ranked degree programs including performing arts, film and television, art history, sound design, and visual effects.
"SCAD alum Andrew Ondrejcak's The Actress is a tour de force that will reverberate in your head and heart long after you leave the theater. Commissioned by SCAD and premiering at this year's SCAD Savannah Film Festiva, this impressive short film poses probing questions about art, beauty, and society. You'll be captivated, compelled to continue the conversation, and wowed by the collaborative effort of more than 20 SCAD Bees — students from performing arts, film and television, sound design, and more — who contributed to fulfilling Andrew's vision."
Paula Wallace, SCAD President and Founder
The Actress will premiere at this year’s SCAD Savannah Film Festival on Thursday, Oct. 28. Following the screening, Ondrejcak will join film producer and alum Mandy Ward (SCAD B.F.A., performing arts, 2002; SCAD B.F.A., film and television, 2002) and Andra Reeve-Rabb, dean of School of Entertainment arts, in conversation.
About Andrew Ondrejcak
Andrew Ondrejcak (SCAD B.F.A., performing arts, 2002) is a unique artist working at the intersection of fine art, film, and live performance. His work in experimental theater led to a career in creative direction and production design for the fashion industry, including special projects for Hermès, Vivienne Westwood, W Magazine, and New York and Shanghai Fashion Weeks, among others. Ondrejcak’s theatrical works have been presented internationally, including at the Guggenheim Museum’s Work & Process series, curated by Robert Wilson. Ondrejcak has been an artist in residence at The Watermill Center, the Park Avenue Armory, the Baryshnikov Arts Center, and with Josef and Anni Albers Foundation’s Thread Senegal. In addition to his latest film The Actress, Ondrejcak’s directorial credits include the shorts Story and The Writer with Tilda Swinton, Objet d’Art, Dido’s Lament, The Three Graces, and Signed Sealed Delivered, as well as the music video for "The Sword of Damocles" with Rufus Wainwright and Darren Criss.
About Isabel Sandoval
Filipina actor and director Isabel Sandoval is a rising star of independent filmmaking who toys with genre conventions in her subversive portraits of women whose personal journeys are tangled up in complex sociopolitical realities. Recognized by The Criterion Collection as "one of the most exciting and multitalented filmmakers" today, she has directed three narrative features, including Lingua Franca, nominated for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2021 Independent Spirit Awards. A true auteur, Sandoval wrote, produced, directed, and starred in her feature debut Señorita and follow-up Apparition, now streaming on The Criterion Channel. She recently directed the short Shangri-La for Miu Miu Women’s Tales.
SCAD: The University for Creative Careers
The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 academic degree programs across its locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow.
SCAD enrolls 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 100 countries. The innovative SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and other advanced learning resources, and affords students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university’s renowned research lab and prototype generator. In 2020, the prestigious Red Dot Design Rankings placed SCAD as the No. 1 university in the U.S. and in the top two universities in the Americas and Europe for the fourth consecutive year. Career preparation is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. In a recent study, 99% of SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 10 months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with ongoing career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more.