A Tradition of Excellence: SCAD Savannah Film Festival Shines as Gateway to Oscar Gold

2025 festival showcased 26 Academy Award-nominated films and 89 total nominations

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Jan. 22, 2026 – The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) continues its legacy as a premier destination for presumptive Academy Awards nominees, celebrating cinematic excellence at the 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival. The 2025 festival showcased 26 Oscar-nominated films that earned a total of 89 nominations and welcomed 23 nominees to Savannah.

SCAD screened eight of the 10 Best Picture Oscar nominees, demonstrating the festival’s unique role in bringing the year’s most acclaimed films to Savannah. The screened nominees included Bugonia, Frankenstein, Hamnet, One Battle After Another, The Secret Agent, Sentimental Value, Train Dreams, and Sinners.

"There’s a unique magic in bringing the world’s most celebrated filmmakers and storytellers to Savannah, where our students and alumni can see their dreams reflected on the big screen,” said Senior Executive Director of SCAD Theaters and Festivals Christina Routhier. “Every year, the festival reminds us why SCAD is a place where creativity meets opportunity. From the remarkable films to the incredible talent in attendance, we feel an immense sense of pride watching our community take its place on the world stage. This is more than a festival; it’s a celebration of imagination, dedication, and the extraordinary impact SCAD continues to have on the future of cinema."

Esteemed nominees in attendance included Rose Byrne (If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Best Actress), Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas (Sentimental Value, Best Supporting Actress), Malgosia Turzanska (Hamnet, Best Costume Design), Autumn Durald Arkapaw and Hannah Beachler (Sinners, Best Cinematography and Best Production Design), and Clint Bentley (Train Dreams, Best Adapted Screenplay), among others.

This year also marks the first-ever Academy Award category for Best Casting, with two nominees — Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme) and Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another) — attending the festival. This milestone spotlights SCAD’s leadership in this field as the only university in the world with a professionally run casting office and an academic minor in casting, reflecting the university’s commitment to hands-on professional training in every facet of filmmaking.

Highlighting SCAD’s deep connections to the industry, SCAD alumnus Nathan Engelhardt (B.F.A., animation, 2007) earned a Best Animated Short Film Oscar nomination for Forevergreen, while SCAD chair of film and television D.W. Moffett appeared in One Battle After Another, which received 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Editing, and Best Casting.

Since its founding in 1997, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival has become a celebrated stop on the path to the Academy Awards, having screened nearly 250 Oscar-nominated films and honored nearly 175 acclaimed actors, directors, writers, producers, and filmmakers. The festival continues to unite industry leaders and emerging SCAD creatives while exemplifying the university’s mission as The University for Creative Careers.

The 29th SCAD Savannah Film Festival returns Oct. 24-31. Passes are on sale now at scad.edu/filmfest. Tickets will go on sale Friday, Oct. 2.

Academy Award nominees at the 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival

• Rose Byrne, Best Actress, If I Had Legs I'd Kick You
• Cassandra Kulukundis, Best Casting, One Battle After Another
• Andy Jurgensen, Best Editing, One Battle After Another
• Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Best Cinematography, Sinners
• Hannah Beachler, Best Production Design, Sinners
• Shunika Terry, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Sinners
• Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Best Supporting Actress, Sentimental Value
• Jennifer Venditti, Best Casting, Marty Supreme
• Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans, Best Animated Feature, KPop Demon Hunters
• EJAE, Best Original Song, KPop Demon Hunters
• Malgosia Turzanska, Best Costume Design, Hamnet
• Clint Bentley, Best Adapted Screenplay, Train Dreams
• Andrew Jarecki, Best Documentary Feature, The Alabama Solution
• Charlotte Kaufman, Best Documentary Feature, The Alabama Solution
• Ryan White, Best Documentary Feature, Come See Me in the Good Light
• Geeta Gandbhir, Best Documentary Feature, The Perfect Neighbor
• Alisa Payne, Best Documentary Feature, The Perfect Neighbor
• Ugo Bienvenu, Best Animated Feature, Arco
• Domee Shi, Best Animated Feature, Elio
• Maïlys Vallade, Best Animated Feature, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
• Nathan Engelhardt (B.F.A., animation, 2007), Best Animated Short, Forevergreen
• Joshua Seftel, Best Documentary Short, All the Empty Rooms

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited university, offering more than 100 graduate and undergraduate degree programs across locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; Lacoste, France; and online via SCADnow. SCAD enrolls more than 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students from more than 110 countries. The future-minded SCAD curriculum engages professional-level technology and myriad advanced learning resources, affording students opportunities for internships, professional certifications, and real-world assignments with corporate partners through SCADpro, the university’s renowned research lab and prototype generator. SCAD has earned top rankings for degree programs in interior design, architecture, film, fashion, digital media, and more. Career success is woven into every fiber of the university, resulting in a superior alumni employment rate. A 2025 study found that 99% of recent SCAD graduates were employed, pursuing further education, or both within 12 months of graduation. SCAD provides students and alumni with ongoing career support through personal coaching, alumni programs, a professional presentation studio, and more. 

Media Contacts:

Wendy Gardner
Senior Director of Public Relations
[email protected]