Save your popcorn for October 29^th through November 5^th, 2011, when Savannah’s own film festival springs up anew. Hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, the Savannah Film Festival screens “independent and innovative” films from around the world, from shorts to full-length features. 

Of course, if the movies know how to do anything, it’s bring out the stars. Past Savannah Film Festival guests include Alec Baldwin (30 Rock, The Departed), Ellen Burstyn (Requiem for a Dream, The Exorcist), Alan Cumming (The Anniversary Party, X2), Hugh Dancy (Black Hawk Down, King Arthur), Vincent D’Onofrio (Law and Order: Criminal Intent, Full Metal Jacket), Michael Douglas (Basic Instinct, Wonder Boys), Roger Ebert (film critic, Chicago Sun-Times), Jane Fonda (Barbarella, Barefoot in the Park), Ben Foster (3:10 to Yuma, The Messenger), Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon, The Color Purple), Woody Harrelson (Natural Born Killers, Zombieland), Tommy Lee Jones (No Country for Old Men, Men in Black), Sir Ian McKellan (Gods and Monsters, Lord of the Rings), Liam Neeson (Schindler’s List, Batman Begins), Peter O’Toole (Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter), Sydney Pollack (The Interpreter, Out of Africa), Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker, The Town), Natasha Richardson (Maid in Manhattan, Nell), Isabella Rossellini (Blue Velvet, Green Porno), Kathleen Turner (Romancing the Stone, Peggy Sue Got Married), John Waters (Cry Baby, Hairspray), and Catherine Zeta-Jones (Chicago, The Mask of Zorro).

The Savannah Film Festival began in 1998. In addition to screening scores of films each year, the festival features workshops that bring film students in close contact with industry professionals. The eight-day festival is considered one of the most accessible film festivals, and is held near the end of the festival season. Tickets and passes go on sale to the general public September 30, 2011, and can be bought online, over the phone, or in person at Trustees Theater on Broughton. The Savannah Film Festival is currently accepting film submissions; a film schedule for the 2011 season is not yet available.

For more information on the Savannah Film Festival, go to our Savannah Film Festival event page.

By Lynn Schneider

Photos from the Savannah Film Festival. website.