The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) proudly announces its first list of honorees for the 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival, taking place Oct. 25–Nov. 1. As the nation’s largest university-run film festival, SCAD celebrates a dynamic lineup of acclaimed filmmakers, actors, and producers whose work has shaped the year in cinema.
This year’s honorees will participate in awards presentations, moderated conversations, and master classes with SCAD students, offering a unique opportunity to connect with some of the most celebrated individuals working in the entertainment industry. These honorees include:
- Will Arnett will receive the Luminary Award at a screening of Is This Thing On?. ● Rose Byrne will receive the Luminary Award at a screening of If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. ● Miles Caton will receive the Rising Star Award at a screening of Sinners.
- Zoey Deutch will receive the Breakthrough Performance Award at a screening of Nouvelle Vague.
- Joel Edgerton will receive the Vanguard Award at a screening of Train Dreams. ● Mark Hamill will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at a screening of The Life of Chuck. ● Oscar Isaac will receive the Icon Award at a screening of Frankenstein.
- Dylan O’Brien will receive the Lumiere Award at a screening of Twinless.
- Benny Safdie will receive the Maverick Director Award at a screening of The Smashing Machine. ● Tessa Thompson will receive the Distinguished Performance Award at a screening of Hedda.
“The 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival brings together a constellation of cinematic luminaries whose work has captivated audiences and shaped the cultural landscape,” said Christina Routhier, Senior Executive Director of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. “From visionary directors to the most compelling performances of the season, these honorees exemplify the artistry that define today’s moviemaking. For our students, this festival is more than a celebration — it’s an unparalleled opportunity to engage with and learn from the very creators whose work inspires them. The presence of these individuals in Savannah offers a rare glimpse into the creative process and serves as a catalyst for the next generation of storytellers from our university.”
Additional information about this year’s honorees:
Will Arnett is an actor, producer, and writer. This fall, he co-starred in, wrote, and produced Is This Thing On? His film credits include Blades of Glory, Ratatouille, Semi-Pro, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Lego Movie, and The Lego Batman Movie. On television, he is best known for his Emmy-nominated breakout role as “Gob” in Arrested Development, as well as his appearances in 30 Rock, The Morning Show, Lego Masters, Murderville, BoJack Horseman, Flaked, Running Wilde, The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret, The Millers, and Up All Night. Arnett co-hosts the wildly popular podcast SmartLess with Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, which inspired the documentary SmartLess: On The Road.
Rose Byrne won the Silver Bear for Best Lead Performance at the 2025 Berlin International Film Festival for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You. She is widely known for her role as Ellen Parsons in Damages, earning Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award nominations. Her film credits include: 28 Weeks Later, Adam, Adult Beginners, All the Way, Annie, Bridesmaids, City of Ghosts, Ezra, Get Him to the Greek, I Am Mother, I Capture the Castle, I Give It a Year, I Love You Daddy, I Love You Too, Insidious franchise, Instant Family, Irresistible, Juliet Naked, Just Buried, Marie Antoinette, , The Place Beyond the Pines, Peter Rabbit, Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, Seriously Red, The Goddess of 1967, This Is Where I Leave You, The Internship, Star Wars: Episode IIs, Sunshine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, Two Hands, Troy, Wicker Park, X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: First Class. Her upcoming projects include Tow and the limited series The Good Daughter, where Byrne also serves as executive producer. In 2026, she will also star in Roundabout Theater’s Fallen Angels.
Miles Caton made his acting debut opposite Michael B. Jordan in Sinners, written and directed by Ryan Coogler. A Brooklyn native born into a family of music legacy, he has captivated audiences since he was a two-year-old. His vocal talents first gained national attention on BET’s Bobby Jones Gospel, where he performed “Bless Somebody Else” with top gospel artists. Over the years, Miles has been building a fanbase through performances on major stages from a global tour with Grammy Award winner H.E.R. to events with the U.S. Army, the New York Knicks, and two appearances on NBC’s Little Big Shots. His powerful rendition of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” went viral in 2017 and was later featured in Jay-Z’s 4:44 short film.
Zoey Deutch currently stars in Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague which premiered in-competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival where it garnered rave reviews and was among the longest standing ovations at the festival. Next up, she stars opposite Jonah Hauer-King and Ruby Cruz in The Threesome, which she also executive produced, as well as alongside Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler and Phoebe Dynevor in Lionsgate/Fifth Season’s suspense thriller Anniversary from Oscar nominated writer-director Jan Komasa. She will also soon be seen co-starring with Nick Robinson in Netflix’s romantic comedy Voicemails for Isabelle which marks a reunion for Deutch and Netflix after the 2018 hit film Set It Up. Other recent credits include Clint Eastwood’s Juror #2 (2024) opposite Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette, as well as
Searchlight/Hulu’s Not Okay (2022) and Amazon’s Something From Tiffany’s (2022), both of which she executive produced. In Fall 2024, Deutch made her Broadway debut as Emily Webb in “Our Town.”
Joel Edgerton is an acclaimed Australian actor, writer, and filmmaker, born in Blacktown, New South Wales. A graduate of the Nepean Drama School, he began his career in stage and screen before gaining international attention as Owen Lars in Star Wars: Episode II and Episode III. Over the years, he has starred in a wide range of films including The Great Gatsby, Zero Dark Thirty, Warrior, Black Mass, Loving,—for which he earned a Golden Globe nomination. Edgerton made his feature directorial debut with the suspense thriller, The Gift followed by another directorial effort with the acclaimed film Boy Erased, which he also wrote. Edgerton’s versatility extends to voice work, stage performances, and co-writing Netflix’s The King. Most recently, Edgerton starred in AppleTV+’s Dark Matter and Charlie Polinger’s The Plague, which premiered at Cannes. He also produced the award-winning Sundance documentary Daughters and appeared in The Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney. Upcoming, he will star opposite Felicity Jones in Train Dreams, directed by Clint Bentley and adapted from Denis Johnson’s novella. He has also wrapped production on Netflix’s Australian limited series Boy Swallows Universe and continues to take on projects as both actor and producer. Edgerton’s filmography is marked by collaborations with top-tier directors including Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, David Lowery, and Jeff Nichols. Notable past roles include Thirteen Lives, The Stranger, Master Gardener, and the Emmy-winning Amazon series The Underground Railroad. A frequent contributor to Australian cinema and theater, he continues to split his time between Australia and London, maintaining a dynamic presence across film, television, and stage.
Mark Hamill is a BAFTA and Emmy Award-winning actor whose face and voice have graced screens for over 40 years. Most recently, he was seen in two Stephen King adaptations: The Life of Chuck (which won the Audience Award at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival) and The Long Walk. His upcoming projects include The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants. Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars movies, reprising his role in both the sequels as well as The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. His film credits include Brigsby Bear, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and The Machine. Hamill’s extensive voice acting work includes Arkham City (for which he received a BAFTA), Batman: The Animated Series, The Boy and the Heron, and The Wild Robot. On the small screen, Hamill has appeared in The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance, House of Usher, Sandman, and What We Do In the Shadows.
Oscar Isaac is a Golden Globe award-winning, and Emmy and SAG nominated actor, producer, and musician. He will next star in Guillermo Del Toro’s highly anticipated adaptation of Frankenstein. His projects include Inside Llewyn Davis, A Most Violent Year, Ex Machina, The Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, The Promise, Operation Finale, Triple Frontier, At Eternity’s Gate, The Card Counter, Dune, Scenes from a Marriage, Show Me A Hero, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and Moon Knight. His upcoming projects include the 2nd installment of the Netflix and A24 Series, BEEF. He will star in and produce the crime thriller In The Hand of Dante, which had its world premiere at the 2025 Venice Film Festival.
Dylan O’Brien premiered Twinless at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award and O’Brien — who is also an executive producer on the film — won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Acting. This marked his second Sundance in a row, having premiered the crime
drama Ponyboi at the festival in 2024. O’Brien’s other recent film credits include his critically acclaimed performance as a young Dan Aykroyd in Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night for Sony, and his Gotham Award-nominated turn in the HBO Max streaming hit Caddo Lake. His upcoming films include the Lionsgate drama Anniversary, the Sam Raimi-directed horror-thriller Send Help from 20th Century, and the Apple drama Being Heumann, based on the memoir of disability rights activist Judy Heumann.
Benny Safdie’s upcoming project is The Smashing Machine which he wrote and directed, starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. His other projects include The Curse, for which he was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and a WGA Award for writing; Happy Gilmore 2; Oppenheimer; Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; The Stars at Noon; Licorice Pizza; Good Time, which he also co-directed and received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor; Uncut Gems; Heaven Knows What; Daddy Longlegs; Telemarketers; the Emmy award winning Pee-wee as Himself; Thank You Very Much; and Lenny Cooke. He most recently wrapped production on Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey.
Tessa Thompson stars in the titular role of Hedda directed by Nia DaCosta, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical release in October. Her recent film work includes The Listener, her Gotham Award-nominated turn in Passing, and Sylvie’s Love. She is also widely known for her roles as Valkyrie in the Thor franchise and as Bianca in the Creed trilogy. Her additional credits include Westworld, Annihilation, Dear White People, For Colored Girls, Furlough, Lady and the Tramp, Little Woods, Make it Happen, Men in Black: International, Mississippi Damned, Periphery, Red & Blue Marbles, Selma, Sorry to Bother You, The Human Contract, War on Everyone, and When a Stranger Calls. Thompson is also in post-production on the limited series His & Hers, in which she stars and executive produces.
They join previously announced honorees Hannah Beachler (Variety Creative Impact in Production Design Award), Craig Brewer (Spotlight Director Award), Jon M. Chu (Vanguard Director Award), Rian Johnson (Outstanding Achievement in Directing Award), Jennifer Lopez (Virtuoso Award) and Miles Teller (Distinguished Performance Award).
Festival passes for 2025 are available now. Individual event tickets go on sale Friday, Oct. 3.
Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @savfilmfest. For additional information and tickets, visit filmfest.scad.edu.
