The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) continues its legacy as a premier destination for the Academy Awards®, celebrating cinematic excellence at the 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival. Last year’s festival showcased 26 Oscar®-nominated films that earned a total of 89 nominations and welcomed 23 nominees to Savannah.
SCAD screened 8 of the 10 official Best Picture 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 Christina Routhier, Senior Executive Director of SCAD Theaters and Festivals. “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 marked the first-ever Academy Award® category for Casting, with two nominees—Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme) and Cassandra Kulukundis (One Battle After Another)—attending the festival. The milestone highlights SCAD’s leadership 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 an Oscar® nomination for Evergreen (Best Animated Short Film), while SCAD Chair of Film and Television DW 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 Oscars®, having screened nearly 250 Oscar®-nominated films and honored close to 175 acclaimed actors, directors, writers, producers, and filmmakers. The festival continues to unite industry leaders and emerging SCAD creatives, exemplifying the university’s mission as The University for Creative Careers.
This year SCAD will celebrate 29th SCAD Savannah Film Festival October 24-31. Passes are now on sale for the. Tickets will go on sale Friday, Oct. 2, 2026.
Complete List of Nominees In Attendance
- 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 Amelie
- Nathan Engelhardt (B.F.A., animation, 2007), Best Animated Short, Forevergreen
- Joshua Seftel, Best Documentary Short, All The Empty Rooms
