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By Sunny Smith Nelson The seventh annual Savannah Film Festival, presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design Oct. 23-30, features nearly 60 films by studio, independent and student filmmakers as well as industry-led workshops and special guests from all facets of the film industry. The festival kicks off with an opening night reception and gala Oct. 23 at 6:30 p.m. at Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St. Actress Kathleen Turner will be on hand to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at 7:30 p.m. Additional Savannah Film Festival honorees include director Norman Jewison, who receives an Achievement in Cinema Award Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn St.; actor Peter O’Toole, who receives a Lifetime Achievement Award Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. at Trustees Theater; and film critic Roger Ebert, who receives a Lifetime Achievement in Entertainment Journalism Award Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. at Trustees Theater. Several special screenings are premieres of films that have not yet been released in theaters. “Being Julia,” starring Annette Bening and screening Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. at Trustees Theater, focuses on actress Julia Lambert. She is at her peak in pre-World War II London, but her successful theatrical career and marriage to a handsome impresario have become stale and unfulfilling. She decides that romance is the best antidote to a midlife crisis and embarks on a passionate affair with a younger man. Life becomes more daring and exciting until Julia’s young lover callously tries to relegate her to a supporting role. Shaun Evans, who plays Julia’s lover, is scheduled to attend the festival. “Chrystal,” starring Billy Bob Thornton, screens Oct. 27 at 12:30 p.m. at Trustees Theater. After a car flies off a mountain and a baby vanishes without a trace into the darkness of the Ozarks, the baby’s father, Joe, is sentenced to jail. Chrystal, the young mother, is left alone in constant physical and emotional pain. Nearly two decades later, when Joe is released from jail, he is drawn back to the shell of his former life. Without the strength to take him back or turn him away, Chrystal allows Joe to sleep on the porch. The film’s writer and director, Georgia native Ray McKinnon, is scheduled to attend the film festival; one of the film’s producers and stars, Walton Goggins, is a Georgia native. “Finding Neverland,” the much-anticipated film starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, is the story of Scottish author James Mathew Barrie, the man behind “Peter Pan.” Set in early 20th-century London, this film is a fictional account of Barrie’s creative journey to bring Peter Pan to life, from his first inspiration for the story to the play’s ultimate premiere. It screens Oct. 30, 7 p.m., at Trustees Theater. “Kinsey,” starring Liam Neeson, Laura Linney and Timothy Hutton, screens Oct. 29, 7 p.m., at Trustees Theater. Based on the life of Albert Kinsey, a pioneer in the field of human sexuality, this film explores how Kinsey irrevocably changed American culture in 1948 with his book “Sexual Behavior in the Human Male.” By interviewing thousands of people about the most intimate aspects of their lives, Kinsey lifts the weight of secrecy and shame from a society in which sexual practices are mostly hidden. “Stage Beauty,” starring Claire Danes and Billy Crudup and screening Oct. 28 at 7 p.m. at Trustees Theater, tells the tale of 16th-century actor “Ned” Kynaston. With only men permitted to professionally act, the greatest ardor is reserved for the actor who is the complete “female stage beauty,” and Ned is indisputably that actor. When the King’s mistress demands that the ban outlawing female actors be overturned, Ned finds his career ruined until his stage dresser Maria helps make an actor of him again. As the masks finally fall away to reveal Ned and Maria’s true feelings, Ned undergoes a profound inner journey to discover his complete identity. Other guests scheduled to attend this year’s festival include actor, director, producer and Savannah Film Festival advisory board member Illeana Douglas, who will screen her original short “Supermarket”; David Gordon Green, the director of “Undertow,” which was filmed in Savannah; Lydia Dean Pilcher, a film producer for such projects as “Vanity Fair” and HBO’s “Iron Jawed Angels”; Jonathan Estrin, executive vice president of the American Film Institute; Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Entertainment; and other industry professionals and student and independent filmmakers. During the festival, industry professionals, rising filmmakers and studio executives lead workshops and panel discussions at Red Gallery, 201 E. Broughton St. This year, workshops include “The Business of the Biz: Financing Your Dream” features scheduled panelists Steve Mangel, president and chief operating officer of International Film Guarantors Inc.; Steve Krone, president and chief operating officer of Village Roadshow Pictures Entertainment; Howard Kaplan, president and chief operating officer of Morgan Creek Productions; Douglas Hansen, chief operating officer of Endgame Entertainment LLC; and moderator Joe Woolf, managing director of entertainment finance for Citigroup. Another offering is “Digital Arts Panel: Works in Progress,” during which animation director Carlos Saldanha (“Ice Age,” “Robots”) and other filmmakers present and discuss projects they are working on to help the audience understand the digital filmmaking process from conception to completion. Other panels include “Careers in the Camera Department”; “Careers in Producing and Direction: Television vs. Film”; “Careers in Casting and Acting”; and “Short and Feature Documentary Films.” “‘Citizen Kane’: A Shot in Time” is a three-part workshop led by Ebert featuring in-depth analysis and dissection of the Orson Welles classic. The workshop will be held Oct. 28, 29 and 30 at 12:30 p.m. at Trustees Theater. Tickets and passes to the Savannah Film Festival are available from the Trustees Theater box office or by phone at 525-5050. A gold pass can be purchased for $300 and entitles patrons to attend all scheduled films, workshops, lectures, opening and closing night receptions, and all other VIP receptions. A silver pass can be purchased for $200 and entitles patrons to attend all scheduled films, workshops, lectures, and opening and closing night receptions. A bronze pass can be purchased for $100 and entitles patrons to attend all scheduled films. Individual tickets are $5 per film, workshop or lecture; $3 for senior citizens; $3 with a non-SCAD student ID or free with a SCAD ID. Group discounts are available. For more information, film and workshop synopses, and a complete schedule of events, visit www.scad.edu/filmfest. The film schedule is subject to change; films are not rated and may contain mature content. Parental discretion is advised. Nelson is the assistant director of public information. |
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