SCAD Savannah Film Festival to Honor Kevin Costner with the Legend of Cinema Award

SAVANNAH, GEORGIA (Oct. 17, 2024) — The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) will present Kevin Costner with the Legend of Cinema Award at a screening of Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1 Friday, Nov. 1. Following the screening, Costner, alongside the film’s key creative team — including cinematographer J. Michael Muro (CAS), costume designer Lisa Lovaas, film editor Miklos Wright (ACE), and re-recording mixer Joe DeAngelis — will participate in a Q&A discussion about the film moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Executive Editor of Awards, Scott Feinberg.

From Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Costner, "Horizon: An American Saga" is a multi-faceted chronicle covering the pre- and post- Civil War expansion and settlement of the American West, and exploring the lure of the Old West and how it was won—and lost—through the blood, sweat and tears of many. Spanning the four years of the Civil War, from 1861 to 1865, Costner’s ambitious cinematic adventure takes audiences on an emotional journey across a country at war with itself, experienced through the lens of families, friends and foes all attempting to discover what it truly means to be the United States of America. The film is directed by and stars Costner alongside Sienna Miller, Sam Worthington, Luke Wilson, Abbey Lee, and Giovanni Ribisi.

Costner has been one of Hollywood’s most admired leading men for 40 years. His exceptional filmmaking abilities were showcased in Dances with Wolves, which he produced, directed, and starred in, and which won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. His other film credits include Silverado, The Untouchables, No Way Out, Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, JFK, The Bodyguard, Robin Hood; Prince of Thieves, Wyatt Earp, Thirteen Days, Open Range (which he also directed), The Upside of Anger, Black or White, Hidden Figures, and Let Him Go. On TV, Costner starred in the History Channel’s miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, which received 16 Emmy Award nominations, with Costner winning the Best Actor from the Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, and SAG Awards. He also starred in Paramount Network’s hit drama Yellowstone, winning his second Golden Globe Award for the role.

Past recipients of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival’s Legend of CInema Award include Hugh Jackman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Patrick Stewart.

Presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival is filled with cinematic creativity from award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. Each year, more than 63,000 people attend the eight-day festival. A distinguished stop on the road to the Academy Awards, the annual festival kicks off with a gala opening night screening, while the rest of the week features scheduled competition films, premiere screenings, workshops, lectures, and panels. Other programming highlights at the festival include Amazon MGM Studios’ LGBTQIA+ Shorts Competition and the Behind Her Lens series, which includes panels with influential female directors, producers, and artisans, who will discuss the importance of staying true to their vision and empowering the industry forward with profound stories. These events take place at SCAD’s historic theaters and industry-leading studio spaces throughout the historic city of Savannah.

For additional information on the festival lineup and tickets, visit filmfest.scad.edu.

About the SCAD Savannah Film Festival

Presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the SCAD Savannah Film Festival is filled with cinematic creativity from award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. Each year, more than 60,000 people attend the eight-day festival. The festival has become a distinguished stop on the road to the Academy Awards, hosting exclusive screenings, competition films, feature films, documentaries, shorts, animated films, panel discussions, and workshops at SCAD's historic theaters and industry-leading studio spaces. Presented in Savannah, a premier film hub in the Southeast, the festival promotes quality movies produced by independent and studio filmmakers. Follow the festival on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok @savfilmfest and @scaddotedu and use #SCAD and #SAVFF.

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 2024 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. Visit scad.edu.

About the SCAD School of Film and Acting

With resources that rival Hollywood studios, award-winning professors, stunning locations, two professionally run casting offices, and stellar film and television festivals, the SCAD School of Film and Acting is the ideal place for students to launch into the multibillion film and television industry. The SCAD acting, cinematography, editing, film and television, production design, and sound design programs prepare students to command roles on stage, screen, and behind the scenes through instruction that includes real-world experience on productions for short films, live performances, TV sitcoms, dramatic series, music videos, commercials, and more.

Additionally, SCAD is making a significant investment in the futures of the university's School of Film and Acting and School of Animation and Motion students with the completion of a Hollywood-style film backlot at Savannah Film Studios. The landmark 11-acre, three-phase expansion includes the backlot, a next-generation LED volume stage for virtual productions — one of two owned and operated by the university, along with a second at SCAD Atlanta's Digital Media Center — and new soundstages, among other features. The expanded Savannah Film Studios is the largest and most comprehensive university film studio complex in the nation.

During the 2024 festival, SCAD will unveil a magnificent new 17,500 sq. ft. production and costume design building next to the Savannah Film Studios backlot. This state-of-the-art facility will include space for costume design sewing labs, a fabulous industrial garment conveyor, and massive production design scene shops for building, welding, painting, and much more. This facility further highlights the university’s commitment to collaborations across filmmaking disciplines.

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