SCAD Lacoste Film Festival To Honor Toby Jones, Stephen Frears, Christopher Hampton, and Jany Temime
Three-day festival features exclusive screenings and award-winning industry professionals in France’s breathtaking Luberon Valley
LACOSTE, FRANCE -- June 9, 2025 – The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is delighted to present the fourth annual SCAD Lacoste Film Festival June 26-28 at the university’s global location in majestic Lacoste, France. The festival includes tributes to French film artisans, special events, and industry insights from honored and special guests, while directly relating to many of the university’s top ranked preeminent degree programs — including acting, film and television, production design, costume design, fashion, and more.
"With an acclaimed lineup of artisans, actors, and auteurs in attendance, this year's SCAD Lacoste Film Festival promises to be our largest and most exciting edition yet," said Christina Routhier, executive director of SCAD theaters and festivals. "This medieval oasis, with its enchanting views of the Luberon Valley, are a fantastical backdrop for filmmakers and movie stars to share their experiences and insights in a uniquely intimate setting with our students and the community. Treasured films from France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, spanning several decades, will find new audiences at the SCAD Lacoste outdoor stage and theater during this three-day festival."
SCAD will present the Virtuoso Award to acclaimed British actor Toby Jones, celebrated for his extraordinary range across film, television, and stage. Known for his chameleonic performances, Jones has chosen Tale of Tales (2015) for his featured screening — a bold and surreal fantasy for which his committed, whimsical performance earned widespread praise. In addition to his BAFTA-winning and Olivier Award-nominated roles, Jones is beloved by audiences worldwide for his portrayal of Arnim Zola in the Captain America films and as Claudius Templesmith in The Hunger Games series.
Sir Stephen Frears and Sir Christopher Hampton, two titans of British cinema and storytelling, will each receive a Lifetime Achievement Award. Frears, a two-time Academy Award nominee knighted in 2023 for his contributions to film and television, is best known for his dynamic directorial range across titles like The Queen, Philomena, and Dangerous Liaisons. Hampton, knighted in 2020 for his services to drama, is an Academy Award and Tony Award-winning screenwriter and playwright celebrated for his exquisite literary adaptations and intellectual rigor. The two will reunite for a special In Conversation event ahead of a screening of their 1988 masterpiece Dangerous Liaisons, which received seven Academy Award nominations, winning for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Production Design.
This year’s Etoile Award will be presented to legendary French costume designer Jany Temime. Best known for her acclaimed work on the final six Harry Potter films and for her award-winning designs in the James Bond series, Temime’s cinematic vision has shaped some of the most iconic costumes in contemporary film. She has collaborated with directors including Sam Mendes, Alfonso Cuarón, Martin McDonagh, and David Yates, and her celebrated body of work continues to influence the world of costume design. A special conversation with Temime will precede a screening of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).
The festival will also welcome breakout French stars Ivan du Pontavice and Taïs Vinolo, joined by venerable talent and longtime Sherman-Palladino collaborator Yanic Truesdale (Gilmore Girls), for a special screening and conversation centered on Étoile, Prime Video’s dazzling new dance-world comedy from Emmy Award-winning creators Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Gilmore Girls). Set between Paris and New York, the series explores ambition, artistry, and identity through the elegant and high-stakes world of international ballet.
Celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen, audiences will enjoy a special screening of Jane Austen Wrecked by Life (2024), the delightful French romantic comedy written and directed by Laura Piani. Following its French theatrical release in January and U.S. debut through Sony Pictures Classics in May, the film arrives at SCAD with Piani and producer Gabrielle Dumon in attendance for a post-screening Q&A.
Veteran British producers Alison Owen (Suffragette, Saving Mr. Banks) and Faye Ward (Wild Rose, Stan & Ollie, Rocks, Suffragette) will take part in a lively conversation exploring the craft and creativity of producing. From the development of compelling narratives to navigating the evolving entertainment landscape, their discussion will offer invaluable insights. Their session will be preceded by a screening of Wild Rose (2018), a spirited musical drama produced by Ward and starring Jessie Buckley as a Glasgow singer chasing Nashville dreams.
The festival also features a screening of Dior and I (2014), with celebrated filmmaker Frédéric Tcheng in attendance. Known for his elegant, incisive documentaries exploring the worlds of fashion and culture (Invisible Beauty, Halston), Tcheng brings rare intimacy and cinematic polish to this behind-the-seams portrait of designer Raf Simons as he prepares his first haute couture collection for the House of Dior. The screening coincides with Christian Dior: Jardins Rêvés, a major new exhibition curated exclusively by Dior for SCAD FASH Lacoste — the first Provence museum exhibition dedicated to the legendary fashion house — on view through Sunday, Sept. 28.
The SCAD Lacoste Film Festival is part of SCAD’s broader 2025 cultural season, a rich slate of exhibitions and experiences that celebrate art, innovation, and storytelling. Highlights include Unfold, an immersive, site-specific installation by Dutch art collective DRIFT; Studio Bee: 100% Made by SCAD Alumni group exhibition; the inaugural phase of the Musée SCAD Lacoste history museum; and the return of the SCAD Alumni Atelier Ambassador studios on the Rue des Artistes. Together, these activations underscore SCAD’s commitment to honoring both artistic legacy and contemporary vision.
For more information about the SCAD Lacoste Film Festival and SCAD Lacoste attractions, please visit visitlacoste.scad.edu.
For a schedule of events and screening and for more information on the festival, visit the 2025 SCAD Lacoste Film Festival.
SCAD LACOSTE
SCAD Lacoste is a residential study abroad location in France, offering immersion in the history and culture of Provence. Course offerings each quarter are varied to apply to all SCAD areas of study and are taught by SCAD professors. Lacoste is a beautifully preserved medieval village and historic destination for artists, known for its extraordinary light and exquisite pastoral setting. SCAD Lacoste structures dating from the ninth to the 19th centuries feature cutting-edge contemporary amenities. SCAD Lacoste resources include a library, a gallery, a dining hall, and housing, as well as teaching studios dedicated to painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, and digital imaging. Students interact with visiting artists, take field trips to museums and historic sites in the area, and exhibit their work at a local vernissage.
Celebrated artists and designers visit with SCAD Lacoste students throughout the year. Notable guests have included actor Jeremy Irons; artist and illustrator Ruben Toledo, actor and designer John Malkovich; designer Bibhu Mohapatra; social media influencer, photographer, and inventor of the cinemagraph Jamie Beck of Ann Street Studio; interior designer and television host Genevieve Gorder; installation artist Hugo Dalton; design legend Ilse Crawford; chief creative officer of Shimoda Design Group Joey Shimoda; Vogue contributing editor Lynn Yaeger; and CFDA Fashion Award-winning designers Shane Gabier and Christopher Peters of Creatures of the Wind.
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.
MEDIA CONTACTS
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