The Savannah College of Art and Design has announced all of the juried award winners for the SCAD Savannah Film Festival 2024, and they include the documentary Champions of the Golden Valley and the feature film Los Frikis.

The 27th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival takes place this year from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2 in Savannah, Georgia. In total, the festival screened 162 films, including 123 narrative feature films, 31 documentary feature films, 69 short films, and 10 world premieres and six U.S. premieres.

From more than 2,335 submissions, 19 awards were given out from the 105 films chosen to compete in competition categories including Narrative Features, Documentary Features, Professional Shorts, Animated Shorts, Documentary Shorts, Student Shorts, Shorts Spotlight, Global Shorts Forum and the SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition presented by Amazon MGM Studios.

Los Frikis, directed by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson, won best narrative feature, while Champions Of The Golden Valley directed by Ben Sturgulewski won best documentary feature.

See the full list of winners below, courtesy of SCAD.

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SCAD Savannah Film Festival 2024 Winners List

Professional Competition

Best Animated Short – The Wedding Veil of the Proud Princess, directed by Anna-Ester Volozh

Honorable Mention: Monsoon Blue, directed by Jay Hiukit Wong, and Ellis Kayin Chan

Best Documentary Feature – Champions Of The Golden Valley, directed by Ben Sturgulewski

Best Narrative Short – The Masterpiece, directed by Àlex Lora

Best Narrative Feature – Los Frikis, directed by Michael Schwartz & Tyler Nilson

Best Director – The Ride Ahead, directed by Samuel Habib & Dan Habib

Special Jury Recognition for Cinematography –  After Annecy, directed by Rebecca Holstein

Special Jury Recognition: Spotlight Performance: Amrit Kaur, The Queen Of My Dreams

SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition Presented by Amazon MGM Studios 

Recognizing the need for more inclusive storytelling in the filmmaking industry, the 2024 SCAD Savannah Film Festival (SAVFF) and Amazon MGM Studios have created a dedicated SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition. Amazon MGM Studios will donate $10,000 for the jury-awarded Best Overall Film and $5,000 for an Audience Award.

Best LGBTQIA+ Short: RIPE!,directed by Tusk (Olivia Mitchell and Kerry Furrh)

Audience Award Winner: Re-Entry, directed by Ariel Mahler

Student Competition

Best Narrative Student Short – El Alma de la Sed, directed by Colleen Ryan, Savannah College of Art and Design

Honorable Mention: Desync, directed by Minerva Marie Navasca, Sheridan College

Best Student Animated Short – High Diver, directed by Oscar Bittner, Filmakademie Baden Württemberg

Special Jury Honorable Mention: The Nectar Instead for Excellence in Craftsmanship, directed by Yoo Lee, University of Southern California

Best Student Documentary Short – Failure to Fail, directed by Haley Breese, Savannah College of Art and Design

The Inaugural Katie Spikes Legacy Award Scholarship 

This inaugural winner will receive a $7,000 cash prize.

Award Winner – Failure to Fail, directed by Haley Breese, Savannah College of Art and Design

Global Shorts Forum

Best Latin Lens: ¡salsa!, directed by Antonina Kerguelen Roman

Best Visions de France: Yuck!, directed by Loïc Espuche

Honorable Mention for Social Impact: Monochrome, directed by Cedric Prevost

Best Global Short: Little Queen, directed by Julien Guetta

Shorts Spotlight

Best Comic Distortions: Idiomatic, directed by Phil Dunster

Best After Dark Horror Short: Wake, directed by Sean Carter

Best Femme Forward: Vlog, directed by Yvonne Strahovski

Best Shorts Spotlight: A Family Portrait, Queens, directed by Billy Silva

Best Professional Documentary Short: Good Enough Ancestor, Directed by Cynthia Wade

Honorable Mention: I’m Still Here: A Life on Dynamite Hill, directed by Stephen Stinson and Sam Miller

Jury Award Honorable Mention: Les Bêtes for Craftsmanship in Animation

Main Image: A still from Champions of the Golden Valley, SCAD