The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is famous for their annual Savannah Film Festival. After 26 years of hosting the annual ceremony, SCAD recognized that there is a critical need for more inclusive storytelling in the filmmaking industry.
To fulfill this need, SCAD joined forces with Amazon MGM Studios to create the SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition.
Amazon MGM Studios’ commitment includes a $10,000 donation for the jury-awarded Best Overall Film and $5,000 for an Audience Award. Requirements for films to be considered in this festival are that they must be under 40 minutes in length and represent excellence in storytelling and execution in narrative or documentary formats, reflecting unique insight into LGBTQ themes, issues, or ideas.
This year’s winner for Best LGBTQIA+ Short is 100% USDA Certified Organic Homemade Tofu, directed by Gbenga Komolafe. Watch the trailer here:
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The Audience Award Winner is Fanatic, directed by Taran Killam. Watch the trailer here:
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The SAVFF LGBTQIA+ Short Film Competition jury members included Adam Keen(co-head of global film PR at Amazon MGM Studios), Anthony Allen Ramos (vice president of communications and talent at GLAAD), Daniel Reynolds (editor in chief at Out Magazine), Jazz Tangcay (senior artisans editor at Variety) and Abbey White (news reporter at The Hollywood Reporter).
Additionally, at the festival, GLAAD’s Vice President of Communications Anthony Allen Ramos moderated a panel discussion called The Power of LGBTQIA+ Marketing & Promotion: A masterclass on telling diverse LGBTQIA+ stories, from content creation to cover story.
Speakers included Jerome Core (Head of US and Worldwide DEIA Content at Amazon MGM Studios), Chet Mehta (Founder & CEO at PR DEPT) and Daniel Reynolds (Editor in Chief at Out Magazine.) They discussed observations on the state of queer storytelling and provide insights on how inclusive marketing and promotion campaigns resonate with LGBTQIA+ audiences and beyond.
