The Savannah Film Festival

This was my third Road Scholar program at the Savannah Film Festival. The festival is produced by the remarkable Savannah College of Art and Design. One of the RS field trips was to SCAD's truly amazing multimedia museum. Each year, the diversity and quality of the films presented at the festival improves. A number of respected actors participate in interviews before or after the films. This year, attendees included Kevin Costner, Annette Bening, Kieran Culkin, and Demi Moore. The program hotel, a Hampton, was incredibly convenient. It was only steps away from two of the three festival venues. The third venue was accessible by a free festival shuttle that came by every 10 to 15 minutes. The hotel and the festival are both in Savannah's crowded historic district. In the evenings, the numerous historic squares and even the sidewalks leading to the hotel are transitory home to many sleeping homeless people. They do not panhandle or interfere with tourists and the police leave them alone. The free hotel breakfast is pretty bad but the program leaders have organized some excellent excellent meals at places like Gryphon Tea Room and Vic's on the River. If you can, avoid the limited cafeteria-style dinner at the Pirates House The valet parking at the hotel is frightfully expensive but there is a convenient city parking garage across the street which charges approximately $20 per day, less than 1/2 what the hotel charges.

Great program!