SCAD Savannah Film Festival honors Julianne Moore with the Icon Award: Jesse Eisenberg’s musical comedy “The Debut” named centerpiece

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has announced the program of the 29th edition of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, the largest university film festival in the U.S., opening on October 24 in Savannah, Georgia. In the spotlight this year is Oscar winner Julianne Moore, who will receive the festival’s Icon Award, as The American Star News reports.

The program’s Centerpiece selection is the musical comedy “The Debut” by Jesse Eisenberg, distributed by A24. In the film, Moore plays Mona Friedman, a quiet housewife who takes a small role in a community theater and becomes increasingly consumed by acting. It is her second collaboration with Eisenberg after “When You Finish Saving the World.”

The festival opens on the night of October 24 with “A Talent for Murder” by Anton Corbijn (Bleecker Street), starring Helen Mirren and Alden Ehrenreich. The film follows a mysterious young man from a New York publishing house who is sent to Switzerland to convince a famous writer to write the final part of a legendary thriller anthology. After the opening screening, Mirren will take part in a moderated audience conversation and accept the festival’s Legend of Entertainment award, according to Awards Radar.

SCAD Savannah Film Festival celebrates its 29th anniversary this year and is known as the largest university film festival in the United States; this year’s edition lasts eight days and usually draws over 74,000 attendees. The Savannah honor comes just weeks after Moore was honored with the Golden Icon Award at the Zurich Film Festival this September, where the actress was present for “The Debut.”