The 26th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival opens with “Nyad,” closes with “Origin,” and will feature a first look at “The Color Purple” with director Blitz Bazawule.

The Savannah College of Art and Design has announced the full lineup for the 26th annual SCAD Savannah Film Festival, taking place in person October 21–28, 2023.

This year, the festival will kick off with the opening night screening of Netflix’s “Nyad” on Saturday, October 21. Directed by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, the film recounts a riveting chapter in the life of world-class athlete Diana Nyad, hitting on themes of tenacity, friendship and the triumph of the human spirit. Starring four-time Academy Award nominee Annette Bening as the former sports journalist who, at age 60, began training to complete the 110-mile trek from Cuba to Florida that’s often referred to as the Mount Everest of swims, and two-time Academy Award winner Jodie Foster as her best friend and coach Bonnie Stoll, “Nyad” also happens to be the Best Documentary Feature Oscar-winning Vasarhelyi and Chin’s narrative directorial debut.