SCAD Savannah Film Fest: Directors of 10 of 2025’s Top Documentaries Set for ‘Docs to Watch’ Panel (Exclusive)
The SCAD Savannah Film Festival and The Hollywood Reporter have revealed the names of the 10 documentary features that will be represented on this year’s edition of Docs to Watch, the fest’s sidebar of screenings and panel discussion about the challenges and rewards of documentary filmmaking, which has become an important stop on the road to the Oscars for nonfiction films.
This year’s Docs to Watch panel will take place over 90 minutes at the Lucas Theatre on the afternoon of Wednesday, Oct. 29, and, for the 12th year in a row, will be moderated by yours truly. The films and filmmakers represented there will be:
Over the past 11 years, 24 films that were represented on the panel went on to receive an Oscar nomination for best documentary feature, and eight of them ultimately won that award: 2015’s Amy, 2016’s O.J.: Made in America, 2017’s Icarus, 2018’s Free Solo, 2019’s American Factory, 2021’s Summer of Soul, 2022’s Navalny and 2023’s 20 Days in Mariupol.
“Now in its 12th year, Docs to Watch has become a cornerstone of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, shining a spotlight on the most compelling and timely documentaries of the year,” Christina Routhier, the fest’s executive director, said in a statement. “We are honored to welcome these visionary filmmakers to share their work and insights with our audiences. With the guidance of Scott Feinberg and The Hollywood Reporter, this roundtable continues to provide our students with extraordinary access to artists whose stories illuminate the world in profound and powerful ways.”
