Editor

Academy Award, Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning writer/director Oliver Stone ("Platoon," "Wall Street") was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 14th annual Savannah Film Festival on Thursday, Nov. 3.

Hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, Stone dedicated his award to native Savannahian and well-known publicist Bobby Zarem, whom he has known for more than 30 years. "The memory of my achievement lies in Savannah, a city Bobby loves so much," said the award-winning director. Stone ended with, "I got your back, Bobby."

Stone has won Oscars for directing "Born on the Fourth of July," which was screened earlier in the day and featured a question-and-answer session with the critically acclaimed director.He has also received Academy Awards for "Platoon," and for his adaptation of the screenplay "Midnight Express."He was nominated for best director for his work on "JFK" and for co-writing "Nixon." He's also received three Golden Globes for directing "Platoon,""Born on the Fourth of July" and "JFK" and one for writing "Midnight Express."

The evening continued with a special gala screening of Roman Polanski's "Carnage," winner of the Little Golden Lion Prize at the Venice Film Festival. The film tells the story of two sets of parents who decide to have a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a schoolyard brawl.

The festival will also honor actor Aaron Eckhart ("The Dark Knight," "Erin Brockovich"); actor James Marsden ("27 Dresses," "X-Men"); and directors/writers Mark and Jay Duplass ("Cyrus," "The Puffy Chair") later in the week. Actress Ellen Barkin ("The Big Easy," "Ocean's Thirteen") and actor Ray Liotta ("Goodfellas," "Hannibal") have already received Outstanding Achievement in Cinema Awards while actress Lily Tomlin ("9 to 5," "All of Me") was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Additionally, the festival has featured special guests including Universal Pictures President Ron Meyer, Alec Baldwin, James Cromwell, James Toback, Sam Levinson, Anson Mount, Miles Teller, Geoffrey Fletcher, Kenneth Lonergan, and Famke Janssen.

The 14th annual Savannah Film Festival has also presented special screenings including Jim Field Smith's "Butter;" Lee Hirsch's "The Bully Project;" Dito Montiel's "The Son of No One," starring festival honoree Ray Liotta; David Cronenberg's "A Dangerous Method;" and Michel Hazanavicius' "The Artist." Shown also were Lynne Ramsay's "We Need to Talk about Kevin;" Ralph Fiennes' "Coriolanus;" and Sam Levinson's "Another Happy Day," starring festival honoree Ellen Barkin.

The annual Savannah Film Festival presents a full range of cinematic creativity from both award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers. As the university for creative careers, SCAD offers the only major film program in the United States integrated within an acclaimed art and design university. In the past seven years, the university has been one of the top 10 U.S. film schools in producing Student Academy Award finalists.

For more information on the festival and a complete schedule of events, visit scad.edu/filmfest.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

The Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers degrees in more than 40 majors. Visit scad.edu.