Jon M. Chu to Receive Vanguard Director Award from SCAD Film Festival
The 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival announced today that acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu will receive the Vanguard Director Award in recognition of his visionary storytelling.
Chu will be honored on Sunday, October 26, during an award presentation that will include a conversation about his career—including this year’s epic conclusion to Universal Pictures’ global Wicked phenomenon, Wicked: For Good—and will feature select clips from Chu’s filmography. Presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the SCAD Savannah Film Festival — the largest university-run film festival in the world — returns for its 28th year Saturday, October 25 through Saturday, November 1, 2025.
“Jon M. Chu embodies what it means to be a Vanguard,” said Christina Routhier, senior executive director of the SCAD Savannah Film Festival. “From guiding global icons with a steady, inspired hand, to collaborating with authors, designers, and musicians at the highest level, Chu’s vision turns cultural moments into cinematic milestones. For SCAD students, his career is a masterclass in how storytelling shapes culture, with this conversation offering an inside look into his groundbreaking contributions to worldwide cinema. We are excited to honor a storyteller whose artistry will continue to inspire audiences and empower the next generation of filmmakers.”
Known for his blockbuster films and work across various genres, Chu carries a unique storytelling ability that has earned him the honor of inclusion on The Hollywood Reporter’s Power 100 list as well as Variety’s New Hollywood Leaders. Most recently, Chu directed Universal Pictures’ critically acclaimed Wicked, starring Academy Award-nominated actors Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, which garnered 10 Oscar nominations, among them Best Picture, winning two, for Costume Design and Production Design.
This year, Chu helms Wicked: For Good, starring Erivo, Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh and Jeff Goldblum. The film is set to release on Friday, November 21. Next, Chu is attached to direct a highly anticipated biopic for Britney Spears as well as Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! His additional recent projects include the critically acclaimed adaptation of the musical In the Heights and the worldwide phenomenon Crazy Rich Asians, which was nominated for numerous awards, including a SAG Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a PGA Award. It was the first contemporary studio picture in more than 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast and the film opened a new chapter in Asian American representation in Hollywood.
Chu’s previous films also include G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Now You See Me 2, Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never, and many more projects which, overall, have grossed more than $1.3 billion in the worldwide box office. He also penned a memoir, Viewfinder, following his journey from growing up in Silicon Valley to transitioning to Hollywood and helming major studio projects.
Previously announced, Jennifer Lopez (Kiss of the Spider Woman) will receive the SCAD Virtuoso Award in honor of her performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman and her trailblazing career across film, television, music, and entertainment.
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Critics Choice Association (CCA), San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
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