SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – As "Saturday Night Live" gears up for its 50th anniversary, the SCAD Savannah Film Festival celebrated its roots.
The new "Saturday Night" biography film, directed by Jason Reitman, screened at the festival on Wednesday night at the historic Lucas Theatre For the Arts.
Before the film began, Reitman, a four-time Academy Award-nominated filmmaker known for his work on "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," "Juno" and "Up in the Air," received the festival's Vanguard Director Award.
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 30: (L-R) Jason Reitman accepts the Vanguard Director Award onstage from Jason Conforti at the Signature Screening Of "Saturday Night" and Award Presentation during the 27th SCAD Savannah Film Festival on October 30, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)
In a truly chaotic 90 minutes, Reitman's latest work takes the audience through the moments leading up to those famous words, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Following the screening, Reitman took the stage with costume designer Danny Glicker and casting director John Papsidera to talk about the filmmaking process.
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When asked about what he learned making "Saturday Night," Reitman recalled a conversation with filmmaker Guillermo del Toro.
SAVANNAH, GEORGIA - OCTOBER 30: (L-R) Jazz Tangcay, Jason Reitman, Danny Glicker, and John Papsidera speak onstage at the Signature Screening Of "Saturday Night" and Award Presentation during the 27th SCAD Savannah Film Festival on October 30, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for SCAD)
“He said, 'When you’re tight, you only have yourself,'" Reitman remembered. "'When you're supple, you have the universe.'"
“I needed to hear it," Reitman continued, "and what I found on this film was that we would choreograph this ballet of chaos for months in advance, and then we’d get to the shoot and I would say, 'Action,' and then I’d have to surrender.”
“And that’s when the delight happened. That’s when people would surprise me.”
"Saturday Night" hit theaters across the U.S. on Oct. 11. Visit here to watch the trailer.