The 11th annual Savannah Film Festival, hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, presented Variety Vice President and Editor-in Chief Peter Bart with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contribution to Entertainment Journalism Oct. 25 at Trustees Theater, 216 E. Broughton St.

"My peculiar career has been divided by film, television and newspapers. I guess I suffer from permanent pop culture whiplash," said Bart. "It's wonderful to be here, and I'm proud to share a week with my old pals Malcolm McDowell, Suzanne de Passe and the Bergmans. I'm really proud of this festival, the only major festival I know supported by a college."

Bart joined Variety in 1989 and now presides over the editorial content of Daily Variety (both the Los Angeles and Gotham editions), Weekly Variety and Variety.com. He also is the author of eight books, including "Boffo!," "How I Learned to Love the Blockbuster" and "Fear the Bomb." He also served as executive producer of "Boffo!", the documentary film produced by HBO.

"He is without a doubt the most influential writer in and on Hollywood," said Paula S. Wallace, president of the Savannah College of Art and Design. "Peter's prose is sharp and erudite. Thank you for telling the stories of the storytellers."

Bart also hosts the weekly AMC television program "Shootout" with film producer Peter Gruber. Various topics in the film industry are discussed along with guest interviews in each half-hour episode.

Prior to Variety, Bart held a number of key studio jobs including eight years with Paramount, president of Lorimar Films and senior vice president of MGM/UA. He played a pivotal role in the development and production of classics such as "The Godfather," "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Rosemary's Baby."

The Savannah Film Festival, scheduled for Oct. 25 - Nov. 1, also will honor acclaimed actor Malcolm McDowell, songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman and entertainment entrepreneur Suzanne de Passe.

The Savannah Film Festival is sponsored by the City of Savannah, Memorial Health, The Talking Phone Book and the Savannah Morning News.

For more information, visit

For media inquiries and image requests, contact 912.713.4275.

SCAD: The University for Creative Careers

Named one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Graduate Schools" by U.S. News and World Report, and one of the nation's "Most Interesting Schools" by Kaplan - Newsweek, SCAD offers a choice of degree programs in 42 majors, plus 52 minors. Students can take classes at campuses in Savannah and Atlanta, Ga., in Lacoste, France, and online through SCAD-eLearning.

SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution that offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts and Master of Urban Design degrees. For more information about the university, visit .