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The 2025 SCAD Savannah Film Festival announced today that acclaimed filmmaker Jon M. Chu will receive the Vanguard Director Award on October 26 in recognition of his visionary storytelling. The award presentation 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. It is presented by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, the largest university-run film festival in the world.
Chu was raised in Los Altos, California, as the youngest of five children to immigrant parents. His mother is from Taiwan and his father is from Sichuan, China, who famously opened the popular restaurant Chef Chu’s. Growing up in the Bay Area, Chu was immersed in a creative and innovative environment. His parents encouraged a deep appreciation for the arts, enrolling him in dance and music classes and taking him to shows.
He attended Pinewood School from kindergarten through 12th grade before enrolling in the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts. At USC, his talent was recognized early on, and he won numerous student film awards, catching the attention of Steven Spielberg with his short film When the Kids Are Away. This early mentorship and his unique upbringing in a family business and a hub of technology and art profoundly shaped his career.
