Alexander Payne, Natalie Dormer, Terence Stamp among honorees at 2013 Savannah Film Festival

The 2013 Savannah Film Festival honorees (from left):
Alexander Payne, Natalie Dormer, Terence Stamp

Later this month, the Savannah Film Festival will continue the star parade it began 16 years ago. Last year, the festival celebrated the careers of Matt Dillon, Geoffrey Fletcher, John Gatins, John Goodman, Diane Lane, Michelle Monaghan and Stan Lee; so it is no surprise to hear a solid mix of revered filmmakers, acting legends and promising newcomers lined up for this year's honors. Alexander Payne, Natalie Dormer and Terence Stamp are the first honorees announced for this year's events. The festival kicks off on Saturday, October 26th and runs through Saturday, November 2nd.

As the writer-director behind "Citizen Ruth," "Election," "About Schmidt," "Sideways" and "The Descendants," Alexander Payne brings his latest film, "Nebraska," to Savannah as the opening night presentation. Bruce Dern, the films lead and a past SAVFF honoree himself, will be on hand to present Payne with the award. "Nebraska" will have its American premiere this week at the New York Film Festival, but the Savannah screening marks only the second time the film will be seen on American soil.

Rising star Natalie Dormer will be in Savannah to receive the Discovery Award. The "Game of Thrones" star has recently appeared in Ron Howard's "Rush" and will be in Atlanta this fall, shooting "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1."

Acting legend Terence Stamp's face might be more recognizable than his name, but there is no doubt about the mark he has made throughout his 40+ year career. The Oscar-nominated actor will be honored with a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Award.

Frequent SAVFF attendee and former Discovery Award recipient Miles Teller and Georgia-born filmmaker James Ponsoldt will attend the festival for a special screening of "The Spectacular Now" along with one of the film's screenwriters, Michael H. Weber. Alec Baldwin is no stranger to the festival and will be on hand with director James Toback to premiere their documentary, "Seduced and Abandoned." Director Ti West will world premiere his new film, "The Sacrament." "The Walking Dead" stars Norman Reedus and Emily Kinney are scheduled to attend, as well as "The Vampire Diaries" stars Nina Dobrev and Candice Accola. Zach Gilford, a familiar face of the festival, will attend with his wife, Kiele Sanchez.

Other notable screenings include "August: Osage County," "The Past," "Philomena," "The Book Thief," "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom," "The Invisible Woman," "Last Vegas" and "How I Live Now." You can check out the full schedule here. Last year, more honorees were added closer to the festival, so don't be surprised to see this list of stars grow even larger.