The 26th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank is less than two weeks away and Board Member Laura Chappell has provided us with the itinerary she’s sticking to during the weekend.
Take a look at what she’ll be up to and plan your own schedule at sidewalkfest.com/sched!
SATURDAY (August 24):
- 9am: Lace up comfy shoes, grab my backpack loaded with band-aids, aspirin, portable charger, and a light sweater (some theaters can be chilly!) and head to Cala Coffee to fuel up for the best weekend of the year! I haven’t missed one since I moved back to Birmingham in 2003!
10am: Normally I don’t miss Saturday Morning Cartoons (Cereal! Cold pizza! Bloody Marys!), but the Olympics have me hooked on surfing, so I’m off to Maya and the Wave at the Alabama Theatre: the perfect vibe to kick off the weekend.
https://youtu.be/5x054Z-0peE?si=8eKsySeBaVdvBq5d
12pm: Hustle over to Happy Campers. The trailer gives off a Nomadland vibe, so I’m intrigued.
- Lunchtime: Time to hit the food trucks and VIP area! I love chatting with fellow movie lovers about their picks. Sometimes I even scrap my plan to join someone else’s adventure. If you’re new, don’t be shy! Just ask someone what they’re seeing next. And remember, the weekend’s greeting is “Happy Sidewalk!”
3:15pm: Starring Jerry as Himself looks fascinating. I don’t know much about it, but I like to go in without too many spoilers.
https://youtu.be/1WwLaQTDtNU?si=EXdJ4IVKRhfT73Yl
5pm: With 30 minutes to spare, I’ll recharge in the VIP area before catching Secret Mall Apartment.
- Evening: Grab dinner and hear some jazz at the 4th Ave Jazz Festival (2-10pm) just down the street. Then it’s off to Shorts: After Dark. I love shorts because you can hop in and out. After about an hour, I’ll head to Workplay for the Saturday Night Party!
SUNDAY (Aug. 25)
10am: My husband, Kevin, and I will debate the first movie. He likes at least one horror film, so is eyeing Sleep, but I’m leaning toward Whatever It Takes, a “bizarre tale of online revenge.” We might split up, but I usually convince him to join me!
- 12:30pm – Cutting it close, so will grab a Veo Bike to the Shorts: Documentary B at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
Afternoon: Snack break in the VIP area, then to the Alabama Theatre for Humanist Vampire Seeking Suicidal Person, a coming-of-age film about a teen vampire with an aversion to killing.
- 6pm: Glad I will have already seen The South Got Something to Say on Thursday (Black Lens Spotlight Night), so I don’t have to choose between that and Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted.
Final Lap: If I’m up for it, I’ll dash to All Happy Families. This will involve some strategic standing at the back of the theater and sprinting when the credits roll. But that’s what the comfy shoes and band-aids are for!
https://youtu.be/MUQv9iSmGmw?si=rgPKyk0utkY0n1E9
Note to Self: Take Monday off to recover!
Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema Board Member Laura Chappell
Passes + Single Tickets are available NOW at sidewalkfest.com/tix.