The 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank has finally wrapped! A huge thank you to every single person involved from our wonderful staff, volunteers, sponsors, and attendees.
For the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the 2025 Sidewalk Film Festival Award Winners!
Volunteer of the Year Award: Zach Scarvey, Tiffany Holford
Black Lens Filmmaker Grant: John Matthews
David Brower Alabama Filmmaker Grant: Kelsey Ianuzzi
SIDEWRITE AWARD WINNERS
- Best Alabama Feature Screenplay: Boulevard of Bold Dreams, LaDarrion Williams
- Best Feature Screenplay: It Gets Worse, Terry Rietta
- Best Alabama Short Screenplay: Pluck, Eva Louise Hall
- Best Short Screenplay: Synastry, Griffin Holmes
Reel South Short Film: Discount Funeral, dir. Brett Whitcomb
Best Student Film: Failure to Fail, dir. Haley Hawkey
Best SHOUT Short Film: Victoria, dir. John Haley
Best SHOUT Feature Film: Fucktoys, dir. Annapurna Sriram
Best Black Lens Short Film: Heavy is the Head, dir. Chap Edmonson
Best Black Lens Feature Film: Outdoor School, dir. Ime Nyong Etuk
Best Animated Film: POW! dir. Joey Clift
Alan Hunter Best Alabama Film: The Wilhelm Scream, dir. Anna Quinlan
Best Documentary Short Film: The Third Child, dir. Serna Amini
Best Documentary Feature Film: Natchez, dir. Suzannah Herbert
Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Short Film: The Long Reigning King of Rollercastle Skateland, dir. David Hull
Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film: Mad Bills to Pay, dir. Joel Alfonso Vargas
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS
- Best SHOUT Film: Love Me, Bait Me: The Power of Queer Representation, dir. Rachel van der Bie
- Best Black Lens Film: Natchez, dir. Suzannah Herbert
- Best Alabama Film: Forward, Ever, dir. Jason Sciavicco
- Best Documentary Short Film: Exodus, dir. Bob Miller
- Best Narrative Short Film: Operation Talus, Sean Cygan
- Best Documentary Feature: Ali Eats America, dir. Roush Niaghi, Greg Morris
- Best Narrative Feature: It Comes In Waves, dir. Fitch Jean
Sidewalk Programmer’s Best Short Film: Olive, dir. Tom Koch
Sidewalk Programmer’s Best Feature Film: Plainclothes, dir. Carmen Emmi
We’ll see you next year for the 28th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival, August 24 – 30, 2026!
As always, HAPPY SIDEWALK!