Birmingham’s Home for Independent Film Needs You!
On Friday, May 2nd, the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema received notice from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) that our awarded grant in support of the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival has been officially terminated.
The email notification from the NEA reads, in part:
“The NEA is updating its grantmaking policy priorities to focus funding on projects that reflect the nation’s rich artistic heritage and creativity as prioritized by the President. Consequently, we are now terminating awards that fall outside these new priorities. Funding is being allocated in a new direction in furtherance of the Administration’s agenda.”
The rationale is vague, but the message is clear: projects like ours — inclusive, independent, and community-focused — no longer align with the federal government’s newly defined vision of the arts. This isn’t just about Sidewalk; these notices are being sent to arts and cultural organizations across the country, the result of a sweeping shift in policy direction through Executive Orders and redefined agency mandates.
The loss of this funding — while disappointing and challenging — does not change who we are or what we do. Sidewalk remains committed to championing bold, independent voices through film, fostering media literacy and artistic expression in Alabama, and creating an inclusive space for storytelling in all its forms.
The 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival will proceed as planned in downtown Birmingham this August. Our community deserves nothing less. And we will continue to fight — not just for our own sustainability, but for the broader arts ecosystem of which we are proudly a part.
Federal support for the arts should reflect the full spectrum of American creativity, not narrow it. We urge our supporters, patrons, and fellow artists to stay engaged and speak up. These decisions have real consequences for cultural life in communities like ours.