The 28th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival 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 2026 Sidewalk Film Festival Award Winners!
Volunteer of the Year Award: Jamie Plott
Black Lens Filmmaker Grant: Lorraine Shackelford
David Brower Alabama Filmmaker Grant: Latoria Hicks
SIDEWRITE AWARD WINNERS
- Best Alabama Feature Screenplay: Down to Tuscaloosa, Lisa Sims Harrison
- Best Feature Screenplay: Lady into Fox, R. H. Farrell
- Best Alabama Short Screenplay: Any Wrong Step, Jude Copeland
- Best Short Screenplay: Burning Hammer, Dylan Wilson
Reel South Short Film: Invasive Florida, dir. Stephen DeVries
Best Student Film: The Nest, dir. Aurélien Coquery, Léa Kermanach, Soline Mauguin, Abel Tixador, Jean Baounon, Romane Selter-Fiette
Best SHOUT Short Film: Tomorrow, dir. Christian Meola
Best SHOUT Feature Film: Warla, dir. Kevin Alambra
Best Black Lens Short Film: BUCKSKIN, dir. Mars Verrone
Best Black Lens Feature Film: Saving Etting Street, dir. Amy Scott, Dena Fisher
Best Animated Film: Dreamwalker, dir. Luca Schenato, Sinem Vardarli
Alan Hunter Best Alabama Film: SELMA: Songs of the Crossing, dir. Jean-Jacques Cunnac
Best Documentary Short Film: Submitting Tigers, dir. Luke Kellerhouse
Best Documentary Feature Film: Jaripeo, dir. Efraín Mojica, Rebecca Zweig
Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Short Film: THE SENTRY, dir. Jake Wachtel
Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film: Sender, dir. Russell Goldman
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS
- Best SHOUT Film: TheyDream, dir. William David Caballero
- Best Black Lens Film: Kikuyu Land, dir. Andrew H. Brown, Bea Wangondu
- Best Alabama Film: Warriors, dir. Leland Hall
- Best Documentary Short Film: From Rodeo to Polo: The First HBCU Polo Team, dir. Kendi King
- Best Narrative Short Film: Living with a Visionary, dir. Stephen P. Neary
- Best Documentary Feature: Show Me the Line, dir. Kelsey Ianuzzi
- Best Narrative Feature: Frogtown, dir. Costa Karalis
Sidewalk Programmer’s Best Short Film: ERUCTATION, dir. Victoria Trow
Sidewalk Programmer’s Best Feature Film: Pigeon Religion, dir. Troy Vetri
We’ll see you next year for the 29th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival, August 23 – 29, 2027!
As always, HAPPY SIDEWALK!