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Want to shop local this Black Friday? Want to give experiences instead of stuff? Looking for gifts for those hard-to-shop-for people in your life? Want to save money? Want to support Sidewalk Film?

 Then join us for our Annual Black Friday Sale!

In person at the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema Friday, November 28 – Sunday, November 30, 10am – 10pm

Join us for the best deals of the year on 2026 Festival VIP Passes (limited quantity), Cinema Memberships, movie posters, merch, gift cards, and more!

We’re also bringing back the popular Blind Date with a DVD bundles and—new this year—Festival Spotlight Night Ticket Packages!

All deals are in-person only at the Sidewalk Cinema from Friday, November 28th through Sunday, November 30th, with remaining deals going online for Cyber Monday.

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FRIDAY, bring the entire family out to a new twist on an old favorite with our FREE Black Friday Morning Cartoons! Featuring family programming, light breakfast options for all ages, a free cereal bar, and a Bloody Mary & Mimosa bar for adults, and photo-ops with Mr. + Mrs. Santa Claus from 9:30am – 12:30pm!

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SATURDAY, join us for the biggest game of the South…on the BIG SCREEN! At our FREE Iron Bowl Watch Party, the game will be shown in the theatre, plus all of our tvs in the bar and lounge. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm, so be sure to get here early and claim your seat! There will be game day decor and party essentials (while supplies last). We’ll also have Iron Bowl-themed specialty cocktails at the bar along with the continuation of our Black Friday Sale. Seating is first come, first served.

The legendary Sidewalk $10K Party returns for its sixteenth year! This high-stakes soirée offers lots of chances to win—including the $10,000 grand prize!  Grab yourself a ticket for $100 and get one entry for the $10,000 drawing (1 in 300 odds). You do not have to be present to win.

Sidewalk is made possible each year in part because of our annual fundraising events. These events offer attendees a chance to kick back and have a blast while also supporting their favorite film festival. Proceeds from these events directly benefit not just the festival itself but also Sidewalk’s year-round educational programs.

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TICKET OPTIONS

$10K Ticket – This $100 ticket includes admission for you plus one guest and one entry for the $10,000 drawing (1 in 300 odds).

Sidewalk Superfan Ticket – This $75 ticket includes admission for you plus one guest and one entry for the Sidewalk Superfan package (1 in 75 odds), including 2 VIP passes with 2 tickets each night to our Spotlight Films during the weeek, exclusive invitation to both Saturday and Sunday Filmmaker Happy Hours, 10 Sidewalk Cinema Tickets, $50 Festival merchandise credit,  2 nights in our Official Sidewalk Hotel, and exclusive golf cart access at Sidewalk 2026 .

Wine Raffle Pull – This $25 ticket includes admission for one and one entry in the wine pull. Each ticket will allow you to choose a wrapped bottle of wine to be unwrapped on stage at a preselected time. One of the bottles will be an exceptionally valuable bottle. The Wine Pull Raffle is sponsored by Vineyard Brands.

BINGO Book –  Increase your odds of winning 10K by playing Bingo! During the event, eight games will be played with the winning bingo cards added to the drawdown closer and closer to the final 10K ticket drawing. This ticket gives you a chance to play all eight bingo games.

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Our Silent Auction is NOW OPEN, check out our list of great items here and bid now before it’s too late!

A special thank you to our $10k Party sponsors Workplay, Vineyard Brands Wine, and Cahaba Brewing Company.

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Sidewalk’s 16th Annual $10k Party is Friday, November 14 from 7-10pm at Workplay. 

Find more info and get your tickets at sidewalkfest.com/10k.

Want to be part of Sidewalk Film Fest 2026? We’re looking for new screening committee members! If you love watching film and can dedicate a few hours a week over 6 months to it, consider applying.

Click the link to complete the screener application form.

(New members will be selected and placed at the discretion of Sidewalk staff. Application period opens September 29 and closes October 10. Selected applicants will be noticed by October 15.)

While the screening committee is a volunteer position, we do offer a complimentary VIP festival pass to screeners who fulfill reporting requirements. These requirements include an average of 3-4 hours of film screening and reporting per week from November 2025 through May 2026. (The number of films may vary based on your assigned committee.) Additionally, we strongly encourage attendance either virtually or in-person to one of the committee meetings held throughout the season. The dates for these meetings will be communicated to selected committee members.

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The 28th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival is August 24 – 30, 2026 in Downtown Birmingham’s Historic Theatre District.

We’ve got another Staff Picks Weekend at the Sidewalk Cinema, this time asking for some of our valued employees’ favorite sci-fi movies!

The results bring a little something for everyone from the science fiction nerd to the novice. See what our staff members had to say about their picks:

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Arrival (2016)

 

Humanity’s first contact with aliens gets the full cinematic treatment in Arrival, where Denis Villeneuve’s deliberate pacing and signature visual style transform the story into something both grand and intimate. By dropping us into the research team’s daily mission briefs, the film makes us feel like participants in the painstaking work of discovery, reminding us just how unglamorous and methodical such a job would really be. At its heart, the story brings us to a crossroads: humanity’s ultimate test isn’t firepower, but communication. They say art imitates life, and Arrival plays less like science fiction and more like a training manual for a future that feels not just possible, but inevitable. Preparations begin this Friday at Sidewalk!

 – Festival Programming Director Charlie Brown Sanders III

Get tickets for Arrival here.

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The Matrix (1999)

 

The original Matrix was easily one of those oddly defining sci-fi movies for me as a kid. It was the perfect balance of action, grit, and fantasy for a kid who loved computers, video games, and the occasional roundhouse kick. It stood out at the height of the Y2K craze and really pushed filmmaking techniques into seemingly new territory at the time. Most importantly for me, it gave such a memorable (now almost prophetic) take on the ever evolving digital age.

 – Festival Shorts Programmer Andrew Williams

What I’ve loved about sci-fi movies is their ability to boldly explore the multitude of possibilities that science has to offer humanity, whether it be good or bad. The Matrix is a special sci-fi achievement not only for its sensational technical adventure, but for its mind-blowing premise challenging us to think about our own reality at times. In the digital era we live in, it’s both fascinating and alarming to see how far technology has come as well as how much it will influence our lives. Science fiction stories are not just places we look for something exciting to explore, but also reminders to tread carefully in these explorations into the unknown. A film like The Matrix pushed the boundaries in spectacular fashion as to what sci-fi will be in a modern world, while still providing us a wildly entertaining story we can’t ever forget.

 – Projectionist Nick Ferlisi

Get tickets to The Matrix here.

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Men In Black (1997)

 

Men in Black is such a fun introduction to Sci-Fi films! Vincent D’Onofrio’s performance is jaw dropping. The aliens are iconic. I have fond memories of Happy Meal tie-in toys based on the characters. This film, as goofy as it is, really makes you think about the world around you and the people you interact with everyday.

 – Director of Education + Outreach Jessica Chriesman

Get tickets to see Men In Black here.

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WALL•E (2008)

 

Wall•E is such a heartwarming and kind story amongst a dystopian/futuristic/sci-fi background. It’s iconic and a must-see in theaters!

 – Youth Board Coordinator + Cinema Events Rental Manager Ramsey Morris

Get tickets to WALL•E here.

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Sidewalk’s Sci-Fi Staff Picks Weekend is September 19 – 25, get your tickets now!

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

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We’ll see you next year for the 28th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival, August 24 – 30, 2026!

As always, HAPPY SIDEWALK! 

We hope you’re ready for the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank – we know our valued Board Members are. They’ve shared some of the films and events they’re most looking forward to at this year’s Sidewalk Fest, just in case you need any recommendations!

Check out their picks and make your own schedule at sidewalkfest.com/sched.

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Josh Hickman, Vice President

 

• The Scout
• Family Shorts: For the Whole Family
• Portal to Hell
• The Pantone Guy
• Animated Shorts: From Around the World
• The Spirit of Halloweentown

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Jamie Plott, Treasurer

 

• Baby Doe
• Rebel With A Clause
• Coroner to the Stars
• Forward, Ever
• Shuffle
• Middletown

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Laura Chappell, Board Member

 

• Champions of the Golden Valley
• Doc Shorts: Reclaiming What Was Lost
• Narrative Shorts: Awkward Is As Awkward Does
• The Presidents’ Tailor
• Long Live the State
• Ali Eats America
• Mouse

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Gail Pless, Board Member

 

• Shorts blocks (all of them!)
• The Librarians
• Andy Kaufman Is Me
• Plainclothes

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Get your tickets to the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank (August 18 – 24) at sidewalkfest.com/tix.

The schedule for the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank (Aug. 18 – 24) has been announced, including the much-anticipated reveal of our Opening Night film, Stolen Kingdom, sponsored by Gilead Sciences. The documentary delves into the history of mischief, scandal, and theft at Walt Disney World. It culminates in the theft of Buzzy, an animatronic valued at nearly half a million dollars. The film is directed by Joshua Bailey who will be in attendance and will participate in a post-film Q+A. Opening Night will kick off at 5pm on Friday, August 22, with a block party on 3rd Ave. N. It will be followed by the film screening at the Alabama Theatre at 7pm, and the evening will conclude with the traditional after party on 3rd Ave N.

The schedule also highlights two other important documentaries in the lineup: Sidewalk’s Saturday Night Spotlight Film, Salão de Baile (This Is Ballroom) (Aug. 23, 5:30pm, Alabama Theatre) and The White House Effect: Inside George H.W. Bush’s White House (Aug. 24, 7pm, Alabama Theatre). Salão de Baile is an upbeat tribute to the Brazilian ballroom scene where LGBTQ+ and non-white people carve out a creative space they might otherwise be denied. The White House Effect is an archival documentary that describes when President George H.W. Bush, who once ran as an environmental candidate, faced an existential dilemma about climate change that reshaped our planet’s future.

In addition to these three documentaries, the lineup includes over 250 other films including narratives, animated film, music videos, episodic videos, and even more documentaries. Sidewalk is proud to announce that over 20% of its lineup is Alabama-related film and nearly 40% of its lineup has a female director or co-director. Sidewalk is also pleased to welcome back alumni with over a quarter of its lineup coming from returning filmmakers.

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See the full lineup at sidewalkfest.com/sched. Premium Single Tickets are now on sale. Day, Weekend, and VIP Passes are also available at sidewalkfest.com/tix.

The 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions takes place August 18 – 24, 2025 in Downtown Birmingham’s Historic Theatre District.

The 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank is quickly approaching and our Programmers are proud to announce our Saturday Night Spotlight Film, This Is Ballroom, as well as our Closing Night Film, The White House Effect. Both of these titles offer compelling examinations of life in the 21st century and illustrate how coming together for the sake of humankind is more important than ever before. Check out a quick synopsis for each film below. 

Day Passes for the 27th Sidewalk Film Festival go on sale TODAY!

VIP + Weekend Passes are also available. Get yours today before prices increase on August 1!

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Saturday Night Spotlight Film

This Is Ballroom   

Directed by Juru & Vitã • 1 hour 30 minutes • Brazil

An upbeat tribute to the Brazilian ballroom scene where LGBTQ+ and non-white people create the creative space they are not allowed in a repressive society.

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Closing Night Film

The White House Effect

Directed by Bonni Cohen, Pedro Kos, Jon Shenk • 1 hour 34 minutes • USA

Inside George H. W. Bush’s White House, scientists drop the bomb that climate change is real. Chaos ensues. Staff clash, lobbyists scramble, and Bush, who once ran as an environmental candidate, faces an existential decision that reshaped our planet’s future. Told entirely through archival footage, this film is riveting, urgent, and surprisingly cinematic.

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These titles (plus the titles announced in May and June) are a preview of what’s in store for the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank, August 18 – 24 in Downtown Birmingham’s Historical Theatre District. Screening dates/times tbd.

Get VIP, Weekend, and Day Passes now at sidewalkfest.com/tix.

It has been 26 years since Stanley Kubrick died on March 9, 1999.  He never got to see the year 2001, sadly. I would have loved to see him interviewed about that year and where humanity was at that time. However, because of the influence of his thirteen feature films, he still feels alive in the same way as all great artists. No matter how many times I view his films, I always make new discoveries and observations. This is partially due to aging with the films, and my own unique perspective changing with my own life experiences, such as having children, or seeing history consistently repeating itself, but it is also due to the immense depth of his artistic creation.  Kubrick’s films are too much for only one viewing.  

As a film professor, I am also constantly aware of his influence as a filmmaker.  Other than Orson Welles, a strong argument can be made that he is the most influential film artist in cinematic history.  Like Citizen Kane, you can draw a line before and after the Kubrick effect.  From his groundbreaking use of the Stedicam to the unnerving repetition of the “Kubrick Stare”, you know instantly that you are watching a film by Stanley Kubrick.  His distinctive style and approach to filmmaking challenged the Hollywood structure in the 1950s and he continued to push cinematic boundaries until his final film in 1999.  He had several unfinished projects at the time.  Watching filmmakers like Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, and others work into their eighties and beyond, leaves us wondering what visions we missed. 

Kubrick’s films demand to be seen on the big screen with the best possible sound.  He made films at a gigantic scale.  You should be overwhelmed by the spectacle and shocked by the imagery. Marvelling at his mastery of finding the perfect music to accompany an image.  I encourage everyone to take the opportunity to see his films as they were meant to be seen.  You will gain a greater appreciation for them and his artistic vision.  To me, they are as fresh and vibrant as the day they were first released.  Take this opportunity to support your only local independent cinema in Birmingham, and make sure to use the bathroom when you are there to complete the Kubrick experience.

– Gareth Jones, Film Scholar at UAB and Co-Host of Substrate Radio‘s Sleep In Cinema

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Gareth Jones will be introducing the Thursday, June 19th 7:00pm screening of Sidewalk Film 101: 2001: A Space Odyssey and will be giving a Barry Lyndon and Stanley Kubrick: Reel Talk Conversation after the Sunday, June 22nd 4:00pm screening of Barry Lyndon.

Tickets for all titles available at sidewalkfest.com/tickets.

The programming team is proud to bring you an additional six titles for the 27th Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank (August 18 – 24)! These films are just a taste of our specialty programming that highlights our Black Lens and SHOUT tracks for this year’s festival! 

Haven’t gotten your VIP or Weekend Passes to the Fest? Prices just increased today and will increase again on July 1 – get yours today before prices go up!

Every year, we screen thousands of movies to bring the best in independent cinema to the Sidewalk Film Festival. Read on to learn more about these six highlighted films:

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SHOUT:

Fucktoys (Narrative Feature)

Directed by Annapurna Sriram • 1 hour 46 minutes • USA

Fucktoys is a lush, 16mm fever dream that reimagines the Major Arcana of the Tarot through the story of AP: a struggling pollyanna seeking salvation from a curse. AP is promised by not one but multiple psychics that for a cool $1000 -and the sacrifice of a baby lamb- it can be lifted. So she makes money the only way she knows how: scootering her way deeper into the night, and into the uncouth underbelly of Trashtown.

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Two People Exchanging Saliva (Narrative Short)

Directed by Alexandre Singh and Natalie Musteata • 35:00 • France

In a repressive society where kissing is punishable by death, two women make a forbidden connection.

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Order for Ben (Narrative Short)

Directed by Kristina Arjona, Adam Plant • 12:16 • USA

Ben, a trans man leading a full and happy life, agrees to meet his father for coffee after 7 years of estrangement.

 

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Black Lens:

It Comes in Waves (Narrative Feature)

Directed by Fitch Jean • 1 hour 45 minutes • Canada

A family of four escapes the genocide in Rwanda and lands in Ottawa. They quickly learn that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

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The Last Dance (Narrative Short)

Directed by Hayden Mclean • 16:39 • United Kingdom

A compulsory purchase order threatens a Caribbean family’s life in East London. In defiance and longing, a last dance ignites as renters’ rights take center stage.

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Her Fight, His Name: The Story of Gwen Carr and Eric Garner (Documentary Short)

Directed by Brad Bailey • 30:00 • USA

Gwen Carr, the mother of Eric Garner, channels her grief into a years’ long fight for justice that draws international attention so that his name isn’t forgotten.

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These six titles (plus our previously announced Spotlight Shorts and Features) are a preview of what’s in store for the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival, happening from August 18 – 24. Screening dates/times tbd.

Get VIP or Weekend Passes now at sidewalkfest.com/tix.

Our SHOUT screenings are sponsored by Birmingham AIDS Outreach.