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We’re excited to announce the first four films of the 21st Annual Sidewalk Film Festival sponsored by Regions Bank.

More titles will be released each week, until the full schedule announcement at the Festival Sneak Peek, Monday, July 22 at Saturn.

We’ve been working so hard, for so long now, it’s hard to believe that this day has finally arrived – principal construction has begun on the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema and we are BEYOND excited!

This week our partners at Stewart/Perry will be installing the ventilation partitions and beginning the saw work on the existing foundation.

Check out the gallery below for a few glimpses of the action, and be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for regular photo/video updates on the construction process.

If you’ve already contributed to the Make Movie Magic campaign to fund the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema – THANK YOU!

If you have not yet made a contribution, it is not too late!

We’ve raised $3,994,000 towards our $4.9 million campaign goal and we could use your help to finish strong. Our campaign offers a wide range of giving levels (each with their own unique donor benefits) which you can learn more about at our campaign website.

One of the most popular opportunities this holiday season is the “Take a Seat” campaign – a perfect gift for a loved one who loves movies, or Sidewalk specifically, or who simply has everything!

Seats can be sponsored for only $1,000, with several affordable payment options available. 

And there are several cool benefits:

• Your seat will be identified with an engraved plaque
• Your gift will be acknowledged on the Make Movie Magic Campaign Website and the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema official website
• Your gift is tax deductible!

You can “Take a Seat” online in a few easy steps or you can contact us by emailing chloe@sidewalkfest.com or catherine@sidewalkfest.com

Please note: We will honor all seat requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Seat sponsors must still purchase tickets for film screenings, special events etc.. at the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema. Seat name recognition does not guarantee that particular seat for future performances.

2018 Sidewalk Film Festival VIP and Filmmaker Passes are SOLD OUT. Weekend Passes, Day Passes and Premium Single Tickets are still available on our website or by calling the box office at 205-603-5661.

Please note: if you have already purchased a VIP/Filmmaker Pass and have not yet picked it up, it is waiting for you in the Central Box Office, which is located at the Pizitz Building, on the corner of 2nd Ave. N. and 19th St. (entrance on 19th St. N.).

We are so pleased to share that our 20th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival Line-Up and Schedule is now available on our website. We hope you are excited, cause we sure as hell are!

For Sidewalk 2018 you’ll see two opening night films (Sidewalk and SHOUT),  27 stellar documentary features, 27 incredible narrative features, 23 shorts blocks, six blocks of kids and family programming, four encore slots, two unique special events, two closing night films and one awards show. Not to mention several (8), still to be announced feature film titles, plus panels, workshops and VR programs that we’ll be announcing soon.

You can view the schedule in several ways, by opening the “schedule” drop down and making your selection. You can also sort the schedule by film type (narrative, documentary, shorts blocks special event etc..) and even better, you can create your own fully customized schedule that you can download to your phone via the mobile app or ical.

We’re proud to announce that White Tide: The Legend of Culebra, directed by Theo Love, will open our 20th Annual Festival, on Friday, August 24 at the beautiful Alabama Theatre. White Tide tells the larger-than-life story of a desperate Florida family man who goes on a wild treasure hunt for $2 million worth of cocaine. The fast-paced, stylish, fun, and poignant rollercoaster ride of a documentary is the perfect kickoff to Birmingham’s best weekend of the year. Director Theo Love is a Sidewalk Film Festival alum and Producer Bryan Storkel, a regular attendee since 2007, has screened 6 films at Sidewalk. The filmmakers and subjects are scheduled to attend. 

Tickets for the Opening Night Film and After Party will be available for sale July 1, with a starting price of $30.

In addition to Opening Night, we are excited to  announce the first feature film selections for our 20th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival. Screening dates, times and venues for these three films are not known at this time. That information, along with premium single tickets, will be available July 24th when we announce our full Festival schedule.

Support the Girls

Director: Andrew Bujalski
Narrative / Run Time: 90 Minutes / USA
Starring: Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula, James Le Gros

The general manager at a highway-side ”sports bar with curves” has her incurable optimism and faith, in her girls, her customers, and herself, tested over the course of a long, strange day.

If I Leave Here Tomorrow:
A Film About Lynyrd Skynard

Director: Stephen Kijak
Documentary / Run Time: 95 Minutes / USA

The authorized documentary explores the music and backstory of the legendary American band.

Damsel

Directors: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner
Narrative / Run Time: 113 Minutes / USA
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Mia Wasikowska and David Zellner

It’s the Wild West, circa 1870. Samuel Alabaster, an affluent pioneer, ventures across the American frontier to marry the love of his life, Penelope. As his group traverses the west, the once-simple journey grows treacherous, blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel.

On Thursday, June 7th, The Jefferson County Commission approved a resolution to provide $200,000 of support to the Sidewalk Film Center & Cinema. Commissioner David Carrington, a long time supporter of the film industry in Jefferson County submitted the resolution for approval.

The Sidewalk Film Center & Cinema will not only serve the community as a movie theatre but also serve as a hub for filmmakers offering networking, training, and continuing education for Jefferson County filmmakers and aspiring filmmakers.

This pledge from The Jefferson County Commission brings the Make Movie Magic Capital Campaign to $3,573,000 against a $4,900,000 goal.

Our friends at AL.com wrote a lovely piece about our Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema project and you can read the full story here.

Applications for our 2018-2019 Youth Board are now open! We look forward to welcoming a new class of high school students and future filmmakers. If you’re in high school and interested in learning about filmmaking with some hands-on experience, the Sidewalk Youth Board may be for you. Check out the details on our Youth Board page, and apply today! Applications close April 22.

Please call Montgomery today to help save our growing film industry!

Late yesterday, a legislative bill that would effectively kill a growing creative industries employment sector was introduced by Representative Phil Williams of Huntsville. House Bill 554 is a repeal of the Alabama Film Incentive Package. If passed, the legislation would almost certainly halt all growth of our nascent film industry in the Greater Birmingham area (and the entire State). The bill is now under consideration by the House Ways and Means Committee.

Please call the Ways and Means Education Committee and register your opposition to HB554!

Rep. Bill Poole (Chair) – 334-242-7624
Rep. Steve McMillan (Vice-Chair) – 334-242-7723
Rep. Patricia Todd: 334-242-7718
Rep. James Buskey – 334-242-7757
Rep. Alana Baker – 334-242-7720
Rep. Alan Boothe – 334-242-7710
Rep. Donnie Chesteen – 334-242-7742
Rep. Terri Collins – 334-242-7693
Rep. Craig Ford – 334-242-7690
Rep. Danny Garrett – 334-242-7535
Rep. Ed Henry – 334-242-7736
Rep. John Rogers – 334-242-7761
Rep. Rod Scott – 334-242-7752
Rep. Mark Tuggle – 334-242-7219
Rep. Phil Williams – 334-242-7704

Here are just a few interesting talking points about the impact of the film industry on Alabama’s and Birmingham’s economy that you might not know:

• Approximately 60% of a film’s total production budget is left in the local community.
• For smaller, independent films, approximately $35,000 is spent per day of location shooting.
• According to AL Department of Commerce estimates, for every $1 that the State pays out in the form of incentive rebate, $7 is received in return spending.

You also might not be aware that in Greater Birmingham alone three feature films and one documentary were shot in 2016. We have one independent feature currently in production and another scheduled for August.
Even smaller films typically hire dozens of local crew members, from camera operators to art department to lighting to transportation and much more. Vehicles, equipment and lodging are rented. Local caterers and restaurants benefit. A repeal of the Alabama Film Incentive Package will likely have a ripple effect across other segments of our creative industry ecosystem, and we’ll never know what might have been if the incentives had been given enough time to take root.