Uncategorized Archives - Page 2 of 11 - Sidewalk Film Center & Cinema

Summer Blockbuster Staff Picks May 16 – 22

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Sam Eddins

We’re starting summer off in a BIG way…by playing some of the Sidewalk staff’s favorite blockbusters on the BIG SCREEN as they were meant to be seen!

We asked our staff members to compile their summertime favorites and narrowed them down by decade. Read below on what they had to say about their picks and beat the heat by seeing a summer blockbuster at Sidewalk this weekend, May 16 – 22!

1970s: ALIEN (1979)

“Alien is one of my favorite Summer movies of all time. I love the practical special effects, the cast of characters with believable flaws, and a strong female lead. Alien was a new take on monster movies with a healthy dose of Sci-Fi and horror mixed in. The cold dreadful atmosphere of space is a perfect companion to warmer weather.”

– Front of House Associate Violet Gein

1980s: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)

This selection coincides with our Sidewalk Film 101 series, which is a program focused on playing films that are historically important and influential. This year is dedicated to big-screen spectacles – movies that you must see on the big screen. Along with supplemental readings and resources to contextualize each featured film, Thursday evening screenings will include a special introduction.

1990s: TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991)

“This is a sequel that goes beyond the original in all the best ways, giving itself an identity of its own while still respecting what came before it. Any time I’m seeing a James Cameron film, I know that it’s going to be a spectacle to remember. Not only is Terminator 2 massively entertaining for its spectacularly designed sci-fi action, but it also manages to tell a great story that gives this popcorn flick a real soul. In a time where we’re flooded with countless sequels and reboots, it’s nice to know there are some sequels who got it right and show what a sequel should be. The Terminator and company came back in style and didn’t disappoint!”

– Projectionist Nick Ferlisi

2000s: I AM LEGEND (2007)

“I remember watching Fracis Lawrence’s I Am Legend in a theater at the age of 11 and being completely obsessed with everything the film had to offer. From the Will Smith one-man-show to the bleak landscape of a post-apocalyptic America as a result of a deadly virus. I Am Legend has always been one of those films that stays with me due to the emotional bond between Dr. Robert Neville and his puppy (Sam) and those poignant words: ‘If there’s anybody out there… anybody… please. You are not alone.'”

– Programming Manager Allan Monterrubio

2010s: CRAZY RICH ASIANS (2018)

“I chose Crazy Rich Asians because of how beautiful it is both plot and picture wise. It shows how complicated family and love can be. The balance between funny and serious was perfectly executed.”

– Front of House Associate Jasmine Schultz

2020s: NOPE (2022)

“Catch me on the right day, as a friend did a few weeks back, and I might tell you that Nope is Jordan Peele’s best movie. It’s certainly his most ambitious — a cross between Spielbergian science fiction, Tremors-style creature feature, and Hollywood satire, crammed with so many ideas you need a few viewings to unpack them all. Not that seeing Nope many times is any great imposition. For me, this is one of the most rewatchable movies of the decade so far, a wildly entertaining blockbuster thrill ride made by a great director at the top of his game. And it’s designed to be seen on the big screen; that way, you can appreciate the astounding technical achievement of all that nighttime photography, get the full effect of the terrifying sound design, and see it with a freaked-out audience having the cinematic time of their lives.”

– Cinema Programming Coordinator Corey Craft

You can find showtimes and tickets to these great summer blockbusters at sidewalkfest.com/tickets.

27th Annual Sidewalk Fest Passes On Sale + Fest Spotlight Night Titles Announced

Posted on May 1, 2025May 1, 2025 by Sam Eddins

VIP + Weekend Passes for the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank (August 18 – 24) are NOW ON SALE! Get yours at the lowest price of the year before prices increase June 1. Full ticketing info can be found below.

The Sidewalk Film Festival programming team is also pleased to announce 31 films included in the Festival lineup, expanding our Spotlight Night offerings from a single film each evening to two blocks of films for your enjoyment! Join us each evening for a themed night starting with a Happy Hour at 5:00pm, followed by 2 blocks of films.

For the 6:00pm block, our programming team has selected a range of short films that encapsulate the evening’s theme. These 27 films include animated, narrative, and documentary films from Alabama filmmakers, as well as filmmakers from across the country and around the globe. (See below for short film list and synopses.)

Stay for a feature-length film each evening at 8:00, starting with Forward, Ever on Monday for our Alabama Spotlight Night, followed by Baby Doe for our Life + Liberty Spotlight Night on Tuesday. Don’t miss Love Me Bait Me: The Power of Queer Representation on Wednesday for our SHOUT Spotlight Night and Paint Me A Road Out of Here on Thursday for our Black Lens Spotlight Night!

Alabama Film Spotlight Night (August 18)

Shorts Block:

What If? Directed by Emma Bradley Bothwell • 1:59 • USA • Cassidy learns that nervousness is a two-way street as she tries to speak to her crush.

The Wilhelm Scream Directed by Anna Quinlan • 11:50 • USA • The Wilhelm Scream has made an appearance in hundreds of films, TV shows, video games, and commercials over the past 70 years. Now discover the story behind the most infamous joke in cinema history.

Fail Year Directed by Beau Shepherd, Apollo Shepherd • 2:17 • USA • After moving to a city, we watch as a man proceeds to have the worst year of his life. Perhaps the new year will kick off on a higher note.

It Draws Closer Directed by Joshua David Matthews • 4:30 • USA • A young woman discovers the creature she just sketched is in the bedroom with her.

Next Show in 90 Minutes Directed by John T. Hill • 7:20 • USA • A routine both natural and unnatural unfolds in the heart of one of America’s most cherished landscapes. Content Warning: This film contains mild body horror and brief violence.

b[Reach] Directed by Rachel Hendrix • 10:45 • USA • A mother struggling with postpartum intrusive thoughts confronts her mental state in a desperate phone call.

A Place to Be Fed Directed by Billy Ivey • 19:46 • USA • James Harris strives to create a self-sustaining and replicable place of hope, healing, and restoration for food desert communities. The film shines a light on our universal need for healthy food and a place to call our own.

Neither Donkey Nor Horse Directed by Robin Wang • 28:29 • USA • Amidst the outbreak of the 1910 Manchurian Plague, a young Chinese doctor must defy prejudices of both the East and the West to champion his groundbreaking theory of the disease and seek the truth that will heal it.

Feature Film:

Forward, Ever Directed by Jason Sciavicco • 1 hour 47 minutes • USA

“For the Love of the Game” is a phrase that is thrown around easily, but for the players on the Birmingham-Southern College baseball team it’s a lifestyle. Far from the money driven world of big-time college athletics and NIL contracts, these are true student athletes that are chasing a dream without scholarships or the perks that come with playing for a major program. Following years of financial difficulty post-Covid and a rollercoaster ride dealing with the state legislature to secure funding, Birmingham-Southern College is out of options and is forced to announce they are closing down. Despite the crushing news and now facing uncertain futures, the BSC Panthers respond with an improbable winning streak that secures a spot in the postseason and lifts the spirit of the BSC faithful. The eclectic collection of players and their inspirational coach are pursuing a legendary playoff run that continues after the demise of the school they play for.

Life + Liberty Spotlight Night (August 19)

Shorts Block:

The Library Problem Directed by Mell Packard • 5:27 • USA • A short student documentary examining the history and current status of the ongoing battle taking place over LGBTQ+ content in the children’s section of Alabama public libraries.

Failure to Fail Directed by Haley Breese • 20:17 • USA • Delve into the troubling phenomenon of grade inflation in the United States education system. Through the stories of three dedicated teachers, we explore the systemic flaws that push unprepared students through the educational pipeline and consider critical questions about the true value of academic achievements.

The Third Child Directed by Serna Amini • 25:11 • Iran • Mehdi is the only hearing child in a completely deaf family. Now, he is striving to become a professional voice actor and dubbing artist on his new path while navigating the challenges of his family’s circumstance.

The Congress Directed by Eko Krisna • 10:58 • Indonesia • Indonesian activist Rukka Sombolinggi believes the key to confronting climate crisis is to unite and mobilize the Indigenous communities who are often impacted the most. Now, as the first female general secretary of the world’s largest Indigenous Peoples organization, she has the power to do just that.

Exodus Directed by Bob Miller • 24:51 • USA • Meet Musa and Emmanuel, two unlikely heroes, as they facilitate the evacuation of their fellow Sudanese from cities torn by decades of war into the remote Nuba Mountains in Sudan.

Feature Film:

Baby Doe Directed by Jessica Earnshaw • 1 hour 40 minutes • USA

At 22, Gail gave birth alone and left her newborn in the woods. Decades later, she’s arrested for murder, even though she says the baby was stillborn. BABY DOE explores the fallout when young women cannot accept the reality of an unplanned pregnancy.

SHOUT Spotlight Night (August 20)

Shorts Block:

Once Upon a Wetland Directed by Elizabeth Miller-Derstine • 16:00 • USA • As restrictions to drag grow stricter across the country, Durham, North Carolina lets its fur down for the annual Beaver Queen Pageant — a wildly campy, dam-important celebration of queer joy, eco-love, and over-the-top critter cosplay.

Solemates Directed by James Rathbone and Mike Feswick • 12:00 • Canada • The story of a love triangle between a shoe store owner, a customer, and an old pair of shoes.

F*ck That Guy! Directed by Hanna Gray Organshi • 17:33 • USA • 1992 Connecticut. Desperate to keep the attention of her intoxicating older best friend, Frankie sets out to prove that sex is no big deal.

She Raised Me Directed by Ben Lewis • 13:26 • Canada & USA • When a struggling writer discovers he’s dating the son of his favorite actress, he’ll do anything to make (and keep) a meaningful connection.

Hearts of Stone Directed by Tom van Avermaet • 29:55 • Belgium • An unexpected connection between Paula, a lonely street artist, and the mysterious sculpture that inspires her unfolds in this fantastical tale of love, loss, and rediscovery.

Feature Film:

Love Me Bait Me: The Power of Queer Representation Directed by Rachel van der Bie • 1 hour 19 minutes • USA

This feature documentary explores the historical relationship between Hollywood, television, and the authentic portrayal of diverse LGBTQ+ experiences over the course of more than a century. Interviews and archival footage provide a critique of the U.S. film industry that emphasizes the life-saving role storytelling plays in our collective imagination for a better future.

Black Lens Spotlight Night (August 21)

Shorts Block:

UNCAGED Directed by Jay Richardson • 5:19 • USA • A young NIL student-athlete grapples with anxiety, identity, and survivor’s guilt as he navigates the hidden costs of success.

Vainglorious Directed by Oshiomati Gabriel Ugbodaga • 8:15 • USA • When a skilled young boxer and a determined father clash in a traditional Nigerian boxing match, their resilience and pride are put to the ultimate test.

Bloqué Directed by Miguel Ortiz • 6:39 • USA • A drummer with a creative block visually takes the audience down his own memories into the heart of his emotional blockage.

House of Modern Art Directed by Matthew Mugweru • 5:39 • USA • In “House of Modern Art,” an obsessive cult from diverse trades and backgrounds gathers to perform a grotesque ritual, constructing a distorted piece of artwork that serves as their idol of worship.

Heavy Is the Head Directed by Chap Edmonson • 9:24 • USA • An experimental exploration of identity as a young black man learns to navigate the world and the expectations that weigh upon him.

American Dignity Directed by Hanson Hosein • 19:59 • USA • Filmed during the first weeks of 2025, “American Dignity” captures a nation in flux. This short documentary is both a snapshot of a critical moment and a meditation on the enduring tension between progress and backlash.

Livestreams with GrandmaPuzzles Directed by Emily Sheskin • 6:00 • USA • A lifelong hobby becomes a lifeline for an unexpected Twitch streamer.

Voices of the Academy Directed by Latoria Hicks • 13:14 • USA • Three professors explore the history, significance, and ongoing challenges of African American Vernacular English in education and the United States and reflect on its cultural impact and the fight for linguistic acceptance.

Teddy Directed by Lauren Santucci • 15:55 • USA • Meet Timothy Gant, Jr., “Teddy,” a male birth doula working to improve birth outcomes for Black women in Houston, Texas. As a doula working predominantly with Black women, Timothy helps his clients achieve a positive, safe, and empowering birth on their terms.

Feature Film:

Paint Me A Road Out of Here Directed by Catherine Gund • 1 hour 30 minutes • USA

In 1971, underestimated artist Faith Ringgold made a monumental painting for the women incarcerated at Rikers Island jail. Fifty years later, artist Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, who gave birth in prison 15 years ago, finds herself banding together with an eccentric bunch of activists, politicians, artists, corrections officers and Faith Ringgold to free the painting with the ultimate goal of freeing the women. Paint Me a Road Out of Here is a wild tale of the painting’s whitewashed journey and the two artists who challenge the same powerful, oppressive and persistent institutions, a half century apart with their artwork, their voices and their shared, persistent goals.

Ticketing Info

Each evening during festival week (Monday-Thursday) we will host themed Spotlight Nights, including:

Happy Hour from 5–7 PM at the bar (no ticket required)
Spotlight Shorts Block
Spotlight Feature Film

?️ VIP Passholders:

VIP Passholders can add Spotlight Night Screenings for just $2 ONLY at the time of purchase. If you’d like to decide later, you can add Spotlight Nights for $8 each (normally $15) by emailing your request to our box office ([email protected]).

If you purchased a VIP Pass during our Early Bird Sale (Fall 2024), you will receive an email from our box office staff ([email protected]) about how to apply your VIP perks for Spotlight Nights.

? Members Save 10%!
VIP Passes, Weekend Passes, and Spotlight Night Tickets are automatically discounted at checkout when you’re logged in to your member account. The member discount is not combinable with any other discount or offer.

To purchase passes and for additional information, visit sidewalkfest.com/tix.

We hope you’ll join us for the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival presented by Regions Bank, August 18 – 24 in Downtown Birmingham!

For more info on the announced films, visit sidewalkfest.com/sched.

March Sidewalk Film 101: Pather Panchali (1955)

Posted on March 18, 2025 by Sam Eddins

At the 2014 unite4:humanity Gala, Martin Scorsese received the Creative Conscience Award, recognizing him for his continued work in film preservation. During his acceptance speech, he made a point to connect his long-term efforts in film preservation to the work of Indian director Satyajit Ray. Scorsese offered these words near the conclusion of his speech: “As a kid, living in the lower east side, the first film I really saw about India was Pather Panchali by Satyajit Ray. And I realized it was a film by Indians, for Indians, [and ultimately] for the world. And it brought me to learn about the rest of the world.”

Pather Panchali (1955) is Ray’s first film, and the first of his famous Apu Trilogy, based on two Bengali novels written by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. Ray’s directorial debut would receive swift international acclaim when, at the 1956 Cannes Film Festival, Pather Panchali won the Best Human Document Award. But across time, praise for Ray’s masterpiece––as well as his at-large contributions to cinema––would only continue to mount. At the 1992 Academy Awards, Ray was presented with the Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement in film. He was dying from heart and lung ailments, and his acceptance address was filmed from his hospital bed. Ray couldn’t even sit up to make his acceptance speech when Audrey Hepburn introduced him, citing the award for his “profound humanism” and “rare mastery” of the medium of film (Meher Tatna). He died less than one month later.

Due to a number of devastating complications, Ray’s Apu Trilogy was almost entirely lost to the world––saved only through a decades-long international preservation effort. And interestingly enough, the 1992 Academy Awards would serve as the catalyst for those efforts. The producers who put together the 1992 Oscars telecast had a lot of difficulty assembling the clip package. “The prints they found [of Ray’s films] were beat up, scratched, mangled, and missing sections,” explains Michael Pogorzelski, Director of the Academy Film Archive (An Act of Faith: Saving the Apu Trilogy). And just as people were beginning to commit themselves to preserving Ray’s masterpieces, there was a tragic fire at Henderson’s Film Lab in London. As a result, several vaults of film were totally destroyed or otherwise severely damaged––the original negatives of Ray’s Apu Trilogy among them. “But luckily,” explains Pogorzelski, “the Director of the Academy Film Archive asked for all of the film, and any even film cans related to Ray’s films to be shipped from London to Los Angeles.” Peter Becker, President of The Criterion Collection, celebrates these efforts as an act of faith. “Calling to have [the film] sent to the Academy to be preserved,” he says, “and not throwing it out despite the fact that it had been deemed ‘completely unusable’ is the kind of act of faith that says, ‘This film that passed through the camera, that those actors stood in front of, that the director caused to roll in the first place, and caused to cut––there’s something sacred about that. And it has to be preserved.’” (An Act of Faith: Saving the Apu Trilogy)

The film sat for 20 years before L’Immagine Ritrovata––a film restoration lab in Bologna––acted on their conviction that they could nondestructively get the film into a condition where it could be scanned and tested. This lab spent thousands of hours rehydrating the reels so that they could be safely unrolled, to then rebuild the perforations and clean the film. This then began 6-7 months of digital restoration work, made possible by The Criterion Collection. “Ray is known for his narratives, and is a very humanist filmmaker. But I think he’s underappreciated as a visual storyteller,” says Josef Linder, Preservation Officer of The Academy Archive. “We’ve preserved these films at their full visual quality––the full impact of the images, not just the stories.”

In 2015—60 years after Pather Panchali’s release––The Apu Trilogy was, at long last, re-released by Janus Films in a pristine 4K restoration, made available in a Criterion Blu-Ray set. This international effort at film preservation reflects the world’s love for Satyajit Ray’s singular contributions to cinema, the fruits of which will be experienced for generations to come. “To live without seeing the films of Satyajit Ray,” said Akira Kurosawa in 1975, “means existing in the world without seeing the sun or the moon.” Sidewalk is thrilled to offer two screenings of Ray’s masterpiece, Pather Panchali, on the evening of March 20th (“moon”) and the afternoon of March 23rd (“sun”). We hope you’ll join us in observance of this hard-fought masterpiece from a one-of-a-kind director.

– Education & Outreach Coordinator Peyton Chandler

Pather Panchali plays as a part of our Sidewalk Film 101 series March 20 at 7:00pm and March 23 at 1:00pm. You can get tickets here.

March Book + Film Club: Promising Young Woman

Posted on March 14, 2025 by Sam Eddins

March’s Book + Film Club selection pairs The Value Gap: Female-Driven Films from Pitch to Premiere with Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman as a part of our Women In Film celebration sponsored by WBHM and SouthState Bank. Courtney Brannon Donoghue is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Media Arts at University of North Texas. Her text, The Value Gap, dissects how female directors, producers, and writers navigate the challenges and barriers facing female-driven projects at each stage of filmmaking in contemporary Hollywood.

Using the foundational knowledge of how female-driven films are created in Hollywood we will watch Promising Young Woman, Emerald Fennell’s Oscar-winning film, and discuss the ideas expressed throughout the film. With the themes of sexual assault, female empowerment, complicity, perceptions, and the search for justice, this film explores how women are perceived in the world.

In an interview with The Guardian Fennell says, “There’s a need to politicize women’s work, to make it either a memoir or part of a movement. But the issues in this film have been going on for ever and I’ve been thinking about writing it for a long time. So I wanted to see if it was possible to make a very specific type of genre movie. It just so happened that this project is about something that we’re all familiar with, which can seem innocuous and mundane, but when you examine it in another way is incredibly sinister.” Star Carey Mulligan adds, “This is all very familiar stuff. We’ve all seen it in so many romantic comedies told from the guy’s perspective, who has to get the really hot girl really drunk to persuade her to have sex with him, because sober she wouldn’t go home with him. We’ve seen it in films and thought it was totally normal. Well, I did. I never thought: ‘Oh, that’s actually quite fucked up.’ I’ve always watched it and thought: ‘Yeah, that’s life, that’s what we all do.’ This film is saying: ‘Hang on, wait a minute.’”

The 97th Academy Awards Recap

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Sam Eddins

“Long live independent films!” – Anora director, Sean Baker

The 97th Academy Awards took place last night in Los Angeles and Sidewalk’s Hollywood Awards Show Watch Party took place in Birmingham. Several of the nominees played at the Sidewalk Cinema during the previous year and while we didn’t have any Festival alum to root for (such as 2023’s Daniel Scheinert for Everything Everywhere All At Once and 2024’s Greta Gerwig for Barbie), there were still plenty of favorites competing for the gold.

Brady Corbet’s “monumental” achievement The Brutalist played at the Cinema January – February and was nominated for ten awards, taking home three: Best Cinematography for Lol Crawley, Best Music (Original Score) for Daniel Blumberg, and Best Actor for Adrien Brody.

Coralie Fargeat’s feminist body horror The Substance played last September and was nominated for five awards, taking home Best Makeup and Hairstyling for Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon, and Marilyne Scarselli.

Gints Zilbalodis’ animated adventure featuring no dialogue, Flow, played in December and garnered two nominations, winning Best Animated Feature Film.

Jesse Eisenberg’s dramedy A Real Pain played November – December and received two nominations, taking home Best Supporting Actor for Kieran Culkin.

As for Oscar Nominated Shorts (which are playing at the Cinema until March 6), Molly O’Brien and Lisa Remington’s The Only Girl in the Orchestra won for Best Documentary Short Film, Victoria Warmerdam and Trent’s I’m Not A Robot won Best Live Action Short Film, and Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi’s In the Shadow of the Cypress won Best Animated Short Film.

You can get tickets to see all of the Oscar-nominated short films at the Sidewalk Cinema here.

The true winner of the night was Sean Baker for Anora, which played in November. Nominated for six awards, it took home five: Best Actress for Mikey Madison and Best Film Editing, Best Writing (Original Screenplay), Best Director, and Best Picture (along with Alex Coco and Samantha Quan) for Baker. It proved an historical night for the filmmaker, making him the first person in Academy Awards history to win four awards for the same film.

Other films that played at the Cinema that received nominations but unfortunately left empty-handed were Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, the much-anticipated remake of one of cinema’s most classic and adored films that played December – January, which received four nominations.

Dreamworks’ most recent animated hit, Chris Sanders’ The Wild Robot, played September – October, received three nominations.

Sidewalk alum RaMell Ross’ poignant drama Nickel Boys played in February and received two nominations.

Aaron Schimberg’s psychological dark comedy A Different Man played in November and received one nomination.

Overall, and namely with the wins for Anora, it was a huge night for low-budget independent cinema as well as a push for the return and growth of movie theaters – both from the respective award-winning filmmaker and from host Conan O’Brien. With the latter’s skit CinemaStreams, he makes light of the current tradition of streaming movies at home or on a cellphone and introduces a newer and better method – watching them in a theater (what will they think of next!)

As for his multiple turns on the awards stage, Sean Baker took time to highlight the need for the theatergoing experience: “Watching a film in a theater with an audience…it’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home. And right now, the theater-going experience is under threat.” He continued, “Movie theaters, especially independently-owned theaters, are struggling, and it’s up to us to support them.”

Now is the best time for you to support the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema as our annual Membership Drive kicks off and lasts the entirety of March. For more information, visit sidewalkfest.com/membership.

February Sidewalk Film 101: Boyz N the Hood (1991)

Posted on February 14, 2025 by Sam Eddins

John Singleton’s Boyz N the Hood was met with significant critical acclaim immediately following its release, nearly 35 years ago. The film released in 1991, and in 1992, Singleton became the youngest director and the first African American in cinema history to receive nomination for Best Director at the Academy Awards. Of far greater significance than its commercial reception, however, is this film’s staying power and striking cultural relevance. A powerful source of contemporary commentary on race in America, Boyz N the Hood doesn’t “feel” 35 years old. Reinforced by a number of social justice principles, the film highlights the socioeconomic challenges that ravaged low-income, Black communities during the 80s and early 90s. And for John Singleton, the undertaking of telling such a story was deeply, necessarily personal.

When he sold the script for Boyz N the Hood, John Singleton had only recently graduated from film school at USC. Very protective of his story (one which was directly influenced by his own childhood), he was determined to direct the film himself so as to preserve his own singular point-of-view. More specifically, in navigating the white-dominant film industry, Singleton was certain that Black stories demanded Black storytellers. “I went into film school with a certain focus,” Singleton told Spin Magazine in 1991. “I was going to make films about my people in a way that was never done before. I was going to be like a filmic soldier. I was going to learn the importance of subtext, of character, and of plot… I said over and over, ‘This is what I want.’ And it happened that way.”

As its recipients, we can celebrate the film’s capacity to “hold up” over the decades since its release. However, we can also lament the societal conditions which have contributed to the issues explored on screen remaining as “felt” and “present” as ever.

For further exploration prior to Sidewalk’s two screenings on February 20th and 23rd, we invite you to read “Boyz N the Hood and the Marginalization of Black Adolescent Males,” an article by Le Shorn S. Benjamin of Central Michigan University. Here, Benjamin discusses the many implications of various social issues on the Black adolescent males featured in the film, “and closes with hypothetical solutions for minimizing their marginalized experiences.” We hope that this, and the other selected readings, will further enhance your experience and appreciation for Boyz N the Hood.

– Education and Outreach Coordinator Peyton Chandler

Boyz N the Hood plays as a part of our Sidewalk Film 101 series February 20 at 7:00pm and February 23 at 1:00pm. You can get tickets here.

2025 Valentine’s Staff Picks Weekend

Posted on February 12, 2025 by Sam Eddins

Select members of the Sidewalk Staff have picked some of their favorite romantic movies for our Valentine’s Staff Picks Weekend (Feb. 14 – 20)! Spend a date night with your partner or bring your closest friends to a weekend full of love, heartache, and…vampires? That’s just how Sidewalk rolls.

Roman Holiday (1953), selected by Projectionist Kate Burney

Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann’s regal identity and bets his editor he can get an exclusive interview with her, but romance soon gets in the way.

“I grew up on a steady diet of Roman Holiday and other mythologies. As I’ve gotten older, the 72 year-old film has steadily rang truer to my experiences of love and loss, challenging or delighting me, depending on the day. Roman Holiday sparked several of my research interests as a film scholar, including film-induced tourism, geography in narrative film, and the romantic comedy genre. Ultimately, it’s one of my favorite stories for how it captures the bittersweet. That’s a hard note to hit right, but Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck make it sing. And yes, I cry every time!”

– Kate Burney

See Showtimes

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), selected by Box Office Manager Jennifer Freehling, Senior Box Office Associate Richard O’Brien, and Front of House Associate Teresa Kelley

After a painful breakup, Clementine (Kate Winslet) undergoes a procedure to erase memories of her former boyfriend Joel (Jim Carrey) from her mind. When Joel discovers that Clementine is going to extremes to forget their relationship, he undergoes the same procedure and slowly begins to forget the woman that he loved.

“Like all of Charlie Kaufman’s work, Eternal Sunshine is ultimately a film about violently cracking yourself open to see who you really are, finding instead the people you’ve met and loved in your life. There’s a definite (and obvious) read that Joel and Clementine are doomed, trapped in an eternal recursion of the Aging Hipster Couple no one can stand, but there’s a less obvious read pointing to a state of grace: hell might be other people, but love can be a door to a place we can’t imagine going by ourselves. I watch this movie every Valentine’s Day.”

– Richard O’Brien

“This movie takes me through all the various emotions that come with love; it’s scary, sweet, exciting, stupid, and painful. It asks the old question, is it better to have never loved than to have loved and lost? As a bit of a realist, and as one who manages mental health issues, I can absolutely empathize with the desire to forget everything that ever hurt me, even if that means losing the good part too. It’s heartbreaking and comforting at the same time.”

– Teresa Kelley

See Showtimes

Only Lovers Left Alive (2013), selected by Front of House Associate Violet Gein

Artistic, sophisticated and centuries old, two vampire lovers (Tilda Swinton, Tom Hiddleston) ponder their ultimate place in modern society.

“Only Lovers Left Alive is not your average vampire movie. It is an exploration of immortal love, life, and the human condition. The moody cinematography and dark humor represent my mind very well. I’ve always had this film in my yearly rotation and I hope to make this your next favorite vampire movie! I encourage guests to dress up in their finest Gothic attire when attending this showing.”

– Violet Gein

See Showtimes

February Book + Film Club: If Beale Street Could Talk

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Sam Eddins

February’s Book + Film Club selection features the novel and screen adaptation of James Baldwin’s If Beale Street Could Talk as a part of Sidewalk’s Black Lens celebration sponsored by Gilead Sciences. Baldwin’s fifth novel, first published in 1974, is told primarily from the perspective of Tish, a young Black woman in New York City as she works to get her boyfriend, Fonny, out of jail before their baby is born. With themes of love and injustice, centering on the emotional bonds holding two African American families, If Beale Street Could Talk still resonates with readers over 50 years later.

In 2018, Academy Award winning filmmaker Barry Jenkins brought the story to life on the big screen with an ensemble cast featuring KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Colman Domingo, and Regina King. Lead actress Kiki Lane says this about the story, “It’s such an unfortunate thing that so much of what is happening in the film and the book, those same circumstances people are still dealing with today. What’s so beautiful about this work from Baldwin is that it’s wrapped up in so much love. I feel that’s what he’s forcing you to look at and acknowledge. Those people who have been done wrong by the judicial system. These people who have experienced police brutality. They have loved ones. They love and they are loved. This film forces you to acknowledge that you have to look us in the eye and you have to witness the pain and the trauma that all of these characters are going through. I think that’s what makes this story so special. At the core, it’s about that love and fighting for that.”

2025 Sidewalk Film 101 Titles Announced

Posted on January 31, 2025 by Sam Eddins

Welcome to another year of the monthly Sidewalk Film 101 series at the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema. This year, we’ll be focusing on big-screen spectacles – movies that you must see on the big screen. Along with supplemental readings and resources to contextualize each featured film, Thursday evening screenings will include a special introduction.

Coming up for the rest of the year:

February: Boyz in the Hood (1991)

Tre is sent to live with his father, Furious Styles, in tough South Central Los Angeles. Although his hard-nosed father instills proper values and respect in him, and his devout girlfriend Brandi teaches him about faith, Tre’s friends Doughboy and Ricky don’t have the same kind of support and are drawn into the neighborhood’s booming drug and gang culture, with increasingly tragic results.

February 20 – 7:00pm

February 23 – 1:00pm

March: Pather Panchali (1955)

Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work.

Dates/showtimes TBD

April: The General (1927)

After being rejected by the Confederate military, not realizing it was due to his crucial civilian role, an engineer must single-handedly recapture his beloved locomotive after it is seized by Union spies and return it through enemy lines.

Dates/showtimes TBD

May: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

In 1936, archaeologists and adventurers of the U.S. government hired Indiana Jones to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis could obtain its extraordinary powers.

Dates/showtimes TBD

June: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

When a mysterious artifact is uncovered on the Moon, a spacecraft manned by two humans and one supercomputer is sent to Jupiter to find its origins.

Dates/showtimes TBD

July: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.

Dates/showtimes TBD

August: Rio Bravo (1959)

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

Dates/showtimes TBD

September: Beau Travail (1999)

An ex-Foreign Legion officer recalls his once-glorious life of leading troops in Djibouti.

Dates/showtimes TBD

October: The Roaring Twenties (1939)

Three men attempt to make a living in Prohibitionist America after returning home from fighting together in World War I.

Dates/showtimes TBD

November: The French Connection (1971)

A pair of NYPD detectives in the Narcotics Bureau stumble onto a heroin smuggling ring based in Marseilles, but stopping them and capturing their leaders proves an elusive goal.

Dates/showtimes TBD

December: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family.

Dates/showtimes TBD

Stay tuned as tickets and showtimes are announced throughout the year! See them all and receive a special diploma!

Tickets to all films can be found at sidewalkfest.com/tickets.

Luther: Never Too Much, Mistletoe Jam + ASO Ticket Giveaway!

Posted on December 18, 2024December 18, 2024 by Sam Eddins

Luther Vandross really needs no introduction. Selling over 40 million albums worldwide and with eleven of them going platinum, Billboard hailed him as one of the greatest R&B artists of all time. Rolling Stone called him a “scholar of singing,” ranking him #31 on their 2023 list of 200 Best Singers of All Time. They all were right.

After solidifying his career as a trusted background vocalist and arranger for the greats (David Bowie, Bette Midler, Roberta Flack, Quincy Jones) and for dozens of disco groups like Chic, Sister Sledge, even the faceless dance acts of Change, Charme and Bionic Boogie, the Harlem-raised singer powered his way into the music industry with his 1981 solo album, Never Too Much. And what a riveting debut it was. Thanks to incredible performances like the seven-minute ballad “A House Is Not a Home,” “Don’t You Know That” and the timeless title cut, the LP earned him two Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Male Vocal Performance. The hard work, buoyed with collaborative support from fellow friends Nat Adderley, Jr. and Marcus Miller, netted Vandross a successful run throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, including production work on albums for Aretha Franklin, Cheryl Lynn and Dionne Warwick. Only a handful of R&B superstars reigned towards the end of the 20th century; Vandross was one of them.

To best describe the highlights of his catalog, just think big ethereal ballads, anthems about love and supple arrangements that combined the gravitas of Burt Bacharach and Isaac Hayes with a sweet vocal balance that sat somewhere between Marvin Gaye and Teddy Pendergrass. Vandross, for so many adoring R&B fans, became the quintessential Quiet Storm balladeer, pushing the genre to epic heights with a string of platinum-selling albums and radio hits.

It’s been almost twenty years since the sudden passing of eight-time Grammy-award winning Luther Vandross, and yet there had not been a single documentary about his life and legacy. Until now.

Sidewalk aluma Dawn Porter (John Lewis: Good Trouble) has taken on the incredible task of highlighting the highs and lows of the R&B giant inside the new documentary, Luther: Never Too Much. As the film’s director, she develops a love letter to diehard fans of the legendary R&B titan. After premiering at Sundance to a standing ovation and an enthusiastic run during the film festival circuit this year, Luther: Never Too Much was picked up by CNN Films and will get a national television premiere on CNN on New Year’s Day (Jan 1). But select theaters across the country have been blessed with the opportunity to screen the film before its airing, including our very own Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema from December 20-22.

Along with the run of Luther: Never Too Much, Sidewalk will be hosting Mistletoe Jam, a FREE festive celebration honoring Vandross’s music, the spirit of R&B and the holiday season. The inspiration of the name comes from “Mistletoe Jam,” a hefty evergreen played on urban radio around the holidays and just one of the musical highlights off Vandross’s platinum-selling 1995 holiday album, This Is Christmas, which also turns 30 next year. Longtime SoulTracks.com contributor writer and Sidewalk’s Internal Events Associate J Matthew Cobb will be hosting the event while also serving as the KJ for Fandross Karaoke at the top of the program. Throughout the evening, guests will be lavished with exclusive programming, speciality cocktails, door prizes, giveaways and much more.

Culminating the event in true ‘bad boy/havin’ a party’ fashion, DJ Bad Boy Butch will anchor the Superstar R&B Dance Party. Named after the iconic Luther Vandross 1982 song, the Birmingham-based DJ with over thirty years of experience is expected to play ‘nothin’ but the hits’ from Vandross and a host of R&B greats.

We’re also thrilled to announce that guests at the Mistletoe Jam will have TWO golden opportunities to win tickets to the forthcoming Ruben Sings Luther, a Valentine’s Day concert featuring American Idol winner Ruben Studdard with Dr. Henry Panion, III and the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. Slated for February 8th at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, this magical night will showcase the “power of love” from the Vandross songbook, aided by Dr. Panion’s lush orchestrations and stellar crooning from Studdard, who was once dubbed the ‘Velvet Teddy Bear’ by R&B legend Gladys Knight.

Panion, III is no stranger to Sidewalk. He co-directed A Symphony Celebration: The Blind Boys of Alabama with Dr. Henry Panion along with filmmaker Michael Edwards, which screened this year at the 26th annual Sidewalk Film Festival.

Mistletoe Jam, a free event, will be held on Saturday, December 21st from 6-10 pm and is open to the public, but guests are strongly urged to make reservations in advance. Seating is first come, first served. To RSVP, head to the following link: https://www.goelevent.com/Sidewalk/e/MistletoeJam

– Internal Events Associate J Matthew Cobb