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Alabama might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think about filmmaking, but the craft is alive and well in the deep south. The Alabama Film Week (April 18 – 21) series features films that were either shot in Alabama, were made by an Alabama-based filmmaker, or utilize Alabama cast and crew- sometimes all three.

 

NORMA RAE (1979), 4/18 & 4/21

Synopsis: A young single mother and textile worker agrees to help unionize her mill despite the problems and dangers involved.

Sally Field’s performance in NORMA RAE earned numerous awards and accolades for the year 1979, beginning at the Cannes Film Festival and culminating with the Academy Award for Actress in a Leading Role. The film also received the Academy Award for Music (Original Song) for “It Goes Like It Goes” and was nominated in the categories of Best Picture and Best Writing (Screenplay Based on a Material from Another Medium).

Filming Locations: Opelika, AL & Waverly, AL

 

CRISIS: BEHIND A PRESIDENTIAL COMMITMENT (1963),  4/19, 4/20 & 4/21

Synopsis: Filmmaker Robert Drew was provided the rare opportunity to watch a President of the United States deal with a national crisis. In this case, the crisis of the title was the attempted integration of the University of Alabama by African-American students by the Kennedy Administration and the machinations of then Governor George Wallace to stop them.

Filming Locations: Birmingham, AL, Huntsville, AL, Montgomery, AL, Tuscaloosa, AL

 

PAYDAY (1973), 4/18

Synopsis: Maury Dann (Rip Torn, in one of his most memorable performances) is a not-so-nice country-Western singer. He ruthlessly manipulates everyone around him to suit his selfish needs…he even gets his limo driver to take the blame for the death of a fan whom he stabbed.

Filming Locations: Selma, AL & Montgomery, AL

 

SHUTTLESWORTH (2022), 4/20

Synopsis: Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was raised in the crucible of segregated Birmingham but he was forged by its attempt to kill him. When the KKK planted a bomb underneath his bed and he emerged unharmed, he was sure he was saved by God to lead a Movement. His work not only ended legal segregation but led directly to the Civil and Voting Rights Acts – and inspired freedom movements around the world. 

Filming locations: Birmingham, AL

 

 

YOU’RE NEXT (2011), 4/19 & 4/21

Synopsis:  When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers soon learns that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.

Alabama Connection: Adam Wingard is from AL, early films produced in Birmingham, Adam is a multi-year alum, YOU’RE NEXT music by Alabama residents, Kyle McKinnon and Jasper Lee and features Sidewalk alum Ti West, Joe Swanberg, and features numerous other AL cast & crew members. 

 

THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER PART V / THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER (2022) Double Feature, 4/20

THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER PART V Synopsis: Follow an implacable killer as he stalks and butchers the occupants of houses across the stretch of one lone country road while the residents prepare to watch a yearly college-football bout.

THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER Synopsis: When a psycho goes on a murderous rampage after surviving a botched execution, only two survivors of his initial attack can stop him.

THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER PART V will screen first, then THE THIRD SATURDAY IN OCTOBER.

There will be a Q & A with the filmmaker.

Filming Locations: Elkmont, AL, Athens, AL,  Tanner, AL and Hartselle, AL

 

YELLOWHAMMER/UNA SHORT FILMS, 4/20

Synopsis:  Featuring stand out shorts from Troy State’s YellowHammer Film Festival and The University of North Alabama’s George Lindsey Film Festival. Filmmakers will be in attendance and there will be a Q & A after the screening.

The screening is FREE!

 

SELMA (2014), 4/18 & 4/19

Synopsis: A chronicle of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.

Filming Locations: Selma, AL and Montgomery, AL

 

 

Get tickets for all Alabama Film Week titles (and be on the lookout for more surprises) at sidewalkfest.com/programs/alabama-film-week.

Casey Engelbrecht has served as Director of Operations at the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema/Sidewalk Film Festival since 2021. In this role, she is responsible for developing, implementing, and monitoring the day-to-day operations of Sidewalk Film. Casey has previously worked as Sidewalk’s Marketing Manager, Marketing Assistant, Marketing Intern, and occasionally she’s served as a bartender at the Cinema bar. She holds an A.S. in Business from Jefferson State Community College and a B.S. in Digital Marketing from The University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

Casey’s Staff Pick, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, is presented during Women in Film Week as an example of a film that does not pass the Bechdel Test among a lineup of many films that do. The Bechdel test is a measure of the representation of women in film and other forms of fiction. To pass, the work must feature at least two women who speak to each other about something other than a man. This film is intended to be an example of a film that severely fails the Bechdel test but still can provide a pivotal film experience for a young woman. 

When asked why she chose this particular film, Casey said “Monty Python and the Holy Grail is essentially a collection of absurd comedic sketches that held a pivotal role in the development of my sense of humor. With the growing popularity of short-form content and the ever-shortening attention span of myself and many others within my generation, this film was destined to take up residency in my brain just from the sheer silliness…it still affects my personality to this day.”

“I don’t want to talk to you no more, you empty-headed animal food trough wiper! I fart in your general direction! Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries!”  – French knight to King Arthur

Catch Monty Python and the Holy Grail March 8-9th during Sidewalk’s Women in Film Week. Tickets are on sale now at sidewalkfest.com/tickets.

Our 2024 Staff Picks series continues next month with a sci-fi cult favorite, picked by Box Office Associate, Richard O’Brien. Here’s what they had to say about their pick:

“Directed by Nicholas Roeg and starring David Bowie in his most significant acting work (barring, of course, Zoolander), The Man Who Fell To Earth (1976) is one of the greatest science fiction films ever made, a heady and philosophical examination of the classic ‘Alien Invasion’ trope that plays on the cultural anxieties of the 1970s, the national anxieties of Americans at the time and international anxieties about Americans and their place in the world. It serves as a strangely beautiful intersection of the trends and fixations of the time.

It’s a lo-fi science fiction drama combining quasi-futurist set design and abstract dream sequence to phenomenal effect. It’s a paranoid thriller about government intervention in daily life eroding—more than even personal freedom—the individual sense of self in the face of a police state. It’s a bizarro mirror of Bowie himself, finding in alien visitor Thomas Jerome Newton another character folded into his repertory while still existing beyond him., coming off a previously even more bizarre attempt at pop rock cultural synergy by Roeg to do the same with Mick Jagger in the similarly cult classic film Performance (1970) at the start of the same decade. It’s a country music-tinged romance with surprisingly nuanced peeks at queer and interracial relationships, turning to tragedy as time, greed, and violence destroy anything worth loving, only for a hint of redemption to peek through at the very end. Rip Torn appears as a shining example of the slowly dying archetype of the Seventies Scientist-Hero, agnostic in the face of the bold new thing, but hopeful for a universe far in excess of his own experience.

Most of all, The Man Who Fell To Earth is a journey, the story of someone just passing through, ‘A Traveler!’ as Candy Clark’s Mary-Lou excitedly deems Bowie’s character during their first meeting. While Bowie’s performance is the centerpiece of the film, every member of the wider ensemble has some kind of journey, transformed by the horrifying specter of an America To Come, yet unformed, blinding anyone it sees as strange and dangerous with an x-ray photograph of the skull.

Despite all being so indicative of the cultural moment of its creation, The Man Who Fell To Earth is also timeless. The viewer—much like Newton—is set adrift in a vast unmoored chronology, the America of the past and future coexisting, equally alien to someone who is, of course, already alien. Even as time, failure, and other people set out to destroy him (and, in many ways, succeed), the character standing at the end of the film is alive. Unmoored, directionless, but alive, an eternal Traveler, only ever passing through.”

 

Catch The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) at the Sidewalk Cinema March 21 – 23. Get tickets here.

This blog post is by Black Lens Programmer, Patrick Johnson.

Good people of Birmingham and beyond, Sidewalk’s Black Lens Film Week has returned for 2024! A true celebration of Black creatives in film, Black Lens has been a staple at Sidewalk since 2022. This week’s lineup includes a wide variety of genre’s, including drama, comedy, and documentary films.

While the lineup is magnificent, there are a few films that I’m especially looking forward to experiencing. Da 5 Bloods won me over by simply casting some of my favorite actors – Delroy Lindo, Clarke Peters, and Isaiah Whitlock, Jr. (“shiiiiit”). This is a story of 4 Vietnam veterans returning to their old war zone for closure – and buried treasure. Adventure, drama, with a little comedy sprinkled in makes this film a must-see.

For my weekly dose of truth, I’m taking in the documentary Defending Freedom: The Arthur D. Shores Story, a long overdue story about the life and accomplishments of homegrown, unsung civil rights hero Arthur Shores. My truth seeking is complete with the biopic Origin (Starring Anjanue Ellis-Taylor, directed by Ava DuVernay). This film follows journalist and author Isabel Wilkerson as she research for her book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. I imagine Wilkerson watching quietly, testifying with her right hand raised. I plan to follow suit.

Finally, my Black Lens experience isn’t complete without a true happy hour/vibe session on Saturday, February 24 from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. Sounds and atmosphere will be provided by The Kickback, one of the best DJ crews in the city. Drink specials, Black Lens movies, and the Kickback? We should all be in line right now!

 

A $40 Ticket Package for 5 films of your choice are available!

Sidewalk’s Black Lens Film Week is February 21 – 25. For more info, showtimes, tickets, and ticket packages, click here.

This blog post is by Ariel Smith, Screener and Black Lens Intern

Why am I enthusiastic about Black Lens? There’s so much to love! We’re honoring and showcasing black films that delve into black narratives with black individuals with films like Boomerang and Daughters of the Dust this year.

Boomerang stands as a quintessential black comedy, encapsulating the comedic brilliance of Eddie Murphy during his prime and offering a glimpse into the lives of professional singles in the 90s. The stellar cast, including Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Halle Berry, and the iconic Eartha Kitt, contributes to its enduring appeal, still quoted over three decades later. The film sparks engaging discussions about dating dynamics and double standards between men and women.

Introduced to Daughters of the Dust during my Black Studies class in college, I am thrilled to revisit it and deepen my understanding of the Gullah-Geechee community. The film’s exploration of a community so closely connected to its African roots while situated in the Western world fascinates me. In a culture that often prioritizes individualism and celebrates isolation, witnessing a film challenge these notions is truly refreshing.

Being in this space, especially during February, feels fantastic. And it’s not exclusively for Black individuals—it’s a time to connect, share, and have a great time together!

 

A $40 Ticket Package for 5 films of your choice are available!

Sidewalk’s Black Lens Film Week is February 21 – 25. For more info, showtimes, tickets, and ticket packages, click here.

Birmingham!

Hey fam, it’s that time of the year – Black Lens Film Week is back, and you’re invited to the ultimate celebration from February 20-25th at the Sidewalk Cinema! Get ready for a week-long celebration of Black cinema that’s bringing all the vibes. It’s a family reunion, a cultural feast, and a whole lot of fun.

Black Lens is all about showcasing the brilliance of films directed by, produced by, and/or starring Black filmmakers. Get ready for stories that reflect the beauty and diversity of the Black experience, both then and now. Let’s come together, vibe with the stories, and celebrate the Black/African American culture. Your presence at Black Lens Film Week makes it real, makes it family, just like it’s always been.

We want you there because you, our amazing audience, are the heartbeat of our success, you make the magic happen.

Mark those calendars and guess what? Saturday is extra special with the Kickback hosting our Happy Hour! It’s about to be lit!

Thanks for being a part of our journey. See you there!

 

– T. Marie King

Black Lens Programmer + Lead Shorts Programmer

Our 2024 Staff Picks series kicks off this month with one of the all-time great cult-classic films, picked by Front of House Manager, Jeonna Mims. Here’s what they had to say about their pick:

Jeonna Mims came on board as the Front of House manager in October 2023 and is excited to be a part of the Sidewalk family. Coming from a background in cafe management within the entertainment industry, Jeonna brings an artistic flair creating themed food and drink items to compliment current attractions in the theater.

They recently were chosen to represent Birmingham’s Mystic Krewe of Caritas as the first ever Mx. Caritas, raising money for the Magic City Acceptance Center and giving back to their community. In the competition, Jeonna portrayed Johnny Depp’s character of Raoul Duke (Hunter S. Thompson’s alter-ego) from Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. They chose this film as their staff pick to showcase the character talent of Johnny Depp as well as the storytelling of Gonzo journalism that only Hunter S. Thompson could create. Full of Hollywood cameos, bats in the belfry and hilariously offensive…Fear and Loathing is a masterpiece of insanity documenting the life and adventures of Hunter S. Thompson.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride!'”

– Hunter S. Thompson, The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967

 

Catch Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) at the Sidewalk Cinema January 25 – 28. Get tickets here.

Give the cinephile in your life the perfect gift this season with Sidewalk’s Holiday Gift Guide!

We’ve got stocking stuffers starting at $3, Cinema Memberships starting at $40, and 2024 Sidewalk Fest VIP Passes for  $195 (the lowest price they’ll be!)

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The Gift That Keeps On Giving…

 

We have a variety of membership types for you to choose from!    
 

Check out the Filmmaker/Industry Membership if you’re a local filmmaker who wants discounts on class registrations and film submissions.
 

The Popcorn Club is for all students who love films. You must provide a valid student i.d. or .edu e-mail address.

General memberships (Production Assistant, Second Unit, Art Department, and Casting Department) are great if you’re not necessarily a filmmaker but enjoy coming to the festival and the cinema.

Sidewalk Circle memberships are ideal for those who really want to go the extra mile to support us – and reap all the extra benefits all year long!

**Everyone who buys any Sidewalk membership between 12/13 and 12/31 will be entered win either 2 night stay in Sidewalk’s 2024 Hotel partner (tbd) or 1 free Sidewalk Cinema rental (subjected to dates available).**

Find More info + Membership Tiers Here

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Early Bird VIP Passes to the 26th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival

The VIP pass includes: Exclusive access to all Festival events Friday – Sunday, access to VIP lounge, + other perks!

Get yours today for the lowest price of the season!

Find VIP Passes Here

 

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Stocking Stuffers

 

 

 

 

 

From our new 2023 Ornaments and our Special Edition Blanket designed by Courtney LeSueur, to merch favorites like shirts, mugs, and more, we’ve got plenty of stocking stuffers available for you at our online store.

Find Stocking Stuffers Here

Our 2023 Staff Picks series continues this month with the film that solidified director Wes Anderson as one of the all-time greats, picked by Sponsorship Sales + Fundraising Manager, Kelley Smith. Here’s what she had to say about her pick:

“I don’t recall the publication, but I once read an interview with Wes Anderson where he was asked to describe his fanbase, and he answered, ‘People who probably think too much.’ Rushmore epitomizes people who think entirely too much.

This film was my official induction into the meticulous world of Wes Anderson. It was one of those defining moments where you look back and realize you’re like, maybe, really weird.

The characters in Rushmore are comfortingly, deeply weird. Max Fischer paradoxically loves Rushmore, yet is the prestigious school’s worst student. His misguided enthusiasm spills over and into all the wrong places. Of course, we all have our own Rushmore. There exists a fine line between love and obsession — Anderson would know. He is the exacting master of characters who destroy everything in their attempt to find love and acceptance.

Plus, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Brian Cox in some of their finest work, in my opinion. And, the soundtrack is absolutely stellar. Go listen to it now.”

 

Rushmore is playing at the Sidewalk Cinema November 24 – 30. Get tickets here.

Sidewalk’s Jewish Film Week (November 12 – 18) is a cinematic exploration of Jewish culture, history, art, and life in Israel, programmed by Dan Seigel. Here are a few words he had to say about the event:

This is a hard post to write. As I sit here, thinking about a week of films that showcase the life and love and laughter through the Jewish lens, an Israeli army bears down on Gaza City, weeks after a horrific attack on Israeli citizens. It’s hard to write about anything else, to view Jewishness through any other lens. It’s hard to be hopeful when, yet again, the hatred of Jews across the free world has reared its head in demonstration after demonstration. 

Right now, it’s hard to focus on the laughter and love, the life and livelihood surrounding the Jewish people. Perhaps that’s what we must do, though. After 9/11, Americans mourned and burned with rage and fought against the smoke and ash, and we came out with a newfound determination that terror would never change our way of life. With that same determination, in our small way here in Birmingham, Alabama, we have to focus on the things that no one can take away from us.

So we focus on that life: in Rabbi on the Block, a Black American Israelite rabbi focuses on building a bridge between the Black community and the Jewish community, a bridge between peoples focused on justice, and the breaking down of gatekeeping barriers in Jewish life.

We focus on The Klezmer Project, a pseudo-documentary feature, which explores the love of music and the failing Klezmer tradition across Europe. We focus on Rosenwald, which tells us the story of a philanthropist who focused on education for young Black Americans in the Jim Crow south. We focus on Nathan-ism (a repeat from this year’s Sidewalk Film Festival), in which a Jewish artist who guarded the Nazis during the Nuremberg Trials brings his memory to life.

These stories, told in vivid sound and color, are what all the hate, all the war, all the ugliness of the world can’t take away. There are many more than these four features, and I hope you come and find more than entertainment. I hope you find life, love, laughter, and hope for our future. 

 

The 2023 Jewish Film Week will showcase 11 feature films across the 7 day event, with most films screening twice. Individual tickets can be purchased below by selecting the title and showtime of interest. Four or Eight Ticket Packages are also available. Find tickets, packages, and showtimes here.

A special thank you to our sponsors: Sheri and Dr. Jimmy Krell via the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, The Bernice Barstein Fund at the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell, & Berkowitz PC, Collat Jewish Family Services, Gail and Jeffrey Bayer, The Joan & Milton Jacobson Cultural Arts Fund of the Grafman Endowment Fund, Bridget Sikora Realtor, Roy & Poynor Properties, Leitman Perlman Inc, Levite Jewish Community Center, Temple Beth El, N.E. Miles Jewish Day School, Southern Jewish Life.