2024 Call for Entries now open!
Submit your project today! Visit our FilmFreeway profile or click the image below.
Sidewalk Film Festival proudly and exclusively accepts project submissions through FilmFreeway. Any and all creative projects must be submitted using the FilmFreeway platform in order to be considered for festival inclusion.
Awards & Prizes
JURY AND PROGRAMMER’S AWARDS
Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature $1,000
Best Documentary Feature $1,000
Best Narrative Short $500
Best Documentary Short $500
Best Animated Short $250
Best Student Film $250
Best Family Film $250
Alan Hunter Best Alabama Film $500
Best SHOUT Feature $500
Best SHOUT Short $250
Feature Programmers’ Award $500
Short Programmers’ Award $250
Best Life & Liberty Film $250
Best Black Lens Feature $500
Best Black Lens Short $250
AUDIENCE AWARDS
Best Narrative Feature $250
Best Documentary Feature $250
Best Narrative Short $150
Best Documentary Short $150
Best Shout Film (Feature or Short) $250
Best Alabama Film (Feature or Short) $250
Best Black Lens Film $250
SCREENPLAY AWARDS
Best Feature Screenplay $500
Best Short Screenplay $250
Best Alabama Screenplay $250
*The jury, at their discretion, may choose to award a special jury prize, honorable mention, etc. These prizes/mentions DO NOT include either a cash award, a physical award (trophy, plaque, etc), or prizewinner’s laurels.
Rules & Terms
ELIGIBILITY
Entrants warrant that they have the legal right to submit the work to Sidewalk, that all statements made in this application are true and accurate, and that all necessary rights and clearances have been secured to screen the work at the festival. Due to potential copyright issues, Sidewalk will be unable to consider fan fiction/fan films without express written permission from the primary copyright holder. Sidewalk reserves the right to determine the final eligibility of any work submitted. Eligible works must have been completed after January 1, 2020.
Exhibiting films publicly in the Greater Birmingham Metropolitan Area prior to or within one week after the 2020 festival dates will prevent your film from competing in the 2021 Sidewalk Film Festival and may prevent the film from being accepted to the Festival. This includes projects available on the web. Work accepted to screen at the Festival will be categorized in competitive and non-competitive categories at the sole discretion of Sidewalk. If your submission will be available through a video on demand (VOD) or pay-per-view (PPV) service of any kind, on or before August 23, 2021, please indicate such when entering. The availability of your film prior to August 23, 2021, through such a service will make the film ineligible for competition and may or may not prevent the film from being programmed. Availability through such a service will be considered during the programming process and may impact programming decisions. However, decisions regarding programming films that have been screened elsewhere and/or are available through a video on demand service, pay-per-view service and/or any other service, venue, channel, theater or otherwise are solely up to the Sidewalk Film Festival staff.
EXHIBITION AGREEMENT & PRINT TRAFFIC
Submission to the Sidewalk Film Festival (“Sidewalk”) constitutes an agreement with all festival terms and conditions, and permission to exhibit the work during the festival if selected. Sidewalk DOES NOT provide screening fees to submitted films.
If a film is accepted, entrant agrees to ship exhibition materials to the festival at their own expense, to arrive at the Sidewalk office no later than August 15, 2021. Sidewalk can only provide return shipping via ground delivery within the continental United States. Although every possible care will be taken with exhibition material in our possession, neither Sidewalk nor the Sidewalk Film Center and Cinema, Inc. accepts responsibility for loss or damage. Entry fees are non-refundable.
DEFINITIONS & DISCOUNTS
Below are available discount codes. Only one discount may be used. Use only an applicable discount. If you misuse these codes, you will be automatically disqualified without refund.
All questions regarding discount codes and other waiver requests should be directed to Rachel Morgan at rachel@sidewalkfest.com.
ALABAMA21: $5 discount for Alabama-produced films or screenplays. Alabama Productions include films that have been fully or partially filmed in Alabama and/or fully or partially produced in the state of Alabama. Partial Alabama productions must include at least 1 scene filmed in Alabama and/or at least 20% of the total budget spent in the state of Alabama. Alternatively a film that has the participation of at least 1 above the line filmmaker (Director, Writer, Producer, Editor, Actor in a starring role) that currently lives in the State of Alabama and/or is an Alabama native can be considered an Alabama film. Alabama scripts include screenplays where a credited screenwriter that currently lives in the State of Alabama and/or is an Alabama native. If you misuse this code, you will be automatically disqualified without refund.