Sidewalk Film Festival

Sidewalk Film Festival

Also known as: Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival
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Sidewalk Film Festival takes over the historic Theatre District of downtown Birmingham, Alabama, in late August, screening more than 200 independent features and shorts alongside filmmaker Q&As, panels, workshops and parties. It is the flagship event of Sidewalk Film, which also runs the two-screen Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema in the Pizitz Building.

The festival dates back to 1999, when it began as the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. Its program is organized into tracks: Black Lens for Black stories, SHOUT for LGBTQ+ filmmakers, Life & Liberty for civil and social issues, Women in Film, Festival de Cine for Spanish- and Portuguese-language films, and an Alabama track for local work. Juries give awards to narrative, documentary, animated and student films, and the Sidewrite screenplay competition presents table reads of winning scripts. The 2027 edition runs 23–29 August 2027.

Country

United States (USA)

Categories

Animation, Documentary, Feature, Music Video, Short, Student, Screenplay, Short Script

Dates

23 August 2027 — 29 August 2027

Awards and prizes

Jury and programmers' awards: Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature; Best Narrative Short; Best Documentary Feature; Best Documentary Short; Best Animated Film; Best Student Film; Alan Hunter Best Alabama Film; Best SHOUT Feature; Best SHOUT Short; Best Black Lens Feature; Best Black Lens Short; Feature Programmers' Award; Short Programmers' Award. Screenplay awards (Sidewrite): Best Feature Screenplay; Best Short Screenplay; Best Alabama Feature Screenplay; Best Alabama Short Screenplay. Winning scripts are presented at a table read during the festival. Audience Choice awards: Best Narrative Feature; Best Narrative Short; Best Documentary Feature; Best Documentary Short; Best SHOUT Film; Best Alabama Film; Best Black Lens Film. The festival may alter award categories based on submissions received.

Festival rules

Submissions are accepted through FilmFreeway in narrative, documentary and animated feature and short categories, music video, K-12 and collegiate student shorts, and feature and short screenplays. For the 2027 festival, works must have been completed after 1 January 2025. Films in any language other than English must have English subtitles. Fan films are not considered without written permission from the primary copyright holder. Public screenings in the Greater Birmingham area within 30 days of or during the festival dates, including online availability, make a film ineligible for awards and may prevent its selection. Availability on VOD or pay-per-view before the festival must be disclosed and makes a film ineligible for competition. Use of generative AI must be disclosed; undisclosed use may lead to disqualification. The festival does not pay screening fees. Selected films deliver exhibition materials digitally at their own expense.

Contacts

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