Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival

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The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival is an annual film festival scheduled over one weekend in late September in Birmingham, Alabama. Since its debut in 1999, filmmakers from across the country and around the world have come to Birmingham to screen their work at Sidewalk and have been thrilled to discover fresh, enthusiastic crowds eager to devour new independent cinema.

With seven venues located within Birmingham's historic Theatre District (featuring the newly-restored Alabama Theatre, a 2,200 seat movie palace built by Paramount in 1927, and the Carver Theatre), spontaneity rules the schedule of Sidewalk attendees. Low-priced weekend passes provide easy access to Sidewalk venues, encouraging attendees to seek out new films and sample programming they may not otherwise see. The result is a crowd rich in diversity and united in a hunger for new film.

In 2006, the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival was honored to recognize writer/director John Sayles and producer Maggie Renzi for their more than two decades of collaboration in independent film, which includes such acclaimed indie classics as The Brother From Another Planet, Passion Fish, Lone Star, and the Sidewalk 2004 Opening Night Film, Silver City.

In 2005, Sidewalk honored acclaimed film actor John C. Reilly (Chicago, Magnolia, Boogie Nights) with the inaugural Spirit of Sidewalk award for the body of work that comprises his prestigious career.

Other past attendees of the festival include: Peter Gilbert (Hoop Dreams), Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mary Kay Place (The Big Chill, Big Love), Mary Lynn Rajskub (24, Punch Drunk Love, Sweet Home Alabama), Dash Mihok (The Thin Red Line, Romeo + Juliet), Dan Myrick (The Blair Witch Project), Vincent Kartheiser (ER, Another Day in Paradise, Angel), Chris Gore (IFC, FilmThreat.com), Daniel Wallace (Big Fish), Adrian Grenier (HBOs Entourage), Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), David Keith (An Officer and a Gentleman), Chris Mulkey (Twin Peaks) and many more up and coming award winning filmmakers and stars.

From the Filmmakers' Reception and the Filmmakers' Retreat to a myriad of breakfasts, field trips, parties and galas, Sidewalk connects filmmakers. The atmosphere at Sidewalk is electric with creativity and collaboration as filmmakers and film-lovers mix and mingle between screenings, participate in panel discussions, or simply enjoy a brew at the Sidewalk Café.