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On Monday, the 28th annual Sidewalk Film Festival will kick off, bringing in cinephiles from across the city to enjoy new and emerging films.
The festival, which launched in 1999, comes as the Sidewalk Film Center unveils its newest addition: a sign attached to the side of The Pizitz at the corner of 18th Street and 2nd Avenue North in downtown Birmingham.
Over the years, the festival has become a popular stop for many aspiring filmmakers taking their work on the festival circuit before either reaching a nationwide audience or reaching a streaming platform. Lynn Shelton, a writer/director known for her films “Your Sister’s Sister” and the Birmingham-shot “Sword of Trust,” is one director whose first film, “We Go Way Back,” premiered at the festival back in 2006.
During this year’s weeklong festival, more than 200 films will be screened, in addition to workshops, director Q&As and panels being held around town. In addition to the film center, there will also be films screened at the Birmingham Museum of Art, the McWane Center, the Carver Theatre and many other sites.
The festival will kick off Monday with a screening of “Lilly,” a 2024 biopic of Alabama-born Lilly Ledbetter and her part in the Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. case regarding employment discrimination. Ledbetter, who died in 2024, was played by actress Patricia Clarkson.
One anticipated film making its way to the festival is “The History of Concrete,” a documentary by filmmaker John Wilson. Best known for his short-lived, critically acclaimed HBO series “How to With John Wilson,” Wilson set out to make a film on the history of concrete, albeit in the style of a “Hallmark movie,” according to liner notes for the film. “The History of Concrete” premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival and will receive a limited national release Sept. 18. It will play Friday at the Alabama Theatre.
Amid many documentaries about Alabama, one of particular note is “Show Me the Line,” which examines the 2024 Alabama Supreme Court case that temporarily paused IVF treatment in clinics statewide. The story is told through the life of Abbey Crain, a journalist and artist who had had difficulty conceiving for years until she began IVF treatment. Today, she and her husband have a daughter in north Alabama. The film will play Saturday at the Lyric Theatre.
There will also be more than 20 animated short films that will be screened during the festival, including “Cel-ular Delight” and “Colors of the World.”
For more information on screenings or events, click here.
Map of venues screening films or offering educational sessions during the 2026 Sidewalk Film Festival. (Courtesy of Sidewalk Cinema)
