Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival Announces 2009 Competitive Features Lineup
Birmingham, Alabama-- August 24, 2009-- The Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, recently recognized as one of MovieMaker magazine's "Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals", is pleased to release the competitive features of the 11th annual event. This year's festival will be September 25-27 and will take place in downtown Birmingham. Venues include the Alabama Theatre, Alabama Power Auditorium, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham Museum of Art, Branch Life Church, Carver Theatre, McWane Science Center and the Young & Vann Building.
"We are excited about the 2009 lineup for so many reasons, some of which we can't even talk about at this time," says Sidewalk Executive Director Chloe Collins. "What we can tell you is that we'll have a lot of great films, spanning all budgets and covering a wide variety of subject matter and genres, we'll showcase established filmmakers and new talent, and we'll offer our audiences and filmmakers great opportunities to interact."
These films will be eligible for the juried awards in their category, including Best Feature Film and Best Documentary, each accompanied by a cash prize of $1,000. Additionally, Audience Choice Awards will be presented in both the feature film and documentary categories.
The following is a list of this year's competitive feature films by category. This year's Closing and Opening Night Films are also competitive and will be announced later in the week along with special screenings, panels and the short film program. Visit www.sidewalkfest.com for more information and updates.
NARRATIVE FEATURES
Alexander the Last
Directed by Joe Swanberg
Alexander hits the nail on the head with its accurate portrayal of the human desire to camp so close to the edge of romance even when all signs point to NO.
Children of Invention
Directed by Tze Chen
Tze Chun's debut feature is a touching story about family and perseverance in the face of financial crisis. Extremely poignant in today's economic climate, Children of Invention captures the contradictions of the new American dream.
Courting Condi
Directed by Sebastian Doggart
Perhaps the greatest docu-trago-comedy musical ever made, Courting Condi follows one man's journey to win the heart of the woman of his dreams, former Secretary of State, Ms. Condoleezza Rice. Composed of a combination of real interviews and scripted scenes, the partial mockumentary includes over-the-top musical numbers written and composed by Sasha Gordon, Jess King, Kerry Shaw and two-time Oscar nominee Carol Connors. Ms. Connors has a hilarious cameo in the film, as does Entourage star Adrian Grenier. Oh yeah and George W. Bush plays himself.
Dear Lemon Lima
Directed by Suzi Yoonessi
Set against the expansive and picturesque backdrop of Alaska (actually shot in the great Northwest); Dear Lemon Lima beautifully captures youthful intensity, fleeting innocence and the energy of junior high school crushing.
Etienne
Directed by Jeff Mizushima
After Richard's best and only friend, a dwarf hamster named Etienne, is diagnosed with terminal cancer, he decides to take him on a bicycle road trip up the California coast to show him the world before he must put him to sleep.
House of the Devil
Directed by Ti West
House of the Devil is a genuine love letter to the conventions of late seventies to late eighties horror movies—the ones with names like Sorority House-this and Slumber Party-that. The film's true rewards lay in its slow building tension and its commitment to scaring the hell out if its audience.
Idiots and Angels
Directed by Bill Plympton
Bill Plympton's internationally acclaimed cartoon fairytale for grown-ups, Idiots and Angels tells the story of a reluctant angel who struggles to overcome his curse: to perform an act of love in a cold, heartless world.
Interplanetary
Directed by Chance Shirley * Alabama Native and Resident
From the creators of Hide and Creep, a Sidewalk fave, comes this slasher-comedy-sci-fi film about corporate bureaucracy millions of miles from Earth. Shot in Alabama, Interplanetary is likely the most ambitious movie in our feature lineup.
Lightning Salad Moving Picture
Directed by Kenneth Price
Lightning Salad Moving Picture is a youthful, hilarious, high energy, crazy comedy that is a colorful, intensely original, true independent from The Superkiiids, following the premise that they've been asked to create the next film in the Back to the Future series.
Made in China
Directed by Judi Krant
Johnson, a self-styled novelty inventor from a small town in East Texas, is determined to bring his big idea to the world. Johnson's journey takes him to the Mecca of the novelty world: China, where anything is possible and everything has its price. Lost in the backstreets of Shanghai, Johnson discovers that it takes more than a million dollar idea to make it to the big time. It takes guts, determination, and a fist full of sneezing powder.
Modern Love is Automatic
Directed by Zach Clark
20-something apathetic nurse Loraine Schultz moves through life like a zombie. When she walks in on her boyfriend in bed with another woman it is no more impactful than the bus running late. Perhaps in an effort to break out of such a rut, or possibly just for something to do, Lorraine decides to try her hand at being a dominatrix.
St. Nick
Directed by David Lowery
Across the wintry Texas plains, a brother and sister roam like little aliens in a foreign landscape. Taking shelter in rustic barns and sheds, the two diligently work to remain discreet, avoiding authority at all costs. It isn't until the first third of the film that we realize that they are, in fact, normal kids who have run away from home. Rather than jumping into an explanation for their departure, the story focuses on their childlike sense of adventure and wonder.
That Evening Sun
Directed by Scott Teems
As one of this decade's greatest Southern dramas, That Evening Sun shows us just how far a man will go to claim what is his. Academy Award nominee (Into the Wild) Hal Holbrook stars as Abner Meecham, an 80-year-old who one day decides to walk out of his soul-crushing nursing home and head back to his farm only to discover betrayal and regret.
The Mountain, The River, The Road
Directed by Michael Harring
The Mountain, the River and the Road is a story of romance, intimacy, friendship and responsibility set against a contrasting wintry landscape. The road picture/buddy movie turned romance is pleasantly sensitive and subtlety humorous.
The Vicious Kind
Directed by Lee Toland Krieger
Heartbroken and weary, Caleb picks up his brother, Peter, from college so that he can return home for Thanksgiving. Peter's new girlfriend, Emma, joins them for the holiday trip. Caleb is an abusive, chain-smoking construction worker who is deeply alienated and downright misogynistic. His initial reaction is to warn Peter to break things off with his new girlfriend. As his abusive behaviors increase so does his attraction to his baby brother's girlfriend. Graphic, honest and unapologetically brutal, The Vicious Kind isn't your typical brother vs. brother family drama.
You Might As Well Live
Directed by Simon Ennis
You Might As Well Live is a brilliantly raucous absurd comedy that centers around Robert R. Mutt, the town fool who is out to prove himself as a "real somebody" by following the advice of his boyhood hero, a local baseball star, who advises him to find a lady, money and a championship ring…
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES
45365
Directed by Bill Ross
45365 is the postal code for Sidney, Ohio, a small town with a population of 20,000, located just north of Dayton. It's a very middle-of-the-road town, apparently not yet overrun by Best Buys and Cheesecake Factories. It reminds us that the simple, Rockwell-ian town still thrives, yet it's a wide variety of personalities that make it memorable.
Beauty of the Fight
Directed by John Urbano
In 1989, the United States invaded the country of Panama to capture its dictator Manuel Noriega, deploying 24,000 soldiers and dropping over 400 bombs. The effects were drastic, leaving thousands homeless. Two decades later, photographer John Urbana travels to the barrios of El Chorrillo and Barrazo, falling in love with its people and rich culture through an exploration of the ravaged communities. Beauty of the Fight is a celebration of a people forced to fight an uphill battle.
Branson
Directed by Brent Meeske
For nearly two decades, Branson, Missouri has hailed as the entertainment capital of the Midwest. Often marginalized as a vacation destination for senior citizens, it attracts seven million visitors per year. Branson pulls back the curtain and explores the often challenging lives of these performers, giving a fascinating look at those who will make heavy sacrifices to entertain.
Forgetting Dad
Directed by Rick Minnich
45-year-old Richard Minnick is rear-ended outside of a parking lot and as a result he suffers from total amnesia, now a stranger to his loved ones, he moves away to start a brand new life. Sixteen years later his son Rick returns to California to piece together what happened. Through interviews, home movies, and medical reports, Rick amasses a strong case that his father may very well be faking his amnesia. Forgetting Dad is unlike any documentary out there, framed as a mystery thriller with jaw-dropping payoffs.
General Orders No. 9
Directed by Robert Persons
It's difficult to deny that the American landscape has transformed from trees, plains, mountains and streams to strip malls, corporate chains, parking lots and interstate highways. General Orders No. 9 is a study of such tragic reality. However, the film isn't a straightforward documentary about this issue or how to resolve it. Instead it's a meditative study of what once was and the little that remains.
God's Architects
Directed by Zachary Godshall
God's Architects is a meditative documentary about the enigmatic men who believe themselves to be chosen by God to build massive, elaborate structures. The film takes us across the country to examine these monuments and figure out why these men dedicate themselves to such exhausting projects, leaving us with an unforgettable look at art and devotion.
Homegrown
Directed by Robert McFalls
Director Robert McFalls presents an interesting portrait of an eccentric family that is doing their part to reduce human impact on the planet. Instead of focusing on environmental politics and related issues, McFalls turns his camera on the socially responsible to pave an example.
Luckey
Directed by Laura Longsworth
Luckey, an ironic play on words, tells the story of Tom Luckey, the leading creator of children's abstract climbing sculptures in the world that becomes paralyzed due to a freak accident and leans on his son to help him carry on his legacy. Luckey explores the complications of being handicapped, yet goes so much deeper.
Official Rejection
Directed by Paul Osborne
What the hell is a film festival anyway? Official Rejection doesn't just answer the question; it also gives its audience an insider's look into what it means to be a filmmaker attempting to make ones' way around the film festival circuit. Official Rejection features interviews with Kevin Smith, Bryan Singer, Lloyd Kaufman, Jenna Fischer, Andy Dick, Traci Lords, Troy Duffy, Chris Gore, Jennifer Tilly and more.
Scarred Justice
Directed by
In February of 1968, police opened fire on a nonviolent protest on a Black college campus. Three students were killed and another twenty-eight were wounded. Scarred Justice tells the story of one of the most violent, yet little known events in the Civil Rights Movement.
Shooting Beauty
Directed by George Kachadorian
Shooting Beauty not only sheds light on the creative process, but also gets involved with the intricacies of living with disabilities. The film closely follows the private lives of several of Courtney Bent's photography students, including: Tom, a cynical and reluctant participant-turned-star-talent, E.J., a self-proclaimed "bad dude" who operates the shutter release with his mouth and rides his chair in traffic, and Cheryl, a love-sick girl who lacks the ability to vocalize her feelings.
The Dungeon Masters
Directed by Keven McAlester
The Dungeon Masters is an exploration of the subculture of role-playing games, specifically Dungeons & Dragons, which for over 30 years has offered gamers the chance to escape their mundane lives and participate in a world they might otherwise never experience. Popularity and power are based on creativity and imagination rather than social status or wealth, and success is based not on who you know but on what you do.
The Tiger Next Door
Directed by Camilla Calamandrei
The Tiger Next Door does an incredible job of questioning the line between kindhearted concern and delusional compulsion. The documentary is not just the story of one man and his questionable practices; it's a compelling explication of exotic animal trade in America of which statistics estimate that there are currently more tigers in private captivity in America than there are roaming wild in the entire world.
They Came to Play
Directed by Alex Rotaru
They Came to Play chronicles the prestigious Fifth International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs, hosted by The Van Cliburn Foundation. The documentary follows several extremely talented amateur pianists, including Birmingham ophthalmologist, Dr. Drew Mays, as they try to balance the demands of the competition and their personal lives.
We Fun
Directed by Matthew Robison
We Fun intimately captures raucous live performances from some of Atlanta's hippest rock bands while gaining insight from the musicians, the promoters, the fans, and the record labels. Well known acts like The Black Lips, Deerhunter, King Kahn and the Shrines, and Mastodon are prominent, along with lesser known but equally captivating groups like The Carbonas, The Subsonics and more.
We Live In Public
Directed by Ondi Timoner
We Live in Public examines the life and times of media artist, Internet entrepreneur, futurist and visionary Josh Harris. Referred to as "the greatest Internet pioneer you've never heard of" and the "Warhol of the Web", Harris founded Jupiter Communications, the first Internet market research company, as well as the first Internet television network, Pseudo.com.
Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival
Birmingham's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival was founded in 1999 by a small group of independent film lovers including former MTV VJ Alan Hunter. In the 11 years of the festival's operation, 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 view new independent cinema.
Films are shown in various locations of Birmingham's Historic Theatre District to accommodate festival attendee spontaneity. Low-priced weekend passes provide easy access to Sidewalk venues, encouraging festival goers to seek out new films and sample programming they might otherwise never have the opportunity to view. The result is a crowd rich in diversity and united in a hunger for new film.
PLEASE NOTE: Media registration for Sidewalk is now open - contact Ashley Fulmer at Ashley@wilbanksagency.com for instructions on requesting press credentials. Press credential requests must be submitted by Friday, September 18, 2009. Walk-up requests for press credentials will not be granted. Do we need to take the link off the website then?
Press Contact:
Ashley Fulmer
Ashley@wilbanksagency.com
205.251.2225 (O) - 205.251.8885 (F) - 205.515.9114 (C)
