5 Birmingham-centric filmmakers to look out for at Sidewalk Film Festival this weekend, August 24 – 26, including Ben Flanagan’s Trumpet
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Birmingham is really showing out for this year’s Sidewalk Film Fest. Read on for five can’t-miss local film projects happening this weekend, August 24 and 26! If you missed our first two installments, you can click over to them here and here.
#SupportYourLocalGirlGang
Space Wind is an animated and live-action short. It was filmed in Birmingham with an all local female cast and crew. The short stars Virginia Newcomb (also in Union), and Elise Mayfield. Véronique Vanblaere is the lady in charge as both Director/Story and Puppet creation. Producer: Rebecca Pugh. Director of Photography: Liesa Cole. Camera/Editor: Amanda Khorramabadi. Sound/Music: Carrie Hill Smith. PA/Make-up: Somica Renee Spratley.
What is it about, you ask? Hmm.. let’s leave you with this, from Director Véronique Vanblaere: “Space Wind is an all-female cast and crew affair. I love that a prime pack of local creative women are completely self-righteous about making a film about farts.” We’ll see you there!
Takin’ It To The Screens
Films by UAB Students:
UAB’s Media Studies program has an impressive turnout for the film festival this year, with 7 short documentary films on the schedule. This number of films from UAB students surpasses all previous years of the media studies’ program history. You can catch the first five films on Saturday and the remaining two on Sunday. The topics are varied, but include firefighters, sports, sustainability and other topics.
Reference guide for films and dates:
Saturday, August 25: Catch “Riders: The Stories Behind the Rescues,” “We Are Southtown” and “Quiet Please” from 12:35-2:12 pm. Starting at 3:30 p.m., make sure to see “The Journey of Kings” and “Connections of Cos-Playing.”
Sunday, August 26: Don’t miss “Sustained” and “For the Love of the Reef,” beginning at 6:45 p.m.
Dude, Where’s My Trumpet?
Trumpet, by Ben Flanagan, is scheduled to show as part of the Saturday Alabama Shorts showcase at ASFA. These shorts runs from 10:00 to 11:35 a.m. Trumpet is the saga that ensues when an Alabama marching band alum travels back to campus for a college homecoming performance only to lose his trumpet moments before kickoff.
Alabama Representation Across the Nation
WRESTLE. This film has roots in Huntsville, but has been selected for showing at Sidewalk as well as many other film festivals around the country. It follows a group of four young “wrestlers at a failing Alabama high school fight for themselves and their futures, on and off the mat.”
(Accidentally) Historical Fiction
Union, a film by Whitney Hamilton. Hamilton is originally from Birmingham, and her film is sure to be a force of strength and awe. You can click here to listen to a short interview with her about the film, but just be ready for a truly amazing story of a women who assumes her dead brother’s identity in order to fight and survive in the Civil War. The beauties of life and love ensue, and wonder abounds. Something to note: in the research process, Hamilton learned that there are many accounts of women fighting, disguised as men, in the Civil War. Something else to note: this is the second film featured in the festival that will feature Birmingham actress Virginia Newcomb. The other film is Space Wind.
Tickets
VIP and Weekend Passes are already sold out, but get your Saturday and Sunday day passes and Premium Single Tickets here.
We’ll see y’all at the 20th Anniversary of Sidewalk Film Fest!
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