3 Movies To Look Out For This Weekend At Sidewalk Film Festival 2023

When I left Montgomery, Alabama, seven years ago, I thought I had lost my favorite movie theater, The Capri Theatre. One of the few independent film theatres in the state, The Capri has been showing lesser-known, independent, foreign, classic, and forgotten movies to a loyal audience since 1982.

Since moving back to Alabama, I am grateful for Sidewalk. Like The Capri, Sidewalk shows the same types of films that often go ignored by large theater chains and are only sometimes available on streaming services. One of the best parts of Sidewalk is its annual film festival. Here are three films that I am excited to see this weekend.

Hello Dankness (2022) directed by Soda Jerks
Showing at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, August 25, 2023

Using re-purposed clips from other films, Hello Dankness tells the story of America from 2016 to 2021. The trailer reminds me of The Green Fog (2017) and that film's ability to create a coherent narrative from very different movies, all taking place in San Francisco. I am very excited to see Wayne Campbell and Tom Hanks in The Burbs talk about politics. 

Past Lives (2023) directed by Celine Song
Showing at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 25, 2023

I've been told that I will cry, not from sadness, but from the movie speaking to you and hitting the core deep emotional memories everyone carries with them. Not a lot of modern films really hit on contemporary universal truths or display genuine human emotion. The loves we had in the past still hold space within each of us, but what if there is a chance of going back to that former love? Would you take it?

Space Happy: Phil Thomas Katt and the Uncharted Zone (2023) directed by Louis Crisitello
Showing at 4:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 25, 2023

I first encountered the Uncharted Zone via YouTube recommendations about a decade ago. The mixture of public access television graphics, the incredible baritone voice of Phil Thomas Katt, frequent shots of Pensacola, Florida, and the overabundance of green screen technology made me a fan instantly. 

I love a good documentary about someone who, despite overwhelming odds, "good" taste, and public interest going against them, still put themselves out there and try. 

Sidewalk is also partnering with the Birmingham Public Library to host Beyond the Screen. 

Beyond the Screen introduces participants to professionals in the field to learn about filmmaking as a career, explore the role of media in our society, and the importance of creating it responsibly. The first iteration of the program debuted on Wednesday, August 23, as a part of Sidewalk Film Festival's weekday programing. 

Join us for the next program on Wednesday, September 13, at 6:30 p.m. in the Central Library's Create205 Lab (second floor) for a discussion on Internet Ethics. 

By Weston Flippo | Librarian Ⅰ, Central Library