Review: SIDEWALK FILM FESTIVAL Showcases City and State

If you are one of the few people, like me, who has never attended the Sidewalk Film Festival in downtown Birmingham, Alabama, then you and I have been missing out.

This Saturday I headed out to check on one of Birmingham's gems and was amazed once again at the talent and creativity of the people of this area.

I attended the first session of Alabama Short Films and ran into friends from many different walks of life and age ranges. Although the older ones of us had found the ticket buying and scheduling rather complicated, we had all eventually figured it out.

I will have to say that some of the films in this slot interested me more than others, but with a schedule of a dozen short films in a two hour time frame, that is to be expected.

Overall, the thing that impressed me the most was the excellent acting and the quality of the films. I wasn't sure what I expected, but this certainly surpassed those expectations.

As for what I liked about the films, I do not have time to tell it all. Some of my favorites were NATHANIEL, a short, to the point, relatable film about a germophobe who ends up catching a cold from a pretty girl. Without words (but with great music) the whole gag is perfectly set up and executed in a matter of 2-3 minutes.

Another favorite was DOLLY. Again, with no words and smooth, relatable action, an entire story is told. Written, directed and acted by Karen Marie Black, DOLLY manages to make sense and evoke emotion and laughter that leaves you feeling good when it is over.

Also worth mentioning is the super short, yet intriguing SMOKING KILLS and the longer, but even more inventive THE ENDING.

There were just a few things that bothered me about some of the films, such as the filmmakers who found it necessary to have what I would call "artsy" shots for long lengths of time for no apparent reason. In a 15 minute film we really don't need to see a blurry shot of the floor for 30 seconds.

And even in films, don't use fake Southern accents. My loyal readers know that makes me crazy in live theatre. It is possibly worse during a movie.

One specific film had a real problem with continuity. As a filmmaker you should notice in a shot if a wine glass is almost empty, full and then empty again within a few seconds even though the glass never moved. That can be fixed with some better editing or doing some reshooting.

From scary to vague, from heartwarming to hilarious, attending the Sidewalk Film Festival is entertaining all around and shows off not only the many venues in the city, but also the immense talent grown right here in Alabama.

I know I am already making plans to get a full weekend pass and a group of friends together for next year's event. I'll try to give you a head's up about it next year, weeks in advance.

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