Birmingham's Sidewalk Film Festival has come and gone, but this week the event has left a souvenir for movie-goers.
For the past 21 years, Sidewalk Film Festival has been renowned for its affordable pass prices, broad appeal to movie-goers and creative programming. Starting this year, those qualities can be enjoyed year-round at the highly-anticipated Sidewalk Cinema. Creative Director Rachel Morgan says the theater is about much more than just watching movies.
“We try to make going to the movies an event. We think that life is better in general when you go to the movies and we are embracing that, so I think that’s a big part of the experience. It’s also lovely to be able to take a cocktail into a movie theater and sit down and watch the screen. People can come in and hang out and socialize around media, and we think that’s a really cool aspect of the cinema too,” said Morgan.
Nowadays, theaters not only have to compete with each other but also with the convenience of streaming services and the comfort of the consumer’s own homes. Because of this, Sidewalk spared no expense:
“There’s not going to be anywhere else like it really in the state of Alabama. It is a two-screen cinema. We will have DCP projection, which is a state-of-the-art projection system. We have a full bar and concessions. We’re really focused on having it be a really great experience seeing a film in all different kinds of ways,” said Morgan
Like many other smaller cinemas, Sidewalk focuses on the unique experience of going out to the movies.
In the spirit of making movie-watching a social experience, Morgan is also considering a host of bar events, such as Twin Peaks Bingo and Buffy The Vampire Slayer Trivia Night. Upcoming films include sci-fi classic Alien, this year’s Sword of Trust and 90s action-comedy Kindergarten Cop.