On the morning of this year’s Film and Creative Media College Fair, one of our Youth Board members spent hours helping other students explore careers in film. Almost as an aside, they mentioned that their own short film was playing in the Alabama showcase that evening. That night, they watched it on the big screen in a packed theater. That’s what Sidewalk is all about.

In 2026, about 71,000 people joined us at our 28th festival and at the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema. MovieMaker Magazine named Sidewalk one of the 50 film festivals worth the entry fee, and the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau named us its Festival or Cultural Event of the Year.

None of it happens without you. Ticket sales cover only part of what it takes, and lower levels of public funding have hit Sidewalk hard this year. We’re raising $104,000 by December 31 to help close the gap in this year’s budget and keep the screens lit, the classrooms full and our filmmaker grants funded.

Your gift at work:

$25 covers the cost of classroom supplies for one Beyond the Screen program.

$50 provides an entrance to a young filmmaker or filmmaking team to participate in our short filmmaking competition.

$100 brings a college or university to our free College Fair.

$250 covers a local filmmaker’s honorarium to teach a class.

$500 covers a school field trip.

$1,000 covers a free screening with a partner nonprofit.

$2,000 covers a year on our Youth Board for a high school student.

A new reason to give this year: starting in 2026, even if you take the standard deduction, you can deduct up to $1,000 in cash gifts ($2,000 for married couples filing jointly). Please check with your tax advisor.

Sidewalk is a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to enriching Birmingham and Alabama through memorable experiences in our cinema and at our festival, celebrating diversity in film, educating audiences and supporting filmmakers.

Keep the Screens Lit: Sidewalk’s 2026 Year-End Campaign

Help us raise $104,000 by December 31 for independent film, education and filmmakers in Birmingham.