Stories of justice and those who pursue it.
That Night
Directed by Hoda Sobhani
11:00 • USA
LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM
In October 2022, Evin Prison in Iran burned. Inside was women's rights activist Neda Naji. This is her story of that night of chaos, fear, and violence.
Correspondence
Directed by Paul K. Oh
5:40 • USA • Alabama Premiere
LIFE & LIBERTY
A filmmaker conducts a mediated interview with the man convicted of murdering his grandmother and tries to reconcile the person sitting across from him with the act that shattered his family.
Investigator
Directed by Jennifer Grausman
16:40 • USA • Southern US Premiere
WOMEN IN FILM
Amidst the foggy evergreen forests of Washington State's Olympic Peninsula, private investigator Leigh Hearon explores the criminal underbelly of a small town and investigates a case of attempted matricide while also examining her own motivations and place in the criminal justice system.
Sites of Memory
Directed by Antonio Tarrell, Castel V Sweet, Michael Fagans
24:20 • USA • Alabama Premiere
BLACK LENS, LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM, ALABAMA
As U.S. history becomes controversial to teach in some states, one group of people comes to terms with our past and present in Sumner, Mississippi and Montgomery, Alabama.
Free Joan Little
Directed by Yoruba Richen
24:20 • USA • Alabama Premiere
BLACK LENS, LIFE & LIBERTY, WOMEN IN FILM
In 1975, Joan Little became the first woman in US history to be acquitted of using deadly force to resist sexual assault. As a Black incarcerated woman in North Carolina who killed her white prison guard who was trying to rape her, Little's murder trial sparked a nationwide discussion on sexual assault.
We produce the nationally recognized Sidewalk Film Festival; organize a wide variety of educational programs for filmmakers and hold other events that create interest in and enthusiasm for independent film. To expand on this work and better serve our mission we have opened the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema, a two-screen independent movie theater in the heart of Birmingham’s historic theatre district.