The Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers is giving Alabama audiences a chance to learn more about Southern filmmakers and their processes. The tour is hosted by Sidewalk Film Center, a non-profit theater in downtown Birmingham.
“Southern Circuit is a program of South Arts, which is a nonprofit based in Atlanta. The Southern Circuit is a program that's been around for close to 50 years,” said Jessica Chriesman, Sidewalk’s education director.
“Southern filmmakers and filmmakers from outside the South, depending on the subject matter of their film, will come to southern states for their film, do a Q&A and, in some cases, extra educational workshops to have a chance to interact with audiences across the south and bring films that might not be shown to their communities.”
The first screening for the circuit was held in February with Butterfly in the Sky, a film about the children’s program Reading Rainbow. It was directed by Brett Whitcomb and Bradford Thomason, two Alabamian filmmakers.
On Wednesday, March 13, the film center will show Master of Light, a documentary about the Atlantan painter George Anthony Morton and his experience with incarceration.
The final film for Sidewalk’s spring selection will be Kira Akerman’s documentary Hollow Tree about young girls growing up in rural Louisiana, which will be shown on Wednesday, April 17.
“This particular group of films were actually curated by myself and Rachel Morgan, who's our creative director,” said Chriesman. “Southern Circuit and South Arts came to us and asked us to help curate a master list of films that might be interested in being a part of the tour. We compiled that master list. Then, we took it to screening venues across the multiple states that Southern Circuit and South Arts is a part of.”
Sidewalk is one of many theaters across the southeast that participates in the circuit. South Arts works with partners like Sidewalk to determine which films are part of the tour. The individual theaters then picked films from the list based on what they thought their audiences would enjoy. This splits the circuit up into many smaller circuits that each screen their own handful of films. Applications for screening partners are open through Tuesday, March 12.
Chriesman said filmmakers have led workshops on how to navigate things like fair use as a creator, but she said these workshops also involve discussions on how to properly represent communities and the responsibilities filmmakers have in regard to their subjects.
For some films, a happy hour is hosted where attendees can mingle with the creators or protagonist of the film. For Butterfly in the Sky, Sidewalk hosted a book drive alongside a table for the library advocacy group Read Freely Alabama, due to the subject matter’s connection to child literacy.
“Whether it's a workshop, or whether it's a happy hour, those are always going to be free. Then, the screening and Q&A is $15,” said Chriesman. “We really want this to be an opportunity for people in our community to meet these filmmakers and learn about these topics through these films. If you are a filmmaker yourself, or you're interested in dipping your toe, we really want this to be an opportunity for you to get face time with people who are creating films. Ask questions, and see how you can forge a path for yourself. We really want this to be an inviting and engaging program for everybody.”
Read more about the Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers here.
