"Tower" Review (***½)

"Tower" mixes animation with archival footage.

"Tower" follows the tragic story of the 1966 University of Texas at Austin sniper shooting. This documentary brilliantly juxtaposes live action film, radio archives, and animations to parallel the narration of both survivors and witnesses to the event.

One thing I had difficulty remembering was how unheard of school shootings were at the time. It's almost an unsettling blast from the past into just a relevant presence, but one important aspect of this film is that it does not 'glorify' the killer. "Tower" truly focuses on the heroes and survivors, while honoring the victims.

"Cheerleader" Review (****)

Catherine Blades stars in Irving Franco's "Cheerleader."

The title “Cheerleader,” without knowing much about the film beforehand, might encourage misplaced ideas or associations about New York writer-director Irving Franco’s small and beautifully deliberate debut feature. That word alone makes me think of films like “Bring It On” or “The Replacements,” or any movie of similar vanity and flippancy. “Cheerleader,” however, is another thing entirely. It's a film that moves in small waves. It's a film that moves almost in slow motion. It quietly works its way into your emotional subconscious—in the way that you might walk from the shallow end of a pool to its deeper, thicker parts, without realizing it, until you feel yourself being hugged by the water.

21 Films to See at the 2016 Sidewalk Film Festival

Sidewalk Film Festival turns 18-years-old and I am pleased as punch to be attending for my fourth year. This is easily one of the best festivals in the world, from the picture-perfect program to the intensely smooth operations that are stretched across 12 venues throughout Downtown Birmingham, Alabama.

I gush every year, and I'll continue to gush this year—do not miss this festival.

I've highlighted 21 films you should catch this weekend. I know, 21 is a high number, but don't blame me—blame the programming team led by Rachel Morgan and the filmmakers that hear great things every year and submit good works to this wonderful showcase.

Four films are marked as Can't Miss—"Cheerleader," "The Arbalest," "Contemporary Color" and "Fraud"—and once you see them, you'll know why. Check out the full list after the jump!

"The Wolfpack" Review (****)

"The Wolfpack:" Mukunda, Bhagavan, Govinda, Narayana, Jagadisa,
and Krsna Angulo.

Almost five years ago, five tall, dark, and slender full-suited boys in sunglasses ran past Crystal Moselle on First Avenue in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

"I had a hunch there was something going on there. So I chased after them," said Moselle, Director and Producer of "The Wolfpack" during the Q&A after its Savannah Film Festival screening on October 24th. "They asked what I do, and I told them I was a filmmaker, which made them really excited. They'd only been out for about a week."

"Frame by Frame" Review (*****)

Farzana Wahidy in the documentary "Frame by Frame."

“Frame by Frame” is an elegant and symphonic documentary tribute to the empathy and integrity of the photojournalist, and it might be the most impactful documentary of my generation.

In a country once ruled by a regime that criminalized photography for half a decade, directors Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli weave together the ground-breaking work of four photojournalists capturing the aftermath of a post-Taliban Afghanistan.

"Finders Keepers" Review (****½)

John Wood loses his leg twice in "Finders Keepers."

"Finders Keepers" is easily the most unbelievable documentary I’ve seen in years. The premise alone is enough to make you laugh and think, 'there’s no way that happened.' But it did. And not only did it happen —it happened mostly on camera (thank goodness). I swear my jaw dropped at least five times.

The film follows two men who get wrapped up in a legal battle over the possession of one of the men’s legs. It all starts when Shannon Whisnant, a local resident of Maiden, North Carolina, buys an abandoned storage unit filled with someone else’s junk. Whisnant opens up an old, rusted smoker that was sitting in the back of the unit and finds a human leg—skin and all. Intertwined with this half of the story, we also learn about John Wood—a kind-hearted man whose addictions and financial struggles forced him to stop making payments on his storage unit in which he was storing his amputated leg.

Atlanta Film Festival and Sidewalk Film Festival Named Among "Coolest Film Festivals in the World" by MovieMaker Magazine

The list of 25 was picked from nominations by MovieMaker Magazine's 2015 Panel of Cool.

Since the first Venice Film Festival began in 1932, film festivals around the globe have evolved into the premiere events for the celebration of independent cinema. As film enthusiasts, we attend these events to experience the moving image in the best possible way—through exceptional programming in stunning venues surrounded by a crowd of equally passionate cinephiles.

Two of our favorite film festivals to attend, the Atlanta Film Festival and the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, were recently recognized by MovieMaker Magazine as two of the 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World—and we couldn’t be more excited and proud!

14 Films to See at the 2015 Sidewalk Film Festival

This will be my third year attending Sidewalk Film Festival and there is just something about this three-day extravaganza in Birmingham, Alabama that gets me more excited than just about anything else that happens all year.

It's not just the fact that there are so many good films to see that you will inevitably kick yourself for missing one simply because you chose another (a great problem to have). It's not just the fact that they close down 3rd Avenue and have a street party all weekend long with food and games and vendors. It's not just that the Taste of 4th Avenue Jazz Festival is one block away, adding even more electricity to the city. It's not just the amazing staff of Sidewalk—all of whom I admire so deeply. It's not even just the cake bites from Urban Standard.

It's all of this and more—an x-factor, if you will—that this incredible film festival possesses. A charm all it's own, amazing theaters, wonderful film programming, great parties, delectable food. I'm gushing, I know, but I simply can't help it. Sidewalk is The Perfect Storm.

At the heart of it, though, is truly the love of film. It reflects in their program every year and this year is certainly no exception! I have compiled a list of 14 can't-miss films for you to check out this year, and then added 8 more that you might have already seen on the Georgia film festival circuit, but certainly warrant a revisit.

Macon Review: "Muscle Shoals" (****)

Keith Richards is featured in "Muscle Shoals"

Recent scientific research has shown that it is impossible to keep still during the first ten minutes of "Muscle Shoals." Moments after Bono's opening lines echo across the stunning colors and textures of northwestern Alabama's verdant riverbanks, Wilson Pickett's "Land of 1,000 Dances" kicks in and you can't help but shake loose. It is immediately clear just how much soul this film possesses, having gleaned character and zeal from its many revered subjects.

"Deep down in your stomach, coming out of your gut. That's that Muscle Shoals sound." —Candi Staton

Having first seen "Muscle Shoals" at the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham last summer—appropriately showcased at the Alabama Theatre—I was excited to hear that the film was also the opening night selection for the 2014 Macon Film Festival. Macon—although much larger of a city and with a less musically synonymous name than Muscle Shoals—has a rich and diverse musical history, even claiming home to Georgia's Music Hall of Fame. I knew the crowd in Macon would love "Muscle Shoals," and I was right. In the Q&A following the film, I can't tell you how many times an audience member (or one of the moderators) tried to cajole director Freddy Camalier into making a follow-up film about Macon. I guess it could work—he already has Gregg Allman's contact information.

What to see at the 2014 Macon Film Festival

Middle Georgia's premiere film event gets ready to kick off its ninth year of festivities with film screenings, workshops, celebrity guests, after parties—and of course, its signature drink, the Magatini.

The 9th Annual Macon Film Festival happens this week, kicking off Thursday, February 27th and running through Sunday, March 2nd! I'm excited to say this will be my third year in attendance; Macon having become one of my year's biggest highlights.

The Macon Film Festival is an excellent display of community—both in terms of local arts fans and filmmakers alike. This year's events look to be their most high profile yet. Not only are several filmmakers scheduled to attend, but Matthew Modine—award-winning actor of film, television and stage—will be honored Saturday, March 1st with a 30th anniversary screening of "Birdy."

Music documentaries have a bright spotlight at this year's festival, with "Muscle Shoals" opening the fest and a handful of other selections dotting the lineup. Georgia productions are front-and-center as well, with "Brother's Keeper," "Congratulations!," "Desires of the Heart" and "The Space Jockey Pursuit" being just a few of the locally produced selections. As usual, documentaries account for some of the festival's most promising selections. "Brothers Hypnotic" and "A Fragile Trust" were both recently announced as selections for the 2014 Atlanta Film Festival as well, with the former having won the Documentary Jury Prize at the Savannah Film Festival last year.

There are plenty of great films to check out at this year's festival, in addition to some awesome conferences and panels held throughout the long weekend. After the jump, we've highlighted eleven features and four short films worth checking out!

The Best Films of 2013

Sure, we are already into February now. But with years like 2013, it's never too late to celebrate such high quality cinema. Perhaps the best year since 2007 ("The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "Atonement," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "I'm Not There," "No Country for Old Men," "Ratatouille," "There Will Be Blood," "La Vie en Rose"), 2013 showcases strength across the board—in foreign and American films, in documentaries and narratives, in dramas and comedies—and perhaps most of all—in films that blurred the lines.

This past year's films showcased stories and craftsmanship as complex as the filmmakers themselves. From auteur-driven work like "American Hustle," "Gravity," "Her" and "Upstream Color" to a tremendous showing for American indies like "Hank and Asha," "Hide Your Smiling Faces" and "Short Term 12"—this list is probably the toughest I've ever put together. 

Several of these films played our local film festivals. "7 Boxes," "euphonia," "The Exquisite Corpse Project," and "Mud" all played at the Atlanta Film Festival. "Hank and Asha" and "The Past" both screened at the Savannah Film Festival. "Lore" was easily my favorite film from the 2013 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival. "Hide Your Smiling Faces" and "Short Term 12" were just two films from a remarkable lineup at the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham last year. Some films featured at multiple festivals—"Congratulations!" played both Atlanta and Sidewalk and will screen at the Macon Film Festival later this month, "Muscle Shoals" screened at Sidewalk and will also play in Macon. "The Spectacular Now" played both Atlanta and Savannah.

Review: "Short Term 12" (****½)

Editor's Note: Today marks a special occasion for me. I first put a bug in the ear of Lucy Doughty about writing for Reel Georgia many moons ago, and today we publish her first piece with us. "Short Term 12" is a remarkable film that won both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Prize at SXSW earlier this year. I saw it at Sidewalk, where I was moved and impressed enough to have awarded it the full five star rating. Lucy's review is written as beautifully as the film plays out, and I look forward to reading everything she'll write for us in the future. Even though her reviews will make mine look as though I've compiled them using Alphabet soup, I'm thrilled to have such a gifted wordsmith on board. -CM

John Gallagher, Jr., Brie Larson, and Rami Malek star in "Short Term 12"

"Short Term 12" premiered in its first form as first-time writer/director Destin Daniel Cretton’s Master’s thesis project at Sundance in 2009. A friend told Cretton he’d be a fool to attend Sundance without a feature length script prepared for the then twenty-minute short. “So I wrote one,” he said. The short won the Jury Prize, and Cretton began crafting his feature debut, which released after his second movie, "I Am Not A Hipster," did in 2012. The result captures a season in the lives of the young staff and residents of a teen foster care facility. Rooted in Cretton’s own experience on a group home staff, "Short Term 12" offers a gripping and often raw look at the transformative power of trust and vulnerability.

Sidewalk review: "Coldwater" (****)

P.J. Boudousqué stars in "Coldwater"

Since its SXSW premiere, Vincent Grashaw's "Coldwater" has embarked on a successful festival run, leading up to where I caught it in Birmingham at the Sidewalk Film Festival. Following a wayward teen's abduction and forced placement into a privately-run juvenile behavior reform camp, "Coldwater" is a brutal, visceral take at the real and often hushed world of privatized rehabilitation. With facilities operating without local or federal regulation, these programs have free range to 'reform' their clients (or, rather, inmates). Grashaw's lens is not afraid to show what most filmmaker's cameras would turn away from.

Sidewalk review: "Hide Your Smiling Faces" (****½)

Ryan Jones stars in "Hide Your Smiling Faces"

Having heard great things out of Berlinale and Tribeca, Daniel Patrick Carbone's "Hide Your Smiling Faces" was one of the most alluring prospects at this year's Sidewalk Film Festival. Shot in northern New Jersey, an incredible, rustic beauty that isn't usually associated with the state—at least the northern half—is evident in every frame. The landscape is wild and overgrown, looking as though it could have been shot on the slopes of Lookout Mountain. The setting is as much a main player as the two young stars, Nathan Varnson and Ryan Jones (playing brothers Eric and Tommy, respectively), who rarely give you a moment to turn your eyes away from their lead.

Sidewalk Film Festival kicks off with "Lil Bub & Friendz" (***)

A throng of film fans and cat ladies gathers outside Birmingham's famed Alabama Theatre.

Though my father hails from Alabama, my time spent in the Yellowhammer State consists mostly of quick hours passing though or day-trips for weddings, funerals and hikes. It doesn't make any sense, however, to cover Georgia's film festival circuit so thoroughly but ignore a colorful and highly revered festival in our neighboring state—and at that, only two hours away! I've glanced at the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival (now more commonly abbreviated to the Sidewalk Film Festival) in years past, but this is the first time I've ever paid it much attention.

Now in its 15th year, Sidewalk is a well-oiled machine that spans across Birmingham's large and heavily masoned downtown. Six main venues, ranging from the beautiful Alabama Theatre and smaller theaters like the Carver to First Church Birmingham and the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Panel discussions, 'Sidetalks' and parties also bring in the crowds, but the main attraction is a strong lineup.

Featuring many familiar titles from the year's earlier festivals —Sundance, SXSW, Atlanta, Tribeca—the fest also showcases many strong features and documentaries that would simply not show up in Birmingham's cinemas due to limited release platforms. An emphasis on Alabama's independent film industry is also front-and-center, shedding a bright light on local talent.

11 films to see at the Sidewalk Film Festival

I've spent plenty of time over the last two years talking about Georgia's film festival circuit, which is much more expansive than many people realize. Full of rich content, insightful filmmakers and valuable networking opportunities—I can't stress enough how important it is for you to explore Georgia's film festivals! But now I'm branching out. In two-and-a-half weeks, I'll be attending the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama (also known as the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival).

Taking place across six different venues in downtown Birmingham, Sidewalk has earned an impressive reputation over the last several years as a vibrant and lively festival with impressive programming to boot. As much as I am looking forward to the fest, I'm equally excited about spending time in such a cool community. I will be reviewing films from the festival in the coming weeks, but be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for more complete coverage.

After the jump, check out eleven films—just a fraction of the great lineup—worth checking out this year at Sidewalk.