2023 Sidewalk Official Selections
by SidewalkFilmFestival | created - 5 months ago | updated - 5 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Possession (1981)
R | 124 min | Drama, Horror
A woman starts exhibiting increasingly disturbing behavior after asking her husband for a divorce. Suspicions of infidelity soon give way to something much more sinister.
Director: Andrzej Zulawski | Stars: Isabelle Adjani, Sam Neill, Margit Carstensen, Heinz Bennent
Votes: 42,893 | Gross: $1.11M
Presented by TVs of Terror and Under the Mountain
2. Welcome to the J: Inside Army Jungle School (2023)
71 min | Documentary
As tensions with China build and the US military sends more troops to the Asia-Pacific region, soldiers with the skills to fight and survive in the jungle are increasingly vital. The US ... See full summary »
Director: Graham Flanagan | Star: Stewart Fletcher
3. Break the Game (2023)
73 min | Documentary
After coming out as trans, world-record-holding gamer, Narcissa Wright loses her massive fanbase. To win them back, she sets out to break a new record in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and live-stream every minute of her quest.
Director: Jane M. Wagner | Star: Narcissa Wright
Votes: 49
Life + Liberty Spotlight
4. Kokomo City (2023)
R | 73 min | Documentary
A raw depiction of the lives of four black trans sex workers as they confront the dichotomy between the black community and themselves.
Director: D. Smith | Stars: Daniella Carter, Dominique Silver, Koko Da Doll, Liyah Mitchell
Votes: 982
SHOUT LGBTQ Spotlight Night
5. Black Is Beautiful (2023)
32 min | Documentary, Short
This short documentary film tells the story of a man who uses his talents to support and lift his community. The Black is Beautiful initiative is a collaborative effort amongst the brewing ... See full summary »
Director: Marco Ortega | Stars: Marcus Baskerville, Terry Davis, Shermiah Doughtry, Mike Holt
Black Lens Spotlight Night
6. The Orchestra Chuck Built (2023)
Documentary, Short
Ex-lawyer Chuck Dickerson transforms inner-city LA by founding ICYOLA, addressing underrepresentation of Black musicians in American orchestras.
Director: Christopher Stoudt | Star: Charles 'Chuck' Dickerson
Black Lens Spotlight Night
7. Art for Everybody (2023)
99 min | Documentary
Thomas Kinkade's landscapes made him the most collected and despised painter ever. After his shocking death, his family discovers a vault of unseen paintings that reveal a complex artist whose life and work embody our divided America.
Director: Miranda Yousef | Star: Thomas Kinkade
Votes: 25
Opening Night
8. Hello Dankness (2022)
70 min | Comedy, Horror, Music
Assembling hundreds of film clips and media images, artist duo Soda Jerk's s narration about the changes undergone by American society since Trump, while relishing in reflecting on contemporary cultural values.
Director: Soda Jerk
Votes: 116
Opening Night After Dark
9. Passages (2023)
Unrated | 91 min | Drama, Romance
A gay couple's marriage is thrown into crisis when one of them impulsively begins a passionate affair with a young woman.
Director: Ira Sachs | Stars: Franz Rogowski, Ben Whishaw, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Erwan Kepoa Falé
Votes: 11,335
10. Chasing Chasing Amy (2023)
95 min | Documentary
A documentary that examines the complex legacy of Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy (1997) on LGBTQ+ people and its life-saving impact on director Sav Rodgers.
Director: Sav Rodgers | Stars: Joey Lauren Adams, Andrew Ahn, Trish Bendix, Alexa Kagan
Votes: 96
11. Earth Mama (2023)
R | 101 min | Drama
An intimate coming of age story of a pregnant single mother who embraces her Bay Area community as she determines the fate of her family.
Director: Savanah Leaf | Stars: Tia Nomore, Erika Alexander, Keta Price, Doechii
Votes: 953
12. Black Barbie: A Documentary (2023)
100 min | Documentary
Love her or hate her, almost everyone has a Barbie story. Even if they don't have a story, there's a story as to why they don't have a story. In this film, we tell the story behind the ... See full summary »
Director: Lagueria Davis | Stars: Monica L. Bailey, Kitty Black Perkins, Raj Brown, Darlene Bunjako
Votes: 39
13. Free Time (2023)
78 min | Comedy
Approaching the end of his twenties and his relative youth, a man decides to quit his cushy desk job and 'embrace life' - only to realize he has no idea what to do with this newfound freedom.
Director: Ryan Martin Brown | Stars: Colin Burgess, Rajat Suresh, Holmes, Jessie Pinnick
Votes: 37
14. Poetic Justice (1993)
R | 109 min | Drama, Romance
Grieving hairdresser Justice goes on a road trip from South Central L.A. to Oakland on a mail truck alongside her friend and an obnoxious postal worker.
Director: John Singleton | Stars: Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, Regina King, Joe Torry
Votes: 16,634 | Gross: $27.52M
15. Mississippi River Styx (2023)
85 min | Documentary
An enigmatic drifter suffering from terminal cancer lives out his dream of floating down the Mississippi River on a ramshackle houseboat, until the truthfulness of his story is questioned.
Directors: Tim Grant, Andy McMillan
Votes: 16
16. Past Lives (2023)
PG-13 | 105 min | Drama, Romance
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
Director: Celine Song | Stars: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro, Moon Seung-ah
Votes: 115,229
17. Maestra (2023)
88 min | Documentary, Music
Follows five international women who participate in 'La Maestra', the only competition in the world for female orchestra conductors. Personal stories of survival in this one-of-a-kind event created to break another glass ceiling for women.
Director: Maggie Contreras | Stars: Marin Alsop, Deborah Borda, Mélisse Brunet, Ustina Dubitsky
Votes: 51
18. Nathan-ism (2023)
79 min | Documentary
For 70 years, Nathan Hilu has been unable to stop drawing. His 90-year-old mind is flooded with memories from the days when the US military assigned him to guard top Nazi war criminals at ... See full summary »
Director: Elan Golod
Votes: 8
19. Last Flight Home (2022)
106 min | Documentary
In his final days, we discover Eli Timoner and an extraordinary life of wild achievements, tragic loss and most of all, enduring love. LAST FLIGHT HOME shares a stunning verité account of a courageous family confronting life and death.
Director: Ondi Timoner | Stars: Morgan Doctor, Rachel Maddow, David Timoner, Eli Timoner
Votes: 359
20. Buzzard (2014)
Not Rated | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Horror
Paranoia forces small-time scam artist Marty to flee his hometown and hide out in a dangerous Detroit. With nothing but a pocket full of bogus checks, his Power Glove, and a bad temper, the horror metal slacker lashes out.
Director: Joel Potrykus | Stars: Joshua Burge, Joel Potrykus, Teri Ann Nelson, Jason Roth
Votes: 2,294 | Gross: $0.01M
21. The Contradictions of Fair Hope (2012)
Not Rated | 68 min
Go inside a virtually untold aspect of American history, when newly freed slaves throughout the South formed "benevolent societies" to respond to abject hunger, illness and the fear of a pauper's grave.
Directors: S. Epatha Merkerson, Rockell Metcalf | Star: Whoopi Goldberg
Votes: 48
22. Pee-wee's Big Adventure (1985)
PG | 91 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When eccentric man-child Pee-wee Herman gets his beloved bike stolen in broad daylight, he sets out across the U.S. on the adventure of his life.
Director: Tim Burton | Stars: Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, Mark Holton, Diane Salinger
Votes: 59,111 | Gross: $40.90M
23. Ship Happens (2023)
81 min | Documentary
In 2019, The Golden Ray, a cargo ship loaded with 4,200 vehicles capsized. Concerned locals work hard to undo the environmental damage and hold authorities accountable, but the attempts to remove the ship suffers every possible setback.
Directors: Jordan Bellamy, Josh Gilligan
24. Parachute (2023)
97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Follows Riley, who has recently been released from rehab after struggling with her addictions to food and body image. She will meet Ethan and finds herself navigating the line between love and a new addiction.
Director: Brittany Snow | Stars: Courtney Eaton, Thomas Mann, Dave Bautista, Kid Cudi
Votes: 398
25. Jasper Mall (2020)
85 min | Documentary
A year in the life of a dying shopping mall.
Directors: Bradford Thomason, Brett Whitcomb
Votes: 1,525
26. Space Happy: Phil Thomas Katt and the Uncharted Zone (2023)
55 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary on Phil Thomas Katt, an eccentric entertainer who has found online viral success making earnest, low-budget music videos. The film explores the definition of success.
Director: Louis Crisitello | Stars: Kenneth L. Manning, Michael J. McCartan, Tommy Robinetti, Mark Gormley
27. Dig! (2004)
R | 107 min | Documentary, Music
A documentary on the once-promising American rock bands The Brian Jonestown Massacre and The Dandy Warhols, and the friendship/rivalry between their respective founders, Anton Newcombe and Courtney Taylor.
Director: Ondi Timoner | Stars: Anton Newcombe, Courtney Taylor-Taylor, Joel Gion, Matt Hollywood
Votes: 6,690 | Gross: $0.13M
28. Kenyatta: Do Not Wait Your Turn (2023)
95 min | Documentary
From Al Roker, this inspiring film follows a self-described "poor, gay, Black man from North Philly" on his historic run for the U.S. Senate. It's about more than taking on the political competition. It's about taking on an entire system.
Director: Timothy Harris | Stars: Malcolm Kenyatta, Matthew Jordan-Miller Kenyatta
Votes: 13
29. Sorcery (I) (2023)
100 min | Fantasy
On the remote island of Chiloé in the late 19th century, an Indigenous girl named Rosa lives and works with her father on a farm. When the foreman brutally turns on Rosa's father, she sets ... See full summary »
Director: Christopher Murray | Stars: Valentina Véliz Caileo, Daniel Antivilo, Sebastian Hülk, Daniel Muñoz
Votes: 481
30. Birth/Rebirth (2023)
R | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
A morgue technician successfully reanimates the body of a little girl, but to keep her breathing, she will need to harvest biological materials from pregnant women. When the girl's mother, a nurse, discovers her baby alive, they enter into a deal that forces them both down a dark path of no return.
Director: Laura Moss | Stars: Marin Ireland, Judy Reyes, A.J. Lister, Breeda Wool
Votes: 5,836
31. Queens of Birmingham (2023 TV Special)
Documentary
Queens of Birmingham invites you to slip into your high heels and sashay over the rainbow. Join the DREAMCAST of Al's on 7th, the region's preeminent drag bar, and meet the fiercest divas in the south.
Director: Ryan Rothmaier | Stars: Chris Campbell, Christopher Campbell, Cierra Symone Campbell, Imberli
32. Moonage Daydream (2022)
PG-13 | 135 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A cinematic odyssey exploring David Bowie's creative and musical journey. From visionary filmmaker Brett Morgen, and sanctioned by the Bowie estate.
Director: Brett Morgen | Stars: David Bowie, Trevor Bolder, Ken Fordham, Mike Garson
Votes: 14,460
33. Night Catches Us (2010)
R | 90 min | Drama, Romance
In 1976, complex political and emotional forces are set in motion when a young man returns to the race-torn Philadelphia neighborhood where he came of age during the Black Power movement.
Director: Tanya Hamilton | Stars: Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamara Griffin, Sadiq Afif
Votes: 1,832 | Gross: $0.08M
34. The Room (2003)
R | 99 min | Drama
In San Francisco, an amiable banker's seemingly perfect life is turned upside down when his deceitful fiancée embarks on an affair with his best friend.
Director: Tommy Wiseau | Stars: Tommy Wiseau, Juliette Danielle, Greg Sestero, Philip Haldiman
Votes: 95,036 | Gross: $0.22M
Double Feature with Troll 2
35. Troll 2 (1990)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
A vacationing family discovers that the entire town they're visiting is inhabited by goblins, disguised as humans, who plan to eat them.
Director: Claudio Fragasso | Stars: Michael Paul Stephenson, George Hardy, Margo Prey, Connie Young
Votes: 34,685
Double Feature with The Room
36. Bottoms (2023)
R | 91 min | Comedy
Two unpopular queer high-school students start a fight club to have sex before graduation.
Director: Emma Seligman | Stars: Rachel Sennott, Ayo Edebiri, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu
Votes: 41,760
37. Don't Die (2023)
80 min | Crime, Thriller
Jenks has been pushed to the brink by a system that does not care about him. Desperate for life-saving medicine, he resorts to robbing a small-town drug store. But when he injures a ... See full summary »
Director: Benjamin Stark | Stars: Theodus Crane, Virginia Newcomb, Joshua Burge, Frank Mosley
Votes: 18
38. It Lives Inside (2023)
PG-13 | 99 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
An Indian-American teenager struggling with her cultural identity has a falling out with her former best friend and, in the process, unwittingly releases a demonic entity that grows stronger by feeding on her loneliness.
Director: Bishal Dutta | Stars: Megan Suri, Neeru Bajwa, Mohana Krishnan, Betty Gabriel
Votes: 7,151
39. Poundcake (2023)
90 min | Comedy, Horror
A savage serial killer is murdering straight white men in New York City. No one cares.
Director: Onur Tukel | Stars: Onur Tukel, Ron Brice, Eva Dorrepaal, Randy Gambill
Votes: 16
40. 45365 (2009)
90 min | Documentary
45365 explores the congruities of daily life in an American town. From the patrol car to the courtroom, the playground to the nursing home, the parade to the prayer service, it explores ... See full summary »
Directors: Bill Ross IV, Turner Ross
Votes: 220
41. Periodical (2023)
93 min | Documentary
Periodical is an eye-opening documentary that examines science, politics, and mystery of the menstrual cycle, through the experiences of doctors, athletes, movie stars, journalists, activists, and everyday people.
Director: Lina Plioplyte | Stars: Danni Blackshear, Angel Shari Brown, Jenn Conti, Kiran Gandhi
Votes: 55
42. Sometimes I Think About Dying (2023)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Fran, who likes to think about dying, makes the new guy at work laugh, which leads to dating and more. Now the only thing standing in their way is Fran herself.
Director: Rachel Lambert | Stars: Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, Parvesh Cheena, Marcia DeBonis
Votes: 2,324
43. The Elephant 6 Recording Co. (2022)
93 min | Documentary, Music
An inside look at the '90s psychedelic rock collective that launched Neutral Milk Hotel, The Olivia Tremor Control, and The Apples in Stereo.
Director: Chad Stockfleth | Stars: Bill Doss, Will Cullen Hart, Jeff Mangum, Robert Schneider
Votes: 120
44. You Hurt My Feelings (2023)
R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama
A novelist's longstanding marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband giving his honest reaction to her latest book.
Director: Nicole Holofcener | Stars: Amber Tamblyn, David Cross, Tobias Menzies, Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Votes: 12,336
45. King Coal (2023)
80 min | Documentary
The cultural roots of coal continue to permeate the rituals of daily life in Appalachia even as its economic power wanes. The journey of a coal miner's daughter exploring the region's dreams and myths, untangling the pain and beauty.
Director: Elaine McMillion Sheldon
Votes: 117
46. Paddington (2014)
PG | 95 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
A young Peruvian bear travels to London in search of a home. Finding himself lost and alone at Paddington Station, he meets the kindly Brown family, who offer him a temporary haven.
Director: Paul King | Stars: Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent
Votes: 133,683 | Gross: $76.27M
47. Another Body (2023)
80 min | Documentary
"Another Body" follows a college student's search for justice after she discovers deepfake pornography of herself circulating online.
Directors: Sophie Compton, Reuben Hamlyn | Stars: Ava Breuer, Faith Quinn, Julia Weinberg
Votes: 349
48. The New Americans: Gaming a Revolution (2023)
102 min | Documentary
"THE NEW AMERICANS: Gaming a Revolution" is a visceral, meme-driven journey into the intersection of finance, media, and extremism to look at the explosive and irreversible ramifications of our digital future.
Director: Ondi Timoner | Stars: Cindy Axne, Jordan Belfort, Andy Bromberg, Rachel Maeng Brown
Votes: 86
49. Lynch/Oz (2022)
108 min | Documentary
Victor Fleming's film The Wizard of Oz (1939) is one of David Lynch's most enduring obsessions. This documentary goes over the rainbow to explore this Technicolor through-line in Lynch's work.
Director: Alexandre O. Philippe | Stars: Amy Nicholson, Rodney Ascher, John Waters, Karyn Kusama
Votes: 1,062
50. Time Bomb Y2K (2023)
TV-PG | 84 min | Documentary
An immersive, all-archival retelling of the "Y2K" millennium bug and the mass hysteria that changed the fabric of modern society.
Directors: Brian Becker, Marley Mcdonald
Votes: 910
51. Shuttlesworth (2022)
57 min | Documentary
Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth was raised in the crucible of segregated Birmingham but he was forged by its attempt to kill him. When the KKK planted a bomb underneath his bed and he emerged ... See full summary »
Director: J. Whitson
Votes: 6
52. All American High Revisited (2014)
Not Rated | 82 min | Documentary, Comedy, History
A time capsule of teenage life in the 1980s.
Director: Keva Rosenfeld
Votes: 218
53. Carpet Cowboys (2023)
84 min | Documentary
Follows a group of unsung creators and developers behind the majority of the country's carpets, showcasing the changing economic model of the United States that often leaves many behind.
Directors: Noah Collier, M. Emily Mackenzie
Votes: 40
54. A Disturbance in the Force (2023)
85 min | Documentary, History
In 1978, filmmaker George Lucas is persuaded to turn over Star Wars to the world of the '70s variety hour, culminating in The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978), often cited as one of the worst forms of entertainment of all time.
Directors: Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak | Stars: Bruce Vilanch, Kevin Smith, 'Weird Al' Yankovic, Mick Garris
Votes: 611
55. Mister Organ (2022)
96 min | Documentary
Journalist David Farrier (Tickled) is drawn into a game of cat and mouse with a mysterious individual. Delving deeper he unearths a trail of court cases, royal bloodlines and ruined lives, in this true story of psychological warfare.
Director: David Farrier | Stars: David Farrier, Michael Organ
Votes: 1,123
56. Best Worst Movie (2009)
Not Rated | 93 min | Documentary, Comedy
A look at the making of the film Troll 2 (1990) and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic.
Director: Michael Paul Stephenson | Stars: George Hardy, Pita Ray, Micki Knox, Tommy Bice
Votes: 8,525 | Gross: $0.10M
57. Tired Moonlight (2015)
76 min | Drama
A middle-aged Montana woman works as a maid and attends storage auctions, dreaming of escaping her small town. Her humdrum life changes when a man from her past arrives, contrasting grand landscapes with the town's mundane moments.
Director: Britni West | Stars: Hillary Berg, Beck DeRobertis, Paul Dickinson, Alex Karpovsky
Votes: 71
58. Living Stars (2014)
63 min | Documentary
In Buenos Aires, they are dancing. Dozens of real people, identified simply by name and occupation, are presented in their kitchens, living rooms, offices, and streets-each dancing to a ... See full summary »
Directors: Mariano Cohn, Gastón Duprat | Stars: Fabián Biscione, Maximiliano Caruso, Malvina Ekera, Victoria Migoya
Votes: 44
59. Medusa Deluxe (2022)
R | 101 min | Drama, Mystery
A murder mystery set in a competitive hairdressing contest. Extravagance and excess collide, as the death of a contestant sows seeds of division in a community whose passion for hair verges on obsession.
Director: Thomas Hardiman | Stars: Luke Pasqualino, Lilit Lesser, Clare Perkins, Kayla Meikle
Votes: 1,882
60. Let the Church Say (2022)
70 min | Documentary
A young, African American filmmaker, journeys to the heart of the Black experience to find the answer to a daunting question: Is the Black church dead?
Director: Rafiq Nabali | Stars: Jekalyn Carr, Walter Earl Fluker, Darlene Jackson
Votes: 10
61. It's Only Life After All (2023)
123 min | Documentary, Music
Known for stirring harmonies and socially conscious lyrics, iconic folk rock duo Indigo Girls are the subject of this intimate and insightful documentary, which tracks their decades-long career.
Director: Alexandria Bombach | Stars: Amy Ray, Emily Saliers, Winona LaDuke
Votes: 109
Closing Night
62. Everyone Will Burn (2021)
125 min | Horror
A strange girl may be linked to a local legend about stopping an impending apocalypse.
Director: David Hebrero | Stars: Macarena Gómez, Rodolfo Sancho, Ana Milán, Rubén Ochandiano
Votes: 362
63. Kim's Video (2023)
85 min | Documentary
Playing with the forms and tropes of various cinema genres, the filmmaker sets off on a quest to find a legendary lost video collection of 55,000 movies in Sicily.
Directors: David Redmon, Ashley Sabin | Stars: Isabel Gillies, Robert Greene, Eric Hynes, Lorry Kikta
Votes: 369
64. Crows Are White (2022)
97 min | Documentary
After decades of living a secret life, a filmmaker travels to a strict Japanese monastery in search of guidance but the only monk who will help him prefers ice cream and heavy metal over meditation.
Director: Ahsen Nadeem
Votes: 193
65. Invisible Beauty (2023)
115 min | Documentary
Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent, and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity.
Directors: Bethann Hardison, Frédéric Tcheng | Stars: Tyson Beckford, Stephen Burrows, Naomi Campbell, Pat Cleveland
Votes: 125
66. Compliance (2012)
R | 90 min | Crime, Drama, History
A normal Friday service at a fast food restaurant becomes interrupted by a police officer who claims an employee stole from a customer, but something more sinister is going on.
Director: Craig Zobel | Stars: Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, Bill Camp
Votes: 37,306 | Gross: $0.32M
67. Dogtooth (2009)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Thriller
A controlling, manipulative father locks his three adult offsprings in a state of perpetual childhood by keeping them prisoner within the sprawling family compound.
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos | Stars: Christos Stergioglou, Michele Valley, Angeliki Papoulia, Christos Passalis
Votes: 110,512 | Gross: $0.11M
68. Theater Camp (2023)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy
The eccentric staff of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York must band together with the beloved founder's bro-y son to keep the camp afloat.
Directors: Molly Gordon, Nick Lieberman | Stars: Ben Platt, Molly Gordon, Noah Galvin, Jimmy Tatro
Votes: 16,214
69. Finding Lucinda (2023)
60 min | Documentary
Setting off on a road trip of discovery across the southern United States, aspiring singer-songwriter ISMAY leaves the isolated existence of the family farm in search of inspiration. ... See full summary »
Director: Joel Fendelman | Stars: Avery Hellman, Charlie Sexton, John Grimaudo, Wolf Stephenson
70. Summer of Blood (2014)
Unrated | 86 min | Comedy, Horror
In this critically acclaimed comedy, an emotionally stunted New Yorker's miserable love life turns around when he meets a deadbeat vampire and becomes a blood-sucker himself.
Director: Onur Tukel | Stars: Jonathan Caouette, Zach Clark, Dustin Guy Defa, Juliette Fairley
Votes: 1,226
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