The winners of the 26th annual Sidewalk Film Festival have been announced, and they include Exhibiting Forgiveness and Secret Mall Apartment.

Exhibiting Forgiveness, written and directed by Titus Kaphar, won the Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film. It tells the story of a painter, Tarrell, played by André Holland, working through his feelings toward his hard-driving father La’Ron, played by John Earl Jelks.

Secret Mall Apartment, directed by Jeremy Workman, won Best Documentary Feature. It tells the true story of a group of performance artists who secretly lived in an apartment inside the Providence Place Mall in Providence, Rhode Island in the early 2000s.

The 2024 Sidewalk Film Festival was held from August 19th – 25th in Downtown Birmingham, Alabama’s Historic Theatre District. The 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival will take place from August 18 – 24, 2025.

Other highlights from this year’s festival include Los Frikis directed by Michael Schwartz and Tyler Nilson, which won the award for Best SHOUT Film, and Fight Like A Girl directed by Matthew Leutwyler which won the award for Best Black Lens Film.

See the full winners list below.

Also Read: André Holland Comes Home to Alabama for Exhibiting Forgiveness Screening at Sidewalk Film Festival

Sidewalk Film Festival 2024 Winners List

Volunteer of the Year Award: Jessica Garrison, Daniel Walters

Black Lens Filmmaker Grant: Bettina Byrd Giles

David Brower Alabama Filmmaker Grant: Melanie Jeffcoat

SIDEWRITE AWARD WINNERS

Best Alabama Feature Screenplay: The Wishlist by Matthew Curie Holmes, Twich Collins, Lisa Sims Harrison

Best Alabama Short Screenplay: Company Man by Chase Haislip

Best Short Screenplay: Pour Myself A Cup of Ambition by Willow Anderson

Reel South Short Film: I’m Still Here

Best Family Film: Unibrow

Best Student Film: Guiding Light

Best SHOUT Short Film: Game Rules

Best SHOUT Feature Film: The World According to Allee Willis

Best Black Lens Short Film: Mama’s Sundry

Best Black Lens Feature Film: Following Harry

Alan Hunter Best Alabama Film: The Torch: Stories of the Holocaust Shared by Alabama Families

Best Documentary Short Film: First Disappearances

Best Narrative Short Film: Our Males and Females

Best Animated Short Film: Burn Out

Best Life + Liberty Film: Public Defender

Best Documentary Feature Film: Happy Campers

Jambor-Franklin Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature Film: Exhibiting Forgiveness

AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARDS

Best SHOUT Film: Los Frikis

Best Black Lens Film: Fight Like A Girl

Best Alabama Film: The Almost Lost Story of Tuxedo Junction

Best Documentary Short Film: I’m Still Here

Best Narrative Short Film: Luki & the Lights

Best Documentary Feature: Secret Mall Apartment

Best Narrative Feature: Lady Parts

Sidewalk Programmer’s Best Short Film: Solace of Sisterhood

Sidewalk Programmer’s Best Feature Film: Weeknights

Main Image: A photo from the 26th annual Sidewalk Film Festival, courtesy of Sidewalk.