film

3 Films Writers Should See at the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival

The 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama, is in full swing. Opening night of Sidewalk weekend is tonight – Friday, August 22 – but I’ve been trying to #sidewalksohard since Monday – attending spotlight nights, which highlight some of the must-see shorts and feature-length films in the following categories: Alabama Shorts (films by or about Alabamians), Life & Liberty (films that explore a number of issues related to the human condition), SHOUT (films that center the  LGBTQ+ experience), and Black Lens (films that center Black culture and issues).

This week I also had the chance to interview Lauren Melinda, writer and director of Before You, a short film that follows a couple in the wake of a decision they never thought they’d have to make: ending a planned pregnancy.  Before You, which stars Tony-nominated actress Tala Ashe and features Adam Rodriguez, will screen on Saturday, August 23rd at 8 pm, as part of the Sidewalk Film Festival. In addition to the screening, Melinda and her team have also helped organize a panel conversation at the festival on Sunday, August 24th at 5 pm, which will feature filmmakers and local advocates discussing the role that film plays in the fight for reproductive justice. 

The opening night film, Stolen Kingdom, delves into the irreverent world of YouTubers, ‘urban explorers’, and other misfits who investigate the forbidden off-limits locations behind the scenes at the Orlando Disney theme parks. The film reveals that “bad things happen at the happiest place on Earth!”

For my fellow writers, there are three films screening this weekend that feel made especially for us word nerds. While I think all films can help make us better storytellers, these films take that a bit further.

Here are three 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival picks for writers:

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Q&A with filmmaker Lauren Melinda

When filmmaker Lauren Melinda couldn’t find a story like her own, she decided to create the film she needed to see.

Melinda’s film Before You follows a couple in the wake of a decision they never thought they’d have to make: ending a planned pregnancy. With restrained storytelling and emotional honesty, this short film explores the intimate—and often invisible—grief of pregnancy loss.

Before You, which stars Tony-nominated actress Tala Ashe and features Adam Rodriguez, will screen on Saturday, August 23rd at 8 pm, as part of the 27th Annual Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama.  In addition to the screening, Melinda and her team have also helped organize a panel conversation at the festival on Sunday, August 24th at 5 pm, which will feature filmmakers and local advocates discussing the role that film plays in the fight for reproductive justice. 

See Jane Write had a chat with Melinda as she prepares for the upcoming screening.

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Why women writers should see the film Lady Parts

One in four people with vaginas will experience chronic vulvovaginal pain in their lifetime, yet this is a topic rarely discussed in media or even among friends. We live in a society that even makes saying the word “vagina” taboo! Bonnie Gross, however, is on a mission to change all this.

Bonnie is the writer and producer of Lady Parts, an independent feature film showing on Saturday, August 24 at Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, Alabama.

Lady Parts follows Paige, an aspiring screenwriter living in Los Angeles who’s just days away from securing a writer’s assistant position. But she’s also grappling with severe vaginal pain. She’s suffered broken relationships due to painful sex, and gone to multiple doctors who weren’t able to give her a correct diagnosis. Feed up, Paige sees the top specialist in the city, but the price of the initial appointment forces Paige to call her parents for financial help. Soon, Paige’s sexual health becomes a family affair after she must turn down her dream job and move back in with her parents to have vaginal surgery. But during her recovery, we see Paige not only heal from surgery but learn to advocate for herself in all aspects of her life along the way.

Lady Parts is a story based on Bonnie’s own experience with chronic vulvovaginal. This film is the perfect example of a woman sharing her story in an empowering way and, in turn, helping herself and others to heal.

Nancy Boyd, who directed the film, also struggles with vaginismus. Bonnie says for her and Nancy turning these struggles into a work of art has been “cathartic and beautiful.” This work of art came to be with the help of a majority female-identifying crew including cinematographer Olaa Olabi, editor, Edith Belmont, producer, Meghan Griesbeck, composer, Hollie Buhagiar, and lead actress Valentina Tammaro.

We had a chat with Bonnie and Nancy about the film, which premiered at the Florida Film Festival and snagged the Audience Choice for Best Narrative Feature and the Special Jury Award for Screenwriting.

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