2014 Official Sidewalk Selections

The Hip-Hop Fellow follows Grammy Award winning producer 9th Wonder's tenure at Harvard University as he teaches 'The Standards of Hip-Hop' course, conducts research for his thesis and explores the importance of hip-hop's history culture and role in academia. For his research thesis titled 'These Are The Breaks' 9th explores the original records that created hip-hop's 10 most important albums from a production perspective. The film centers on the emerging significance of incorporating hip-hop studies into the academy and spotlights the scholars and musicians at the forefront of preserving 40 years of hip-hop culture. Featured interviewees include: Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Kendrick Lamar, Young Guru, Dr. Mark Anthony Neal, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Ab-Soul, DJ Premier & More.

A time capsule of teenage life in the 1980s.

In 2009, students of all walks of life at the Arts & Learning Children's Conservatory in Anaheim, CA set out to produce their own live musical parody version of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980), as interpreted through their young talents. Follow the young actors, artists, musicians (and a few supervising adults) as they audition, rehearse and perform their take on this classic film.

In Minnesota, the winters are long but the jigsaw puzzling is fierce. Join some of the top teams in competitive puzzling as they prepare for the largest contest in the country at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. And feel the loneliness, despair and bitter cold that drives them to be the best.

One man risks family and future to stop the tar sands of the Keystone XL pipeline from crossing his land. Shot in the forests, pastures, and living rooms of rural East Texas, Above All Else follows David Daniel, a retired high-wire artist, as he rallies neighbors and environmental activists to join him in a final act of brinkmanship: a tree-top blockade of the controversial pipeline. What begins as a stand against corporate bullying becomes a rallying cry for climate protesters nationwide. As in his previous film, Mississippi Chicken, director John Fiege puts a human face on a complex case of social injustice, again capturing the South in its beauty and contradiction and revealing the intimate, often unfathomable, experience of creating social change at the grassroots.

A documentary exploring the importance of revival cinema and 35mm exhibition - seen through the lens of the patrons of the New Beverly Cinema - a unique and independent revival cinema in Los Angeles.

A look at the many roles played by eclectic actor/activist George Takei, whose wit, humor and grace have helped him to become an internationally beloved figure and Internet phenomenon with 7-million Facebook fans and counting.

The life and career of the renowned stage magician turned scientific skeptic of the paranormal, James Randi.

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 fairly well-known pop song. Young and old, alone and with others, they perform for the camera with a rawness usually only reserved for the bathroom mirror. This is Living Stars.

Who was General Tso, and why are we eating his chicken? This feature documentary explores the origins and ubiquity of Chinese-American food through the story of an iconic sweet and spicy chicken dish.

In the buckle of the Bible Belt, 10 churches burn to the ground in just over a month igniting the largest criminal investigation in East Texas history.

Fight Church follows several cage fighting pastors as they beat the holy hell out of each other... because Jesus never tapped out.

A documentary portrait of the late John Wojtowicz, whose attempted robbery of a Brooklyn bank to finance his lover's gender-reassignment surgery was the real-life inspiration for Dog Day Afternoon (1975).

of Montreal is the brainchild of Athens GA based singer/guitarist Kevin Barnes. This film documents a band's life, from festivals (Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza), on the tour bus, backstage, in the studio...nowhere was off limits.

Jayson Blair is the most infamous serial plagiarist of our time. He unleashed the massive scandal that rocked the New York Times and the entire world of journalism.

When one of the most prolific art forgers in US history is finally exposed, he must confront the legacy of his 30-year con.

Alberta singer/songwriter Rae Spoon reflects on gender identity, faith, and the challenges of family through songs and stories.

80 years ago antibiotics revolutionized medicine. Only now are we realizing the potentially catastrophic consequences of these miracle drugs. The question is: have we reached a point where we must save antibiotics to save ourselves? RESISTANCE uses interviews, archival material, and verite footage to untangle the web of factors behind the global crisis of antibiotic resistance. Experts and ordinary individuals who've faced resistance first hand reveal how our use of antibiotics has created profound challenges not only for hospitals, but for much of modern life - from our food supply to our personal health. With their help the film clarifies what's at stake, what's driving the problem and how we might turn the tide.

The life and times of major league pitcher Dock Ellis are explored in this revealing documentary.

Yakona, meaning "water rising" in the language of the indigenous people of the San Marcos River in Texas. This multi-award winning film is a visual journey through the crystal clear waters of the San Marcos River and its headwaters at Spring Lake, which is home to seven threatened or endangered species. The story takes you from prehistoric times, through the modern era, on an impressionistic journey from the perspective of the river. While filming, many extraordinary changes occurred surrounding the springs and river, including the removal of the Aquarena Springs theme park, the restoration of Spring Lake and the uncovering of ancient human remains. We follow the river from source to sea, through the changing seasons, interpreting the river's time and memory by documenting the relationship between the natural world and humanity. Yakona speaks directly with its beauty while appealing to a higher nature. You begin to understand this is a river that yearns to remain unchanged despite everything that is changing around it.

A film about denial, race, family secrets and a search for identity.

Shy sandwich-maker Mahoma López unites his undocumented immigrant coworkers to fight abusive conditions at a popular New York restaurant chain.

In religion and football-obsessed Alabama, a group of actors bond while producing an original drag musical. In the winter of 2012 a community theatre in Birmingham, Alabama mounted an original musical, 'Skanks in a One Horse Town.' 'Skanks' follows the actors and creators from rehearsal through performance and after, at work, at their homes, and with their families. The cast of amateur performers bond to form a family of sorts while creating the unconventional show in a conservative Southern city.

The Southern Makers documentary highlights the vision and process of four Alabama artists: a chef, a basket maker, a quilter and a visual artist. As the nation's creative economy grows, this film explores the charm and brilliance of distinctly Southern creative impulses. This film was made possibly by the Alabama State Council on the Arts in association with the annual Southern Makers event in Montgomery.

A nonfiction fairytale about love, death, art and the letting go.