Birmingham Shout

Birmingham Shout is a two-day gay and lesbian film festival launched in 2006 at WorkPlay. The festival is organized by the Alabama Moving Image Association (AMIA) which also puts on the annual Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival. The festival was founded by Jeremy Erdreich, David Garrett, Erik Jambor, Catherine Pfitzer and Larry Slater.

The 2009 Board of Directors of SHOUT includes Festival Co-Directors Slater and Ralph Young, AMIA Board Representative David McMahon, AMIA Board Representative; Derrick Walker, Community Relations Director; Michael Williams, Finance Director; Graham Boettcher, Events Director; Jeremy Erdreich, Fundraising Director; Rosie O'Beirne, Hospitality Director; Shawn Castle, Marketing Director; Billy Ray Brewton, Programming Director; Donnie Smith, Volunteer Coordinator; and Misty Fontenot, Production Director.

Beginning in 2007 the festival began giving a "Beacon Award" for "increasing visibility of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) characters and issues in popular media." In 2010 the festival was moved to the same fall weekend as the Sidewalk Festival to expand and complement its programming. The organizational staff merged with Sidewalk, but Brewton remained as independent programming director.

May 29-30, 2009

Films screened included:

• Sissyboy (Katie Turinski, 2008)
• The Newcomer (John Mikytuck, 2009)
• Ask Not (Johnny Symons, 2008)
• OMG/HaHaHa (Morgan Jon Fox, 2007)
• Training Rules (Dee Mosbacher & Fawn Yacker, 2009)
• Trinidad (Jay Hodes & P. J. Raval, 2008)

March 29, 2008

Films screened included:

• A. (documentary short)
• Bi the Way (Brittany Blockman & Josephine Decker, 2008)
• Chasing the Devil: Inside the Ex-Gay Movement (Mishara Canino-Hussung, 2008)
• Sex Positive (Daryl Wein, 2008)
• Shelter (Jonah Markowitz, 2007)
• Spider Lilies (Zero Chou, 2007)

April 27-29, 2007

Films screened included:

• Bob & Jack's 52 Year Adventure (Stu Maddox)
• Born Again (Markie Hancock)
• Boy I Am (Sam Feder & Julie Hollar)
• The Bubble (Eytan Fox)
• Fat Girls (Ash Christian)
• Four Minutes (Chris Kraus)
• Freeheld (Cynthia Wade)
• Glorious Mail (J. D. Evermore, 2007) - world premiere
• The Gymnast (Ned Farr)
• Itty Bitty Titty Committee (Jamie Babbit)
• Lesbian Sex & Sexuality (Katherine Linton)
• Rainbow's End (Jochen Hick & Christian Jentzsch)
• Red Without Blue (Benita Sills, Todd Sills and Brooke Sebold)
• Rock Bottom (Jay Corcoran)
• Semper Fi (Vince DiPersio, 2007) - world premiere
• Suffering Man's Charity (Alan Cumming)

Alan Cumming was presented with the inaugural "Beacon Award". State Representative Patricia Todd emceed the opening night presentation, which included a screening of her short documentary film, Bulldigger.

April 28-29, 2006

Films screened included:

Features

• Small Town Gay Bar (Malcolm Ingram, 2006)
• The Aggressives (Daniel Peddle, 2005)
• Be Real: Stories from Queer America (Bobbie Birleffi & Beverly Kopf, 2005)
• Cruel and Unusual (Janet Baus, Dan Hunt, Reid Williams, 2006)
• '"Gay Sex in the 70s (Joseph Lovett, 2005)
• Loving Annabelle (Katherine Brooks, 2006)
• Pic up the Mic (Alex Hinton, 2005)
• Sommersturm (Summer Storm) (Marco Kreuzpaintner, 2004)
• When I'm 64 (Jon Jones, 2004)

Shorts

• "The Congregation" (Clay Daniels, 2005)
• "Irene Williams: Queen of Lincoln Road" (Eric Smith, 2005)
• "Latch Key" (Garth Bardsley, 2005)
• "Who's the Top" (Jennie Livingston, 2005)
• "Donnie & Clyde" (Casey Moulton, 2005)
• "Getting to Know You" (Liz Lachman, 2005)
• "Granny Queer" (Jacinda Kouwens, 2004)

The first Birmingham SHOUT attracted over 1,300 filmgoers. The after party was hosted by Jan Hunter and featured lesbian rap artist JenRO and performances by several local and national drag performers.

References

• Kwon, Wade (March 3, 2010) "The reshuffling of Sidewalk" Wade on Birmingham

External link

• Birmingham Shout website