Just got back from the Sidewalk Festival in Birmingham (and boy are my arms tired, ba-dum-bump). The screening last night was AMAZING. The theater was spectacular, a huge immaculately renovated Art Deco movie palace from the 20s, with three balconies, gilt ceilings and red velvet curtains. Honestly, I've seen crappier opera houses. The line was around the block, the place was packed, and the audience was incredibly responsive, getting every joke and chuckling knowingly at every reference. It was a pleasure to sit through the film with them. Bringing this film back to Birmingham, after all my travails and travels making it, really felt like a homecoming of it's own.

At the end of the film, after thunderous applause, I climbed to the stage to start the Q&A. As Jessica came up the steps to join me, the whole theater, 2000 people, rose to their feet clapping again to give us standing ovation. It was the most incredible moment of my whole journey with this film.

Almost all the girls were there, with their families. Jess, Creshema, Sara Catherine (the redhead), Tatiana (the one who says "Are they gonna stop by here and leave us their laundry"), Stacy (the school administrator), and even Marvely (Jessica's rival on the Court) who showed up out of the blue - I haven't had any contact with her since filming. The Q&A was intense and interesting, but entirely supportive (I guess the Machine was busy that night). The most moving moment came at the end, when Jessica spoke being able to bring her grandmother to see this film about her running for Homecoming Queen in this gorgeous theater which, when her grandmother was growing up in Birmingham, she was never allowed to enter. It kind of summed everything up in such a beautiful and personal way.

I have to stop describing it because I'm running out of superlatives. Am attaching a couple of articles that came out over the weekend (we were on the front page of the Birmingham News) in case you feel like doing some supplemental reading. Also, a news story from last night.

http://www.al.com/movies/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/122258977447650.xml&coll=2

http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20080926/TUSK03/809250282/1005?Title=She_fought_the_machine

http://www.cbs42.com/news/local/29870669.html (scroll through the video pieces in right viewer until you see "Bama Girl")