Special to the News
Birmingham locals will debut at this year’s 2024 Sidewalk Film Festival, which will take place from August 19-25.
The film is directed and produced by Katie Rogers (Periwinkle Entertainment) with producer Brandon McCray (ATW Entertainment).
Film synopsis: In 1920s and 30s industrial Ensley, Alabama, Tuxedo Junction served as a place where the Black community gathered, coming in from all over the region, dressed to the nines in gowns and tuxedos, to dance, eat, shop, and listen to the all-Black jazz band there that included local legend, Erskine Hawkins.
It was the birthplace of many prominent artists, including the founding members of The Temptations. It turns out that hundreds of Black musicians can be traced to Tuxedo Junction.
Today the region is in despair, the building that hosted the nighttime parties in shambles, and the once-standing heritage sign marking the site, missing. Furthermore, most locals are not aware of this rich history just outside the Birmingham limits and the impact the Black artist community had on the history of music in America.
“We are so excited to screen ‘The (Almost) Lost Story of Tuxedo Junction’ at the Carver Theater, and we thank Sidewalk for the opportunity! When we considered making this film, one of the first stops we made was at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, adjacent to the Carver Theater, to ‘feel out’ the potential of this story,” director Katie Rogers said. “It’s so great to know that, with Sidewalk’s support and reputation, we will be showing this film to a hometown audience, including the folks who have kept this history alive and thriving. The movie is a love letter to Birmingham that many people don’t know about, and we are thrilled to celebrate this rich culture with everyone.”
“The (Almost) Lost Story of Tuxedo Junction” will screen at 4:45 p.m. on August 25 at the Carver Theatre in Birmingham. Tickets to watch this single film are $15 each, with weekend and day passes also available for the festival.
For more information on this year’s Sidewalk Film Festival or to purchase tickets, visit www.sidewalkfest.com.
