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Foot Soldiers Park is stepping forth this weekend to provide Selmians with an array of entertainment through their latest effort called the “Selma Cinema Festival.”

The Selma Cinema Festival is a three-day film festival held at the Walton Theater from Thursday, April 3, to Saturday, April 5, showcasing various filmmakers’ work, who are from Alabama and from other parts of the world.

“This event kind of evolved from photographic nights, which is an event that we’ve been doing for the past five years through the vision of Ms. Joanne Bland,” said Carey Fountain, Director of Programs and Partnerships at Foot Soldiers Park. And, with the help of Stephane Kossman and some other photographers from France.

Fountain said Bland always wanted to do a film festival with Selma in mind that brings in new people to the city, celebrates the history of the city, while also exposing people within the community to new things. New cultures and new films that they typically wouldn’t see within the city of Selma. And, Bland’s organization did just that.

Early Thursday, the cinema festival kicked off with a premiering film called “Walk Along The Borne,” which was filmed in Spain and during the middle of the day, and an American film named “Rising Hope” premiered as well that was produced and directed in Shaw, Mississippi, that catered to overcoming challenging systemic injustices in rural spaces.

“I think that it’s important for people who watched this film to know that hope is really out there but it starts with each one of us. We can’t sit back and wait for someone else to be the hope of our communities. We have to be that hope. And I think if we can grasp that under the auspices of love, I think we’ll see a tremendous transformation in our communities, but it has to start with each and every one of us,” said Dr. Cora Jackson, who was a participant of “Rising Hope” and a community member of Shaw, Mississippi and a support of children through Delta Hands for Hope.

At 3 p.m. there also were four U.S. Short films titled “Hard Truths,” “Room for Dessert,” “Stairway to the Stars” and “Isolation” that premiered.

During the evening portion of the cinema festival first day, there was a welcome cocktail event alongside an opening ceremony that took place at The Arts Revive on 3 Church St., including a special film shown to those in attendance called Freedom’s Path.

As for the films shown Friday, April 4, there will be several films showcased from an animation feature film to several short Alabama films. On the last day of the festival which is Saturday, April 5, short films surrounding social justice and international cultures will be showcased as well.

For more information on the Selma Cinema Festival series of events, visit FootSoldiersPark.org.