Film Festival Founder,
Consultant & Curator
“In his seven-year stint as the festival’s first full time executive director, Jambor has overseen the expansion of the festival from its roots as a locally focused, all-volunteer affair into an internationally renown event, screening more than 100 films annually, with year-round programming.”
“Alabama filmmaker Chance Shirley met Jambor the second year of the Sidewalk festival and calls him nothing less than Birmingham’s ‘godfather of the (film) scene.’”
With over 20 years of experience, and known for facilitating connections between filmmakers, Erik co-founded Birmingham, Alabama's Sidewalk Film Festival, serving as Director for its first eight years and producing the organization's inaugural Birmingham SHOUT, the first LGBTQ film festival in Alabama. Erik then ran the 4th annual BendFilm Festival and from 2008-2014 served at the helm of Indie Memphis, which presented him with their inaugural Vision Award at the 2015 Indie Memphis Film Festival for his impact on the festival’s legacy. From 2016-2020 he was Head of Festival Programming for BendFilm and also programmed their year-round arthouse cinema, the Tin Pan Theater. Erik has served on numerous film festival juries, including Slamdance, South by Southwest, Mendocino, RiverRun, Atlanta, Nashville, and the Biografilm Festival in Bologna, Italy.
BendFilm (Bend, Oregon, USA)
Head of Festival Programming, 2016-2020
Directed artistic and programming activities for the BendFilm Festival, contributing to it receiving Academy Award-qualifying status in 2021. Programmed the Tin Pan Theatre, BendFilm’s year-round Art House Cinema
Managed panel discussions, mentor sessions, and special guest engagements with artists including Daniel Sheinert, Debra Granik, Ron Shelton, and Christine Vachon
Indie Memphis (Memphis, Tennessee, USA)
Executive Director, 2008-2015
Transformed Indie Memphis into a nationally acclaimed festival, recognized for tapping into the creative soul of the city’s cultural history to create a connecting point for filmmakers, musicians, artists, and audiences
Under Erik’s leadership, which included the festival’s artistic direction and programming, Indie Memphis was named by MovieMaker magazine as one of the “25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World” in 2009 and 2014, and as one of the “50 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” in 2011, 2013 and 2014
Sidewalk Film Festival (Birmingham, Alabama, USA)
Co-Founder / Director, 1998-2006
Co-founded Sidewalk to bring “new films to a new audience” in a region then lacking access to independent cinema. The festival’s community-focused model offered a single, low-cost ticket to provide admission to multiple walkable downtown venues.
Developed the festival into a filmmaker favorite and helped to grow the city's independent film scene, earning Sidewalk recognition from TIME Magazine as one of ten “Film Festivals for the Rest of Us” (2006)
Served as director while also leading artistic direction and programming, creating the festival's distinctive identity and designing a discovery-focused program that encouraged attendees to “find their next favorite film” while cultivating connections among filmmakers through innovative programs including filmmaker retreats and networking events
Sidewalk premiered the first “Mumblecore” feature, Andrew Bujalski’s FUNNY HA HA, and championed the early work of filmmakers such as Daniel Sheinert (EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE), Barry Jenkins (MOONLIGHT), and Adam Wingard (GODZILLA VS. KONG)
Developed comprehensive year-round programming and filmmaker development initiatives, including monthly networking meetups (Sidewalk Salon), a screening series (Sidewalk Cinematheque), and filmmaking challenges (Sidewalk Scramble), and also co-founded and produced the organization’s inaugural Birmingham SHOUT, Alabama’s first LGBTQ film festival (2006)
“Never before had I experienced such genuine enthusiasm, true grass roots participation and all around good will. Not a phoney in sight. Producers and writers and filmmakers and actors came to Sidewalk, fell in love. And made the little festival that could into an annual stop on the festival circuit.”
