February is a month of many celebrations (Lunar New Year, Black History Month, Mardi Gras and more) and several of them are well represented in this weekend’s local event offerings.
First up, the 28th Annual Pan African Film Festival heads into its final weekend of showcasing “the broad spectrum of Black cretive works, particularly those that reinforce positive images and help destroy negative stereotypes.” Each year, the festival fetures more than 150 new films, fine artists, craftspeople and more, highlighting “the diversity and complexity of people of African descent.” In this final weeked (it’s been running since February 11, and there are events every day through Sunday, February 23), there are still dozens of screenings, panel discussions, events and more to enjoy. The full schedule, list of venues, and all other relevant information can be found at https://www.paff.org/pdfs/2020/2020_Screening%20Book_WEB.pdf
Meanwhile, for another kind of film festival, starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, the American Cinematheque, at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., will host Leigh Whannell’s Thrill-A-Thon – a quadruple-feature of “four seminal tales gloriously celebrating obsession, delusion, and mania.” They include 1987’s “Fatal Attraction,” 2014’s “Gone Girl,” 1990’s “Misery,” and 1989’s “Dead Calm.” The slate is programmed by director Whannell himself, and ticketholders will be able to hold onto their stubs and use them for admission to a special sneak preview of Whannel’s new thriller, “the Invisible Man,” at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday.
And what about the kiddos? Don’t worry — there’s also a good movie for the younger set this weekend. The New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., will be showing “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,” as both its weekly kiddie matinee and the latest installment of its ongoing Harry Potter retrospective, both Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. According to the theater, “The fourth film in the magical franchise finds everything about to change for Harry and his Hogwarts pals as they leave childhood behind and find themselves faced with dangers beyond imagination, not to mention the terrors of finding a dance partner for the Yule Ball.”
Moving from film to theater, and also at 2 p.m. on Saturday, the resident play readers at the John C. Fremont Library, 6121 Melrose Ave., will do a table read of their latest selection, “August Osage County,” by Trace Letts, from 2-4 p.m. Come and listen in as the group prepares for its next full staged reading.
One of our other local libraries, Memorial Branch, 4625 W. Olympic Blvd., also lines up with an event at 2 p.m. Saturday. At this one, author Kwei Quartey will discuss his newest mystery novel, The Missing American. According to the library, “Quartey is a crime fiction writer and physician based in Pasadena, California. Having practiced medicine for more than 20 years while simultaneously working as a writer, he has attained noteworthy achievements in both fields. Kwei balances the two professions by dedicating the early morning hours to writing before beginning a day in his clinic.”
Moving on to art – and Saturday evening – the TAG Gallery, 5458 Wilshire Blvd., will host an opening reception from 6-9 p.m. for Michael Becker’s new exhibit, “Dancers” – a photographic survey of male and female dancers, from the renowned dance troupe Diavolo, in motion. “Having access to this amazingly talented group of young people gave me inspiration to make a body of work about humans and the way we interact with architecture and each other,” Becker says.
Also from 6-9 p.m. on Saturday, the LaunchLA gallery, 170 S. La Brea, will host an opening reception for “Abject of Desire,” feturing multimedia works by L.A.-based artist Ana Rodriguez. The gallery says “Rodriguez explores themes of love, femininity, what it means to be vulnerable and how we ascribe desire in relationships through the symbolic objects.” The series includes funeral floral arrangements, bows for presents, and heart-shaped sculptures…in “her infamous neon palette in a mixture of texture and patterns – stripes, polka dots, leaves, laurels, swirls and drips.”
If you’re more in the mood for a big gala on Saturday evening, the NGA Hancock Park will hold its annual fundraiser at 7 p.m. at the Wilshire Country Club, 310 N. Rossmore. The theme this year is “Anchors Aweigh,” and the drinks, auction, dinner and dance will raise money to create “Good2Go” care packages containing sheets, towels, pillows, toiletries and other household textile necessities for individuals and families transitioning from a shelter or supportive housing, and for homeless college freshmen.
Moving on to Sunday, your day could start quite early, as the Petersen Museum hosts its 8th Annual Ferrari Cruise-In event on the third level of the museum’s parking garage, starting at 8 a.m. The event celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Ferrari F40, and it’s “set to be the largest gathering of Ferrari on the West Coast.” There will also be complimentary parking, coffee, and bagels for all attendees…and special Parking for all Ferraris.
Starting just an hour later, at 9 a.m. on Sunday (and running until 3 p.m.), CicLAvia celebrates Black History month with a 6-mile open streets event connecting South Central, Florence-Firestone and Watts, in South Los Angeles, with a route running along Central Avenue, which was once the jazz heart of the city. Participants can bike, skate, run, or walk at their own pace (it’s not a race!) with no vehicle traffic, and explore at their leisure, from Adams Blvd. to Watts Towers. It’s free, everyone is welcome…and it’s a great way to learn more about one of our city’s most historic areas. See the links above for maps and other details.
Later, if you’re in the mood for a movie on Sunday afternoon, it’s back to the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., where the American Cinematheque will screen – at 1 p.m. – the 1933 version of “Little Women,” starring Katharine Hepburn as Jo March in the Academy-Awarding winner version of the Louis May Alcott’s novel.
Also for those in a classic Hollywood mood on Sunday, Hollywood Heritage and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association will present “Film’s First Family:
The Untold Story of the Costellos,” in which author Terry Chester Shulman will present film shorts, clips and select scenes from the extensive careers of Maurice, Helene, and Dolores Costello, starting at 2 p.m. at the Hollywood Heritage Museum, 2100 N. Highland Ave. There will also be a moderated Q&A with the author, followed by a book signing.
Meanwhile, running all day on both Saturday and Sunday, the Original Farmers’ Market will host its 31st Annual Mardi Gras Celebration. You can “party in true New Orleans style” with bead throwing, beignets, Dixie beer, face painting, Cajun gumbo and jambalaya from The Gumbo Pot, along with live musical performances…and the Dog Bakery’s annual “Mutti Gras Pet Parade and Costume Contest” for your furry four-legged friends.
And finally on Sunday, and just a couple of blocks from the Farmer’s Market, travel back in time with Dr. Leo Gordon, a 40-year member of the surgical staff at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, who will present a talk on “the Impossible Medical School: Warsaw Ghetto ’43,” starting at 4 p.m. at the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust, in Pan Pacific Park (100 The Grove Drive). Dr. Gordon will introduce this relatively unknown piece of Holocaust history, where “under the most extreme and dangerous conditions imaginable, physicians created a clandestine medical school within the walls of the Warsaw Ghetto.” Learn about “the rationale behind this effort, the individuals who participated, and the environment surrounding this daring attempt at medical education.”
Have a great weekend!
