OPENING OF BAMPFA In case you hadn’t heard, Berkeley has a newly housed museum, and it opens to the public on Sunday, starting at 11 a.m., with a great big, 12-hour long Open House. Get a first look at the inaugural exhibition, “Architecture of Life,” and drop in to the Pacific Film Archive’s first purpose-built cinema. Check out the beautiful stepped seating by Paul Discoe, complete with cushion designs by artist Barry Mcgee. There will also be DJs spinning music, dancers, weavers weaving, and other impromptu happenings throughout the building, organized by artist David Wilson. Admission is free, but, given how popular it is likely to be, timed-ticked reservations are recommended. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Visit BAMPFA for more details.
WHEN 2ND GRADERS MAKE A MOVIE A second-grade class at Jefferson Elementary, led by teacher Lisa Rossi, has made a biopic about Wilma Rudolph, the African-American Olympic medalist, and the film is so good it was selected for the Bay Area International Children‘s Film Festival where it will make its debut on Sunday Jan. 31 at the Chabot Space and Science Center. Persevere, The Wilma Rudolph Movie was written and performed by kids in the class. It was shot entirely on iPhone and on the Jefferson campus, and the kids learned how to storyboard, make green-screens, direct, act, and, of course, about the importance of this historic figure in black history. Jefferson parent and filmmaker Tony Saxe directed, shot and edited the film. The student filmmakers will be interviewed on stage at the film festival about the experience. The festival runs Friday night through Sunday. See the full program.
YWCA FESTIVAL OF WOMEN AUTHORS This festival, in its 22nd year, takes place on Saturday Jan. 30, 9:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m., at H’s Lordships on the Berkeley Marina. The featured authors this year are Julia Flynn Siler, Adrienne McDonnell, Renee Swindle and Gail Tsukiyama (see program). Tickets, which include breakfast and lunch, are $85. Books will be sold throughout the day — 40% of the sales price is a contribution to the YWCA. Plenty of free parking. Details at the YWCA website.
‘PHILOSOPHY TALK’ AT THE MARSH “Philosophy Talk,” the weekly, one-hour public radio series that originates from San Francisco’s KALW 91.7fm, Sunday mornings at 10am, comes the The Marsh in downtown Berkeley on Sunday Jan, 31 at 12 p.m. and 3 p.m. Hosted by John Perry and Ken Taylor, with guests Emiliana Simon-Thomas and Larissa MacFarquhar, the show is described as “not a lecture or a college course,” but rather a chance to “give its audience the opportunity to explore issues of importance in a thoughtful, friendly fashion where thinking is encouraged.” Tickets $15 in advance, $20 at the door. Details at The Marsh online.
CUISINES OF THE MEDITERRANEAN CLASS Take a class, or a series of classes, at Bauman College that will introduce you to an array of Mediterranean cuisines through their diverse flavor profiles, health benefits, culinary techniques and recipes. The classes focus on food from Greece, Spain, Turkey, Morocco and Israel, and each three-hour session includes a hands-on cooking lab in which you cook a full menu of seasonal, fresh, whole foods as a group and then sit down to enjoy the meal together. One class: $125, series price $495. Bauman College is at 1007 University Ave. For details visit Bauman College online.
Don’t miss these other events featured on Berkeleyside:
Critical creative mass: Alan Hall’s Ratatet and Thompsonia
Big Screen Berkeley: Academy Award nominated shorts
Want to know what else is going on in Berkeley and nearby? Visit Berkeleyside’s new-look Events Calendar. Submit your own events for free if they aren’t there already — and give them featured status for a few dollars a day.
