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By Barb Vancheri / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

In a way, Deepa Mehta has come full circle with the Silk Screen Film Festival in Pittsburgh. "Water," the final installment in the spiritual trilogy from the Indian-born Toronto-based director, closed the inaugural event in 2006.

Fast-forward to 2013, when her "Midnight's Children" will help to open the celebration, a showcase for Asian films and filmmakers with origins in Asian cultures. It will screen at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Regent Square Theater, 1035 S. Braddock Ave. The festival kicks off Friday with a gala at the Rivers Club at One Oxford Centre, Downtown. VIP tickets are $150 and will include access to a reception from 7 to 8:30 p.m., with standard gala tickets, $100, providing food, beverages, entertainment and more. Tickets at the door, $185 for VIP or $135.

Go to www.silkscreenfestival.org to purchase or find full festival details.

In addition to screening movies at the Regent Square Theater and Melwood Screening Room and Classroom, 477 Melwood Ave. in Oakland, the event will use the Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Earth Theater, 4400 Forbes Ave., which is accessible from a rear portal entrance.

Tickets for the opening night film are $20, for closing night film, $15, with others (available at the door) $10 or $5 for students with valid IDs. A four-film pass can be purchased for $30; an eight-film pass, $60 (not valid for opening or closing films).

Most movies will screen twice. Here is the schedule for the first week, with the festival to conclude May 19.

Click here for the full schedule: Silk Screen Film Festival Schedule

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Five short films will have their Pittsburgh premieres at the second annual Robinson International Short Film Competition at 7:30 p.m. May 8 at the SouthSide Works Cinema.

One filmmaker will receive the first prize of $10,000 and two honorable mentions also will be awarded along with $3,000 each; the names of the winners will be revealed that night.

Lybov Novikova in "Short Stories" directed by Mikhail Segal

By Barry Paris / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

How paltry our three American classes seem -- upper, lower, middle -- compared to Russia's hereditary nobility, gentry, military, bourgeoisie, clergy and serfs. Not a lot of upward (or even downward) mobility there. It was more caste than class system, before collapsing into "classless" under a dubious dictatorship of the proletariat.

Since the Communist show folded in 1991, people of the former Soviet Union have been reimagining class, and so is the 15th annual Russian Film Symposium at the University of Pittsburgh this week, under the ongoing inspired leadership of Vladimir Padunov, with a host of resident and visiting guest lecturers.

Post-Soviet Russia saw the phenomenal emergence of wealthy oligarchs, who grabbed up the state monopolies on oil, gas and mass media. A new middle class, slowly rising behind them, looks great in "mainstream" celluloid life -- typically enjoying spiffy modern apartments, driving cool cars, dining in posh restaurants.

Real middle-class Russian life looks different, as many of the 2013 films illustrate. In addition to daytime events on campus (largely but not exclusively for students), this year's symposium features evening showings for the public, at Pittsburgh Filmmakers' Melwood Screening Room, of four extraordinary new Russian films.

Read more: 'Re-Imagining Class': Russian film symposium

Chef Yotam Ottolenghi takes a culinary
journey though his native Jerusalem
in "Jerusalem on a Plate."

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Any film festival, no matter the theme or sponsor, is an opportunity for celebration, entertainment, reflection and the chance to spill into the lobby and talk about what you've just seen. Match that, Netflix.

Pittsburgh's JFilm festival will mark its 20th year tonight with the French romantic comedy "Paris-Manhattan," the first of 18 movies scheduled to play through April 21.

The festival, previously known as the Pittsburgh Jewish Israeli Film Festival, will use the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill as its main venue with one event each at Rodef Shalom Congregation in Shadyside, Hollywood Theater in Dormont, Carnegie Mellon University and Seton Hill University in Greensburg.

For a sampling of reviews, click here Jewish Film Fest

For the JFilm Festival schedule, week one, click here JFilm Festival, Week One Schedule

By Jennifer Baron / Pop City Media

With 18 titles and 21 screenings from countries around the globe, JFilm is helping to put Pittsburgh on the international film festival map.

For two decades and counting, Pittsburgh-based JFilm has been dedicated to bringing the top international Jewish films to Pittsburgh during its annual Spring festival. Marking its 20th anniversary, the 2013 JFilm Festival kicks off on Thursday, April 11th, with a vibrant series of programs running through Sunday, April 21st. The festival's reach is impressive, with five top venues that span Dormont to Greensburg, and several city spots in between.

Setting up shop at five venues around town--The Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill; Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland; The Hollywood Theater in Dormont; Rodef Shalom Congregation in Shadyside; and Seton Hill University in Greensburg--JFilm serves as a diverse showcase of award-winning documentaries, dramas and comedies, guest artists, special premieres and parties, and a short film competition.

"It says a lot about our community that this film festival has not only been around for twenty years, but that it is also thriving and is now a year-round operation. It's monumental," says Kathryn Spitz Cohan, executive director of JFilm.

Opening night (don't worry; there is a second screening of opening night film Paris-Manhattan!) is already sold out so grab tickets and a schedule now, and mark your calendar for films you will not see in other theaters.

For more details, read the full article here: JFilm Festival kicks off its 20th anniversary

By Barbara Vancheri / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

You can get a sneak preview of Lauren Knapp's documentary about the Mongolian rock music scene, "Live From UB," this afternoon at the University of Pittsburgh and Thursday night at Biddle's Escape in Wilkinsburg.

The Pittsburgh-based filmmaker, who earned a degree in anthropology and worked for "PBS NewsHour" for four years, explores how Mongolian rock music played a role in the country's development as a new democracy and how a new generation of Mongolians are creating a new kind of rock.

She spent a year living in Mongolia and created 40-plus short videos chronicling the culture and music scenes in urban and rural areas. She wrote about this for the PG's The Next Page on Sept. 30.

Read more: Film looks at Mongolian music

Press Release
Media Contact: Mathew Calland, Halo Event Group
(412)243-1251 on behalf of Spitzfire Productions

Movie STAR WARS: HUNT FOR THE HOLOCRON
Premiere at The Hollywood Theater in Dormont, April 20, 2013

Original Star Wars Film Shot In Pittsburgh Sees Big Screen Debut After Decade Of Effort

Dormont, PA (April 7, 2013) - Director Martin Spitznagel honors George Lucas' "Star Wars" legacy with an original 40-minute film about two brothers who are dragged into a battle between Jedi and their father's own past in STAR WARS: HUNT FOR THE HOLOCRON.

The film, shot in Pittsburgh, is the culmination of a lifelong dream for Martin, who spent ten years in writing, filming, editing, and post-production to bring this creation to life. The not-for-profit movie was funded through the generosity of family and friends and worked on without pay by an extensive cast and crew ranging from Texas to Brazil.

STAR WARS: HUNT FOR THE HOLOCRON follows Bando (Mark August, SAG-AFTRA) and Sahn (Dan Clavey) Jinkuru, young men thrown into a dangerous world when they find a Holocron, a record of Jedi secrets. Pursued by Dark Jedi Dregr Jarrat (Martin Spitznagel), whose thirst for the Holocron has reached obsession, the boys are aided by Jedi E'Din Kyle (Dave Turka) and smuggler Ariah Duen (Jennifer Moreau), old business partners of their father. As Dregr closes in, the brothers struggle to survive both their present and their past.

CALL FOR ARTISTS AND VOLUNTEERS

The 16th annual Art All Night will be held April 27th - April 28th, 2013. This year we are returning to the same place as last year, Willow Street Developers at 40th and Willow Streets.

We invite you to submit one (and only one) piece of artwork during this one-of-a-kind neighborhood event attended by over 10,000 people each year. Artist registration instructions are available at www.artallnight.org where you can use the online registration system anytime.

We HIGHLY recommend registering online as registration lines at the event can get long. Artists submitting art pieces must show a photo ID during both registration and pick up.

The 2013 Carnegie Mellon International Film Festival: Faces of Media and Department of Media Arts at Robert Morris University will present its Short Film Night on Friday, April 5, at 7:00pm at the McConomy Auditorium in CMU's University Center! Admission is free! Audience is invited to vote for their favorite film.

CMU International Film Festival Student Short Film Competition aims to gather perspectives from a group of diverse student filmmakers from across the world. This year the competition received short films from students in America, China, Bangladesh and Taiwan etc. The judges are in the process of selecting the best three shorts and top three students will get $1,000, $500, $250. Three winners will be announced at the closing night of the festival, April 13.

Audience Choice Award: You Be the Judge! Besides the top three awards, YOU help choose the Audience Choice Award! Results will be revealed immediately after you vote!

To know more about the short film competition and judges, please visit www.cmu.edu/faces/media/student_short/index

Women in Film and Media present "Movies and Martinis" and the WIFM Scholarship Awards on April 24th at 7:00 PM at the Hollywood Theater in Dormont.

Meet the scholarship winners! A total of $4,500 will be given to students in film and television in the Pittsburgh region.

Celebrate international films and watch the Women in Film and Television International Short Film Showcase. Nine finalist films have been selected from over 40 Global Chapters and will be screened at Chapters worldwide.

Steeltown FILM FACTORY finalist Yulin Kuang will be showing her film as part of the showcase.