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The Philly Film & Music Festival is back for its second year, September 22-25, with a citywide symphony of events for music lovers, showcasing national and local talent.

Hear indie, electronic, metal and hip hop in more than 15 of the city’s most interesting venues and outdoor settings, plus see the music being created in 10 music-related documentary screenings shown throughout the festival.

The four-day event will take place largely in the Fishtown and Northern Liberties neighborhoods, which in recent years have become a Philadelphia cultural center for music and arts.

Modeled after long-standing music festival paragons such as SXSW and CMJ, Philly F/M will host at least 15 headlining artists this year, with a total of more than 100 artists. Think Hezekiah Jones, Dead Milkmen, Nicos Gun and Philly 360 Creative Ambassador Nikki Jean.

Philly F/M 2010 attracted 13,000 visitors across all events. This year’s event promises to be even more mind-blowing. Stay tuned (so to speak) for a full guide to the festival in the weeks to come.

Second Annual Philadelphia Film and Music Festival
When: September 22-25
Where: Locations throughout the city
Cost: $80 for a four-day all-access pass
More info: www.phillyfmfest.com

The third annual Greenfield Youth Film Festival, a first-of-its-kind regional film competition, takes place this Wednesday, May 4, featuring the work of 200 students from 20 high schools in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties.

The Greenfield program encourages the pursuit of the creative arts by bringing together faculty from Temple University and talented industry professionals, including winners of Oscars, Grammys and Emmys, to mentor budding high school filmmakers.

The program culminates this Wednesday in a Hollywood-style premiere with these professionals judging and presenting the student films at the historic Keswick Theatre in Glenside. Scholarships, awards and prizes will be generously provided by the Greenfield Foundation and other donors.

The next generation of great filmmakers is right here in the Philadelphia region; support these A-list moviemakers to be!

The festival is free and open to the public.

Greenfield Youth Film Festival
When: Wednesday, May 4, 7 p.m.
Where: Keswick Theatre, 291 North Keswick Avenue, Glenside
Cost: FREE
More info: www.greenfieldyouthfilmfestival.com

Barnaby's is just one of many eateries participating in Restaurant Week.
(Photo courtesy Barnaby's)

What’s a better combination than food and film?

The delightful duo is being brought to you for three days straight with West Chester’s Annual Restaurant Week and Film Festival events. Now through May 1, you can treat yourself to delicious cuisine and exceptional independent short films.

West Chester Restaurant Week, a seven-day celebration of the downtown West Chester culinary scene, kicked off on April 25 and features more than 13 local restaurants. Cuisine ranges from traditional to French to Italian to Mediterranean, so there’s something for everyone. Every participating restaurant will offer a special multi-course, fixed-price menu for lunch and/or dinner. Click here for a complete list of participating restaurants.

The coinciding West Chester’s 7th Annual Film Festival brings more than 60 short films to movie-lovers with genres including animation, drama, documentary, comedy and experimental. All films are up to 30 minutes in length and have been submitted by independent filmmakers from around the world. Films will be shown all weekend long; click here for a full schedule.

And don’t miss tonight’s opening party at Iron Hill Brewery, 5-7 p.m. Buy a party ticket at Iron Hill and get a free pass to the first block of films, PLUS meet the directors, actors and sponsors.

Check out a new eatery or visit an old favorite, and catch a great film this weekend in West Chester. Gorgeous spring forecast: road trip much?

West Chester Restaurant Week
When: Now through Sunday, May 1
Where: Click here for a complete list of participating restaurants
Cost: Varies
More info: www.westchesterbid.com

West Chester Film Festival
When: Now through Sunday, May 1
Where: Click here for a complete list of venues
Cost: $8 per two hour block of films, $6 for senior citizens and students, $3 for children 5-12
More info: www.westchesterfilmfestival.com

The Ibrahim Theater will screen more than 20 films over three days. (Photo courtesy International House)

In the 1960s, Andy Warhol’s iconic paintings of classic American products such as Campbell’s Soup cans and Marilyn Monroe sparked the U.S. craze over Pop Art, a British- and North American-born movement that interpreted the culture of mass consumption.

But Pop Art went beyond paintings and spilled into film — an exciting but little known fact explored by Pop Cinema, a first-of-its-kind program held at International House from April 28–30.

International House’s three-night cinema series prides itself on being the first to give Pop Film its due as a genre, showing an array of movies made by and about the artists who created Pop Art from the 1950s to the 1970s. Expect the kitsch and irony of Pop Art paintings, as well as a behind-the-scenes look at the Pop Art movement during its development.

• April 28: The series kicks off with a focus on U.K. Pop Film, including the Ken Russell documentary “Pop Goes The Easel” and Lindsey Anderson’s “O, Dreamland.” 7pm. $8; $6 students and seniors.

• April 29: American films take the spotlight, including George and Mike Kuchar’s “I Was a Teenage Rumpot” and Stan VanDerBeek’s “Achoo Mr. Karrochev.” 7pm. $8; $6 students and seniors.

• April 30: Attend an expert-led panel discussion at 2 p.m. (free), followed by a showing of the feature-length film “Daddy” by Peter Whitehead and Niki de Saint Phalle at 7 p.m ($8; $6 students and seniors).

Insider tip: for modern-day Pop Art with local ties, also check out Philadelphia’s own John Stango. The artist’s paintings and specially priced silkscreen prints depicting icons such as Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” are for sale at the Center City gallery Absolute Abstract.

Discounted tickets to all three film nights can also be purchased for $20; $15 students and seniors. All tickets are available online.

Pop Cinema: Art and Film in the UK and US, 1950s–1970s
When: April 28-30
Where: International House, 3701 Chestnut Street
More info: www.ihousephilly.org

Budding filmmakers, this event is your dream come true. (Credit: iStockPhoto)

For the most part, city crawls are reserved for beer-lovers and zombies. But next Thursday, April 28, Campus Philly and the Greater Philadelphia Film Office will redefine the term with the Campus Philly Crawl: Film and Media.

If movies about school are any indication, future filmmakers may be more likely to skip class when the spring weather rolls in (Bueller? Anyone?), but this is one after-school activity that students may not want to miss.

Over a two-hour stretch, students who register for the crawl will have the chance to tour film and media companies spread throughout Old City, as well as network with local media professionals.

Participants in the crawl include: Church Street Studios, LLC; DIVE; Future Media Concepts Philadelphia; Heery Casting, Inc.; PhillyCAM; Power Plan Productions, L.P.; and Shooters Post & Transfer. The evening run will wrap at Indy Hall, for a panel with film industry freelancers.

Note: Itineraries will be sent to registered crawlers on Monday, April 25. On the day of the event, all registrants must bring student ID.

Campus Philly Crawl: Film and Media
Where: Old City
When: Thursday, April 28, 5-7 p.m.
Cost: $5
More info: www.campusphilly.org

 
Philadelphia: The Great Experiment is a historical documentary television film and Internet project that tells the story of Philadelphia. The production calls the city “the single most compelling stage for the unfurling and testing of American ideals.”

The civic project, spearheaded by local businessman/politician Sam Katz and his company History Making Productions, aims to educate both Philadelphians and non-locals about the crucial role this city played, and continues to play, in American democracy. It engages with four centuries of history, winding up with examining America’s modern day challenges.

The clip above includes an interview with Jimmy Rollins, from the documentary’s look at the history of baseball in Philadelphia.

And you can click here to watch several webisodes of Philadelphia: The Great Experiment, including the evolution of volunteer firefighting in Philadelphia over the past two centuries, and the story of civil rights in Philadelphia from slavery to abolitionism.

Even better, next Tuesday, April 26, 6abc will air a thirty-minute commercial-free pilot episode of the seven-part documentary, hosted by Jim Gardner.

Tune in to learn something new about Philadelphia!

Philadelphia: The Great Experiment on 6abc
When: Tuesday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.
More info: www.abclocal.go.com

Catch Kevin Smith live at the Keswick.
(Photo courtesy Keswick Theatre)

Kevin Smith is hosting a limited speaking engagement at the Keswick Theatre in Glenside on Saturday, April 2 at 8 p.m.

The New Jersey native is an accomplished actor, writer, filmmaker, comic book store owner and creator of comedy cult classics including Clerks, Mallrats, Zack and Miri Make a Porno and Chasing Amy.

Smith’s everyman persona has earned him a devoted fan base, a well-deserved honor given the credit due him for helping to revive the raunchy teen comedy genre.

Tickets for Kevin Smith are $47.50-$67.50 and can be ordered online; via 24-hour phone charge at 1-(800) 745-3000; or at the Keswick box office Monday through Saturday noon to 6 p.m.

Special offer for uwishunu readers: 20% off tickets! CLICK HERE. The special promo code is “red” (not case sensitive).

This code will be active from through April 1, provided the show still has seats available.

Kevin Smith at the Keswick Theatre
When: Saturday, April 2, 8 p.m.
Where: Keswick Theatre, 291 N. Keswick Ave., Glenside
Cost: $47.50-$67.50 (20% off for uwishunu readers!)
More info: www.keswicktheatre.com

Meet Ken Burns at the screening of his latest documentary, Prohibiton. (Photo courtesy NCC)

For 30 years now, filmmaker Ken Burns has been shaking the dust off the textbooks of American history and transforming the past into a vivid series of documentary films.

On Friday, March 25, the Emmy-award winning director will appear at the National Constitution Center to share an advanced screening of footage from his latest documentary film, Prohibition, which won’t be officially released until fall 2011.

Co-directed and produced by Lynn Novick, who has collaborated with Burns in the past, Prohibition is a three-part series stretching back to the time when gangsters were glorified beer distributors and a causing scandal was as easy as wearing a short skirt.

Hosted in conjunction with PBS, the screening is the opening event for the center’s forum on protest in American history, “Can We Talk? A Conversation about Civility and Democracy in America”. An in-person audience Q&A with Burns and Novick will follow the screening.

Reservations can be made by calling (215) 409-6700, or online.

Bonus: check out our roundup on Prohibition-inspired craft cocktails!

Prohibition screening with Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
When: March 25, 6:30 p.m.
Where: National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street
Cost: Free
More info: www.constitutioncenter.org

After a year’s hiatus, the Philadelphia Cinema Alliance is bringing back the silver screen excitement with the return of CineFest, running this year from April 7 to April 14.

Boasting over 60 feature films, including U.S. and World premieres plus the very best of Sundance, SXSW and the Cannes Film Festival, CineFest will also spotlight Philadelphia’s finest with the special Festival of Independents.

This year’s venues include the Ritz East One and Two, the Painted Bride and the Trocadero.

Closing out the eight-day festival is the Philadelphia premiere of “Super Size Me” director Morgan Spurlock’s new film, “POM Wonderful Presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold”, which won great reviews at Sundance. Spurlock will be on hand for the screening of the documentary to speak in-depth about product placement in the media.

In addition to great programming, this year’s CineFest also ventures outdoors. On Saturday, April 9, in front of The Ritz Five, the festival will celebrate all day and evening with the first ever free CineFest Street Fair. The festivities include filmmaker interviews, musicians, special guest MC’s, comedians, food and more.

Share your love for film, both local and otherwise, at this landmark festival. Check the Philadelphia Cinema Alliance’s website for more details on events and ticket information as the festival opening date approaches.

Philadelphia Cinema Alliance’s CineFest
When: April 7-14
Where: Locations vary
Cost: Varies
More info: www.phillycinema.org

"Untitled (ACT I: The Departure)" by Christodoulos Panayiotou is featured in the exhibit.
(Photo courtesy PMA)

Live Cinema/In the Round: Contemporary Art from the East Mediterranean is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art through February 6th.

Six artists from the East Mediterranean join together in an exhibit exploring how cinema informs representations of reality through installation, video, and live performance. The installation offers a multi-room presentation extending through numerous galleries and period rooms of the museum, making for a unique and interactive experience.

Organized by Istanbul-based guest curator November Paynter, the works in Live Cinema/In the Round make use of both film footage and theater backdrops.

To name a few, Hassan Khan’s “G.R.A.H.A.M.” (2008) presents an intriguing 14-minute film portrait in a continuously-shot real-time video of an individual asked to remain completely silent (even while being interrogated off-camera by the artist). Inci Eviner, meanwhile, installed three LCD videos of various durations in three separate historical galleries of the museum, where traditional decorative patterns are animated by (live) moving female protagonists.

In all, Live Cinema/In the Round offers visitors an intimate museum experience, in which the audience surrounds the stage, the actors are offered a space for a truly realistic performance, and the works engage in dialogue with pieces of the museum’s permanent collection. This is an exhibition you won’t want to miss.

Live Cinema/In the Round at the Philadelphia Museum of Art
When: Now through February 6th
Where: 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Cost: Free with museum admission [Adults $16, Seniors (65+) $14, Students $12, Children (13-18) $12, Children (12 and under) Free]
More info: www.philamuseum.org