FRIDAY
Starz First Look
FILM FESTIVAL|Arguably the best little fest in town, the Starz First Look Student Film Festival today begins Day Two of shorts by undergrad, grad and recent graduate film students from the U.S. and abroad. Saturday evening’s guest talk by documentary vérité maverick Albert Maysles, pictured at right, offers a sure sign that this always-entertaining fest continues to mature. (Maysles,along with brother David, made “Gimme Shelter” and “Grey Gardens”.)|Maysles, 6 p.m. Saturday at the King Center on the Auraria Campus|all other screenings at the Starz FilmCenter, Ninth Street and Auraria Parkway; $5.50-$8.50, free to Denver Film Society members; 303-820-FILM or go to starzfilmcenter.com for details on screenings and Saturday’s panels and workshops.
SATURDAY
A provocative show
ART/MUSIC|Vox Feminista, a radical feminist art group, is celebrating its 16th year of multimedia performances bent on social change. The group’s latest program, “Chaos in Cupcakeland,” uses the metaphor of a cupcake to critique our culture’s insatiable appetite for empty calories. The show, which aims to provoke with its blend of music and theater, will be followed by sets from Nicole Torres and Judith Avers.|7 p.m. Saturday| Oriental Theatre, 4335 W. 44th Ave.; $10-$30, all ages; voxfeminista.org.
THE WEEKEND
Chance encounter
DANCE|Danelle Helander has presented dance in Boulder for 22 years, and she’s certainly not slowing down. She will direct and perform in the newest project from her Helander Dance Company, “Yams: A Chance Encounter,” a collaborative evening of live music, dance and theater.|8 p.m. today and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday|The Dairy Center for the Arts, 2590 Walnut St. in Boulder; $12-$15; thedairy.org or 303-473-9438.
Open house
ARCHITECTURE|Doors Open Denver is back for its second year. The architectural open house offers area residents a chance to explore more than 70 buildings including the Molly Brown House, right, in and around Denver’s downtown. Participants can tour on their own using guides available at any site or sign up each day for guided tours at the event’s headquarters in the Colorado Convention Center, 14th and California streets.|10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday|More than 70 sites in and around downtown; free; denvergov.org/doorsopendenver.
THE WEEK
Overcoming odds
FILM|First-time feature director Darla Rae returns home from an award-winning screening at The International Sport Movies & TV Film Festival Festival in Mumbai, India, to show her faith-infused tale of two young athletic men starting over after severe spinal injuries. “The Goal” will have a sneak preview where much of it was shot: the Craig Hospital gym. There will be a Q&A session afterward.|6 p.m. Wednesday|Craig Hospital, 3425 S. Clarkson St., Englewood; free, but RSVP by sending e-mail to thegoal-movie.com or calling 720-620-0536.
Lucretia’s downfall
OPERA|Any opportunity to experience one of Benjamin Britten’s operatic masterpieces should not missed. CU Opera will present “The Rape of Lucretia,” the English composer’s gripping 1946 adaptation of the tale of the virtuous Lucretia’s downfall at the hands of Tarquinius.|7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 28 and 29, 2 p.m. April 30|University of Colorado at Boulder, Music Theatre, Imig Music Building, 18th Street and Euclid Avenue; $15 and $25; 303-492-8008 or colorado.edu/music/events.
Heard at last
CLASSICAL MUSIC|The history of 20th-century music would have been very different without the intervention of the Nazis and the Holocaust. Composers who might have achieved greatness were killed in concentration camps or found their careers ruined. Conductor James Conlon will be featured on “A Voice for the Silenced,” a Colorado Public Radio series featuring these forgotten or under-appreciated talents and their works.|8 p.m. Monday through Friday|Colorado Public Radio: KVOD 90.1-FM in Denver, KCFP 91.9-FM in Pueblo, KPRE 89.9-FM in Vail and KPRU 103.3-FM in Delta; cpr.org.
