Film festivals, projects that support artists, and fearless comedy this weekend

Here we are, in the thick of summer. This is, without a doubt, an unusual one, given that it’s one we’ll be experiencing mostly from the inside. It’s vital to maintain the mentality we sustained in the spring, and while many of us may be experiencing serious virtual fatigue, there are still engaging things happening online.

I haven’t composed a traditional roundup in a minute. But a few things hold true: Black lives still matter, and we have so much more work to do when it comes to civil rights, equality, and equity in this country. So many of you have been contributing to the fight, whether it be the protests still going on, or giving donations to various organizations. Keep it up! I see you!

On the off-time, though, here are a few weekend jams to keep your mind balanced, including film festivals, projects supporting artists out of work, science adventures, and more.

Be safe, be well, and keep up the good fight.

HOLD for design

HOLD is a space celebrating creative teams working in live performance. With so much work canceled, and nothing lined up for the foreseeable future, HOLD was created to invite designers to share their work and process. The project launches Wednesday, July 15, at 8pm, with promises of more to come soon after.

ANS at Home

The Academy Science Camp From Home is now online, and is free. Get your weekly dose of themed activities and videos for campers young and old (grown folks can be curious here, too), with adventurous topics including dinosaurs, engineering nature, insects, and more.

Re/Bound art films

ArtYard presents Re/Bound, a virtual presentation of short object-performance films. The original works mix live performance, puppetry, and film on the notion of springing back—incorporating basic materials typically on hand while sheltering in place. Two weeks of films are available for viewing, and more are to premiere Thursday, July 16, and July 23.

Philadelphia Film Society’s SummerFest

This weekend, PFS kicks off its Philadelphia Film Festival SummerFest, and this year it’s going virtual. The showcase includes 15 feature-length films over three days and seven online conversations with film industry professionals, bringing film lovers a “mid-year survey of acclaimed independent films fresh from the festival circuit.” Check out the curated lineup, and be sure to drop in Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19.

Delaware Art Museum Writers Conference

The Delaware Art Museum is hosting its fourth annual Wilmington Writers Conference online this year, and it’s coming to you this weekend. Craft sessions, networking sessions, panels, and more are lined up for the robust and affordable conference. Writers of all kinds should check it out, I know there are some of you out there! Be sure to register online.

JAPAN CUTS

One of the positives of quarantine is that the world is getting even smaller, and now, a typically NYC-based film festival is expanding access worldwide. JAPAN CUTS is an annual festival celebrating new Japanese films, offering 14 days of unique virtual screenings. The fest starts on Friday, July 17 and runs through July 29. See the full list of films online.

Things That Used to Scare Me

Fools for Good is back with its July edition of the mix of standup, storytelling, and sketch centered on fears, phobiasm and pet peeves. This month features comics Oprah Keys, Zoe Dixon, Chip Chantry, Betty J Smithsonian and BSR’s own Neil Bardhan. Catch it on Friday, July 17 at 8pm online. Proceeds go to the comics and the Philadelphia chapter of Black Lives Matter.