Top Picks
Beyond Borat
A series of 10 films, including one from Kazakhstan, is coming to the Orlando Museum of Art. Wow wow wee wah!
 |
If Borat represents the limits of your knowledge of the “glorious nation of Kazakhstan,” you might want to check out Song From the Southern Seas, a new film from the fictional Borat’s real-world homeland that’s coming this month to the Orlando Museum of Art.
The movie is one of 10 from 10 countries that the museum will present through November under the banner Global Lens 2009. Sponsored by San Francisco’s Global Film Initiative, the series premiered earlier this year at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
With its complex characters and semi-comic tone, Song From the Southern Seas explores such issues as prejudice and family history through the story of a Russian who suspects that his son is the result of his wife’s infidelity with a Kazakh neighbor. It will be shown on July 31 and August 2.
From Mozambique comes Sleepwalking Land, a multilayered drama with a clever narrative structure. It focuses on the bond between a child and an elderly man as they wander through the war-torn countryside. Showings are on July 10, 11 and 12.
July’s offerings also include China’s Getting Home, which will be shown on July 17 and 19. The story of a construction worker and his fallen friend, it reminds us that “even in death there is some value to friendship,” says Santhosh Daniel, director of programs for the Global Film Initiative.
Other countries represented in the series include Macedonia, Brazil, Ecuador, Indonesia, Argentina, Iran and Morocco. While Daniel hopes that the films are “emotionally” and “visually compelling,” he says that they also provide an opportunity for “cross-cultural understanding.”
Or, as Borat might put it, “cultural learnings.”
July 10 through November 1. $12, including museum admission. 2416 North Mills Avenue. 407-896-4231. omart.org
Super Crafty
July 31-August 1 Do you make jewelry? Bead? Sew? Knit? The Consumer Craft Supershow, opening July 31 at the Orange County Convention Center, is the place for you. Meet top designers, take workshops and try out new products. Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. $10 for 1-day pass, $14 for 2-day pass, children under 10 free. Orange County Convention Center, West Concourse, 9800 International Dr. 201-835-1240. craftsupershow.com
Cirque du So Strange
 |
July 29 The nine-member multi-ethnic band Gogol Bordello, from New York via the Balkans, brings its theatrical stage show and Eastern-European/rap beat to Club Firestone. Ukrainian singer-actor Eugene Hütz leads the band’s mash of accordions, horns and strings, backed by a powerful rap beat to set downtown to dancing. 8 p.m. $22.50-$25. 578 N. Orange Ave. 407-872-0066. clubfirestone.com
Bolshoi West
July 6 The Orlando Bolshoi Violinists Ensemble, an all-female eight-member group, performs the music of Tchaikovsky, Telemann, de Falla, Kreisler and more as part of the Philharmonic’s Sounds of Summer concert series. The troupe is under the direction of Orlando Philharmonic violinist Olga Feroni, who assembled it in the tradition of the famous Moscow ensemble. 7 p.m. $13-$37. Margeson Theater, Lowndes Shakespeare Center, 812 E. Rollins St. 407-770-0071. orlandophil.org
Avalon Art
 |
July 13 Wood and glass combined to form works of art? Music turned into paintings? That’s what you’ll discover in the creations of two Orlando artists in Abstracted Realities at the Gallery at Avalon Island. Nick Bingham united wood and glass to enhance the beauty of both in a new series. Keith Theriot interpreted Scott Robertson’s American Indian-inspired music in a visual medium. Reception from 6-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free admission. 39 S. Magnolia Ave. 407-803-6670. galleryatavalonisland.com
