The 25th annual Philadelphia Film Festival rolls into town again from March 30 through April 11 and takes up residence in three venues in University City: The Bridge (4012 Walnut St.), The Cinema at Penn (3925 Walnut St.) and International House (3701 Chestnut St.). Here’s just a sampling of the films in the neighborhood. For an entire list of citywide events and screenings, go to www.phillyfests.com.
FRIDAY, MARCH 31: Filmmakers got 2 days to shoot a short film with random prop assignments, genres and a line of dialogue. See the results in the “48 Hour Film Project.” 9:30 p.m. at I-House.
SATURDAY, APRIL 1: The film, “Boy Called Twist,” is a South African adaptation of the Dickens classic “Oliver Twist.” 4:45 p.m. at The Cinema.
SUNDAY, APRIL 2: Kris Kristofferson stars in “Disappearances,” a magical realist tale of a father and son in prohibition-era Vermont. 12:15 p.m. at The Bridge.
MONDAY, APRIL 3: Mexico’s Oscar submission, “On the Other Side,” is about three children who share the loss of their fathers. 7:30 p.m. at The Bridge.
TUESDAY, APRIL 4: The program of short films, “Philadelphia ‘Freedom’ and Other Myths” explores the many perspectives on truth. 7 p.m. at I-House.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5: The deadpan Belgian comedy, “Iceberg,” uses a minimum of language and plenty of slapstick. 12:15 p.m. at The Bridge.
THURSDAY, APRIL 6: Get the real story of the 2003 mayoral election in Philadelphia in “Shame of a City.” 5 p.m. at The Cinema.
FRIDAY, APRIL 7: “Sweet Land” (see above) is an emotionally powerful love story from first-time director Ail Selim. Noon at The Bridge.
SATURDAY, APRIL 8: The Brothers Quay present “The Piano Tuner of Earthquakes,” a surreal, eerie dream-poem. 9:45 p.m. at The Bridge.
SUNDAY, APRIL 9: Bring the kids to “Casi Casi,” a Spanish-language comedy about a boy who tries to lose the student council election to get the girl of his dreams. 4:15 p.m. at I-House.
MONDAY, APRIL 10: The inspiring documentary “Danielson: A Family Movie (or, Make a Joyful Noise Here)” is about this quirky group’s distinct music and faith. 7 p.m. at The Cinema.
TUESDAY, APRIL 11: Festival favorites screen at The Bridge and The Cinema.
Novel plant-based approach to a better, cheaper GLP-1 delivery system
Research led by Penn Dental’s Henry Daniell investigates the use of a lettuce-based, plant-encapsulated delivery platform as a new oral delivery of two GLP-1 drugs previously approved by the FDA in injectable form.
No brain, no gain: Neuronal activity enhances benefits of exercise
Research led by Penn neuroscientist J. Nicholas Betley and collaborators finds that hypothalamic neurons are essential for translating physical exertion into endurance, potentially opening the door to exercise-mimicking therapies.
In honor of Valentine's Day, and as a way of fostering community in her Shakespeare in Love course, Becky Friedman took her students to the University Club for lunch one class period. They talked about the movie "Shakespeare in Love," as part of a broader conversation on how Shakespeare's works are adapted.
In Becky Friedman’s English course Shakespeare in Love, undergraduate students analyze language, genre, and adaptation in the Bard’s plays through the lens of love.
Beating the heat: Designing cooling for bodies in motion
Dorit Aviv, director of Weitzman’s Thermal Architecture Lab, studies how humans, technology, and design intersect, paving the way for the development of novel approaches to cooling people efficiently.
