Best bets this weekend include a film festival in Durango and a live radio series in Cortez.
The 14th annual Durango Independent Film Festival kicked off Wednesday and will continue through Sunday.
Festival-goers can take part in a variety of films, parties, panels and events. More than 50 films will be featured, including documentaries, family programs, shorts and adventure programs. Panels and workshops will be held throughout the weekend at R Space, 734 East Second Ave., and Four Leaves Winery, 528 Main Ave.
Parties and events include: Meet the Filmmakers Party from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at The Irish Embassy Pub Underground, 900 Main Ave.; Late Night VIP Party from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday at Mutu’s Italian Kitchen, 701 East Second Ave.; Festival Awards and Wrap Party from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Animas City Theatre, 128 E. College Drive.
For more information about passes and the full schedule, visit www.durangofilm.org/wp.
“The Martian Chronicles: A Live Radio Series” will launch this weekend, live at the Sunflower Theatre in Cortez and online as a live radio program.
The show is based on the short stories of Ray Bradbury and explores the human struggles and values represented in his works. Performers will tackle issues, such as “racial prejudice, colonization, the devastation of war, the struggle between men and women and, most of all, the triumph of the human spirit.”
Performances will be accented by music, sound effects and artwork. Readers will perform live at the theater, with their performances broadcast live on KSJD radio and ksjd.org. The program will begin at 7 p.m. each night, Friday through Sunday. Tickets can be purchased for the live performances or for online-only participation.
Tickets are available for $15 online per night, $30 online for all three nights or $18 at the door per night for live performances at the Sunflower Theatre, 8 E. Main St., Cortez.
Purchase tickets online at wwww.sunflowertheatre.org/events.
“Peter and the Starcatcher,” presented by Durango High School Theatre Troupe 1096, 7 p.m., $15, DHS, 2390 Main Ave., troupe1096.weebly.com. Additional performances Saturday.
“Women of Resolution” film showing, 7 p.m., $10-$20 suggested donation, Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Durango, 419 San Juan Drive.
Information Studies: Mixed-Media Artworks by Lee Apted, opening reception, 5 p.m., Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave.
Metropolitan Opera: Live in HD – Domizetti’s “La Fille Du Regiment,” 11 a.m., $23-$26, Vallecito Room at Fort Lewis College Student Union, 1000 Rim Drive, www.durangoconcerts.com.
Sara Illsley & Friends, a benefit show for the Colorado Rapid Response Network, 7 p.m., $25, Durango Arts Center, 802 East Second Ave., https://bit.ly/2IzQtz5.
Drop-In Comedy Show, 8 p.m., $15, Henry Strater Theatre, 699 Main Ave., https://bit.ly/2EAG16N.
Ska-di Gras Celebration, noon, Purgatory Resort, 1 Skier Place.
Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy: Visions From Cape Breton and Beyond – Celtic, 7:30 p.m., $42-$52, Community Concert Hall at Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive, www.durangoconcerts.com.
