The largest film festival in the region returns beginning this weekend. The 32nd Three Rivers Film Festival is a celebration of all the things that film can be. This year’s docket features approximately 80 films from a wide variety of genres, from independent American cinema to documentaries, restored classics, international films, and competitive short films. The event features visiting filmmakers, informal discussions, live music events and more. The first full day of screenings comes this Saturday, with don’t-miss films like Japanese legend Hayao Miyazaki’s “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Grave of the Fireflies,” critically-acclaimed “Philomena” starring Judi Dench, and the Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch comedy “Prince Avalance.” The 32nd Three Rivers Film Festival opens this weekend, with various showtimes at various venues across the city. Look for showtimes to continue until Nov. 23.
Actor and playwright Jessica Dickey—well-known for her one woman show “The Amish Project”—returns to playwriting this weekend with “Charles Ives Take Me Home.” Staged by the City Theatre and directed by Matt M. Morrow, the play tells a story about competition, commitment, and craft. Dickey enlists modernist composer Charles Ives to guide a violinist to an understanding of what it means to be a father — and a sports fan. “Charles Ives Take Me Home” opens this Saturday at City Theatre at 5:30 p.m. Look for the show to continue on various nights through Dec. 15.
The 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg is bringing a new exhibit to the Frick Art and Historical Center. “Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection” opens this weekend. The exhibition features more than 100 drawings by artists working for Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper during the Civil War years. These journalists recorded first-hand impressions of the war, everyday life in wartime, and other aspects of 19th century culture. The new exhibit “Civil War Era Drawings from the Becker Collection” opens this Saturday at the Frick Art and Historical Center during their normal business hours from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Look for the exhibit to remain open until January of next year.
A local production of Sam Shepard’s classic play “True West” comes to the Pittsburgh Public Theater starting this weekend. Directed by Pamela Berlin, two estranged brothers find themselves together in a house near the desert. The story that arises is mythic, intimate, and darkly hilarious. Exploring themes of masculinity, honesty, and the bonds of family, Shepard’s play is arguably the highest achievement of his long career. Pittsburgh Public Theater’s staging of “True West” opens this weekend at the O’Reilly Theater in the Cultural District, with showings this Saturday at 8 p.m. and this Sunday at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Shows will continue into the first month of December.
