BEST BETS: April 11 to 17, 2014

Rochester International Film Festival

The Rochester International Film Festival, the oldest continuously held short film fest in the world, is today through Saturday. Nearly 30 short films, including animations, documentaries and narratives, will be screened at Dryden Theatre of the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film on East Avenue. Movies on a Shoestring Inc. is an independent, not-for-profit volunteer organization that formed in 1959. One of the featured films is "The Sidekick", an offbeat take on the superhero genre and an allegory about the struggle to find your purpose in life even as you are being repurposed. It stars Rob Benedict, Ron Livingston (pictured) and Lizzy Caplan. Go to rochesterfilmfest.org.

RIT Spring Juggle-In
The RIT Spring Juggle-In is one of the longest-running juggling festivals in North America, and jugglers from around the nation participate. The event kicks off at 6 p.m. Friday and runs through 3 p.m. Sunday. It includes open juggling, workshops for beginners and experienced jugglers with a variety of props, competitions and public shows, including a free family show on Saturday morning. Go to rit.edu.

Geva stages 'I and You'
The new play in the Fielding Studio Series at Geva Theatre Center just won the country's most prestigious new-play award. "I and You," by Lauren Gunderson, won the Harold and Mimi Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award given by the American Theatre Critics Association. It is playing in Geva's NextStage through April 27. The play is a lively exchange between high schoolers who are working on their homework, which centers on poet Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass." Visit gevatheatre.org for details.

Get out and run
Nearly 7,000 participants representing more than 100 businesses will participate Saturday in the 24th annual Heart Walk to benefit the American Heart Association. A health and wellness expo at Blue Cross Arena also is planned. Registration is at 8 a.m.; the 3.5-mile Heart Walk begins at 10 a.m. Go to rochesterheartwalk.org. The YMCA of Greater Rochester presents the Color Vibe 5K run, which turns participants into human canvases as runners are blasted with colors throughout their journey. First waves begin at 9 a.m. Sunday, with waves every five minutes after that. It benefits the YMCA. The race is at Monroe Community College. Visit rochesterymca.org/colorvibe.

RPO's Carnegie preview
The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra's May 7 concert at Carnegie Hall gets a preview in Rochester this weekend in Kodak Hall at Eastman Theatre. The RPO will present a concert production of "Merry Mount," an opera written by the late Howard Hanson, former director of the Eastman School of Music. The concert is part of Carnegie Hall's fourth annual Spring for Music festival. The Eastman-Rochester Chorus and the Bach Children's Chorus also will perform. Michael Christie, a Buffalo native and music director of the Minnesota Opera, will conduct. This will be the orchestra's first time playing at Carnegie Hall since 1985. The Rochester concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. today and 8 p.m. Saturday. Go to rpo.org.

Bat McGrath at Lovin' Cup
Folk singer Bat McGrath performs Saturday at Lovin' Cup in Henrietta. McGrath wrote the lyrics for Chuck Mangione's "Friends & Love" and performed with him in concert. In the late '70s, he recorded "From the Blue Eagle" and "The Spy." He has since gone on to work with major recording artists and has written songs for Kenny Rogers and Wynonna Judd, among others. Visit lovincup.com.

On the big screen
"Draft Day" stars Kevin Costner as general manager Sonny Weaver, who has the opportunity to save football in Cleveland when he trades for the number one pick. "Rio 2" finds Blu, Jewel and their three kids hurtled from that magical city to the wilds of the Amazon. "Oculus" is a horror flick about a haunted antique mirror that takes siblings Kaylie (Karen Gillan) and Tim (Brenton Thwaites) back to the harrowing tragedy of their parents' grisly deaths. Find movie times.

Collectors alert: Antique Show & Sale
Western New York dealers will show and sell their wares Saturday at the annual Antique Show & Sale at Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford. Visitors can browse rare finds and good bargains at the show, which features an extensive collection of furniture, paintings, textiles, books and ephemera, jewelry, porcelains and glassware. There's a preview party Friday from 6 to 8 p.m., at which visitors can preview the Saturday sale, enjoy complimentary hors d'oeuvres, wine and beer, and learn about 19th-century recycled antiques from Peter Wisbey, the museum's curator of collections. It costs $30 and includes admission to the Saturday show. Visit gcv.org. To check out other museums in our area, go to the digital edition of Explore or the Explore website.

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