ON STAGE: The Memorandum and Rent

MUSIC: Peter, the Wolf and the provost, too

For your cinematic pleasure, we present some film choices for next week: Avatar, to be shown in the arboretum, and the 12th annual UC Davis Film Festival, at the Varsity Theatre.

The only bad part is a tough choice to be made when Avatar goes up against the first night of the film festival.

Movie Night in the Arboretum — Avatar (2009), presented by the Arboretum Ambassadors and the ASUCD Entertainment Council. The out-of-this-world movie won three Academy Awards: cinematography, art direction and visual effects. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (May 23), on the lawn at Lake Spafford, east of Mrak Hall (bring a blanket). Free.

UC Davis Film Festival — Two nights of student-produced films, with a different program each night. The selections have not been announced, but here is a sampling of the submissions, some of which may foretell of Academy Awards in the future:

A mockumentary about a washed-up child star, a comedy in which three 20-somethings attain mundane abilities after eating a very old casserole, an existential drama about a woman struggling with her life’s purpose, an animated action hero adventure and a documentary about finding the perfect bone marrow donor.

The Varsity Theatre presents the festival, which is produced in association with Cinema and Technocultural Studies and co-sponsored by the art studio department.

8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday (May 23-24), Varsity Theatre, 616 Second St., Davis. Tickets: $7 and $10, available at the theater box office. Read more.

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