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The Participant Observer Book of the Month selection is The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. In this Pulitzer Prize-winning follow-up to The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys unjustly sentenced to a hellish reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.

The 32nd Annual San Diego International Jewish Film Festival is in full swing with films screening live and virtually from now until the 20th.

Today (Friday) The Fleet Science Center will present an IMAX screening of  Get Back, a film of the famous Beatles 1969 rooftop concert. On Her Shoulders We Stand, billed "a multi-sensory, immersive experience," continues at Bread and Salt. ABBA Mania will perform tonight at the Balboa Theatre. The Chula Vista Onstage Playhouse will be offering performances of the provocative play Ad(mission)s from now until the end of the month. Trouble in Mind continues at the Old Globe with performances until mid-March.

Tomorrow (Saturday), City Heights will be hosting a Festival of Love to celebrate the area's rich diversity. The Tijuana Street Food Tours are starting up again. We've done this tour, and sampling the culinary delights of Tijuana really is a great way to spend a day. To celebrate the Year of the Tiger, the Lucky Lion Dancers will perform at the Poway Library. The Worldbeat Center's children’s theatre group will present their rendition of The Wiz. Mexican stand-up comedians Jo Jo Jorge Falcon & Gira De Despedida will perform at the Magnolia Performing Arts Center in El Cajon. The San Diego Opera continues its performances of Mozart's Così fan tutte (The School for Lovers) at the Civic Theater. Mexican Cumbia Romantica band BXS Bryndis will perform at the Music Box.

On Sunday, in addition to all the repeating events mentioned above, there will be a Native American Flute Circle at Mission Trails Park.

Monday at the Grandstand in Kensington, cellist, composer and multilingual vocalist Ian Maksin will perform original cello music and love songs in a plethora of languages.

Tuesday, Dr. William A. Smith will present a virtual talk on Understanding Racial Battle Fatigue.

Wednesday, the Organization of Chinese Americans will hold a Lantern Parade for Inclusion at Frazee State Beach in Carlsbad. The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation will host a virtual talk on The Portuguese in San Diego.

Next Thursday, the San Diego Italian Film Festival will present an online screening of the film La dea Fortuna (The Goddess of Fortune) in Italian with English subtitles.

Next Friday, the Center for World Music, in partnership with Mingei Museum, will present renowned virtuoso on the Ghanaian gyil, SK Kakraba.  Should be an enchanting concert in an intimate venue. As an added bonus, from 4:00 PM onwards, ticket holders will have free access to exhibits in the Mingei's Gallery Level.

Everyone here at the San Diego Participant Observer and the Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating and culturally rich experiences. See you next week!

NOTE: Covid-19 remains a serious public health problem. Please use utmost caution so that you protect yourself and others.

	Badhaai Do		Instead of coming out, a gay man and a lesbian enter into a marriage of convenience to appease their parents.
	Beatles: Get Back - The Rooftop Concert		Filmmaker Peter Jackson presents restored, never-before-seen footage of the Beatles during their recording sessions of the album "Let It Be."
	Belfast		A semi-autobiographical film which chronicles the life of a working class family and their young son's childhood during the tumult of the late 1960s in the Northern Ireland capital.
	Belle		A high school student becomes a globally beloved singer after entering a fantastic virtual world. She soon embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of a mysterious beast who's on the run from ruthless vigilantes.
	Death on the Nile		Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot's Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple's idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short.
	DJ Tillu		A lazy young man spends his time chasing girls, until an incident changes his life forever..
	Encanto		The Madrigals are an extraordinary family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto. the magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift -- every child except Mirabel. However, she soon may be the Madrigals last hope when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is now in danger.
	House of Gucci		When Patrizia Reggiani, an outsider from humble beginnings, marries into the Gucci family, her unbridled ambition begins to unravel the family legacy and triggers a reckless spiral of betrayal, decadence, revenge -- and ultimately murder.
	Parallel Mothers		Two single women meet in a hospital room where they are both going to give birth. One is middle aged and doesn't regret it, while the other is adolescent and scared. The two women form a strong bond with one another as they both confront motherhood.
	Rifkin's Festival		A woman has an affair with a French filmmaker, while her husband falls in love with a beautiful Spaniard.
	The French Dispach		A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in "The French Dispatch."
	The Tragedy of Macbeth		A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland. His ambitious wife will do anything to support him in his plans of seizing power.
	The Worst Person in the World		A young woman battles indecisiveness as she traverses the troubled waters of her love life and struggles to find her career path.
	West Side Story		Love at first sight strikes when young Tony spots Maria at a high school dance in 1957 New York City. Their burgeoning romance helps to fuel the fire between the warring Jets and Sharks -- two rival gangs vying for control of the streets.