Hello San Diego,

This weekend, the Joyce Forum Jewish Short Film Festival will take place at the Lawrence Family JCC. The San Diego Filipino Film Festival in Chula Vista continues until Tuesday. Carmen opens today at the California Center for the Arts with performances through to Sunday. Next week, there will also be performances of Carmen at the Joan B. Kroc Theater.

Today (Friday), there will be a Dia de Los Muertos Mixer hosted by the House of Mexico at the International Cottages. The SDIFF will screen a generous number of Italian Shorts at the Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park. Warwick's will host Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni as she discusses and signs her newest book, The Last Queen: A Novel of Courage and Resistance. Filipino alternative pop-rock band Silent Sanctuary will perform at Music Box. The German film Mein Sohn (My Son) opens tonight at the Digital Gym, and there will be two additional screens in the coming days.

Saturday and Sunday, the House of Czech and Slovak Republics will hold their annual Lawn Program at the International Cottages.

Saturday, the 24th Annual Arch in the Park will be hosted by the San Diego Archaeological Society. The Chinese Historical Museum will host online William H. Ma who will discuss European figures as decorative motifs in a talk entitled: Ornamental Barbarians. The 1st Annual Gaelic Games and Irish Cultural Picnic will take place at Kearny Mesa Recreation Center. The Worldbeat Center will host their Taste of Africa, Tribute to Fela Kuti event featuring a variety of food, dance, yoga, beer, and live music. At the Spanish Village Art Center in Balboa Park, there will be a World Singing Day Celebration. Ukulele-powered Hawaiian jam-rock band Kanekoa will perform at the Museum of Making Music. The SDIFF feStivale screening will be Calcinculo (Swing Ride).

Sunday, the Escondido Grand Avenue Festival will be happening. At Queen Bee's Art and Cultural Center, there will be a Mochi Monster Mash. Not exactly sure what that is, but they are promising "delicious food and enthralling musical performances"! The SDIFF feStivale will continue with a screening of the film Settembre (September). The biopic film Frida will screen at the Digital Gym. A lecture series on the Dutch painter Vermeer will begin at the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park.

Monday, at CSU San Marcos, Dr. Ana Muñiz will give a talk entitled: Borderland Circuitry / Immigration Surveillance. The wonderful organization from South Africa, The Peace Train, will screen their inspirational film When Voices Meet at the Central Library. The event will include a performance and Q&A with the group's founder, Sharon Katz. Also at the Central Library, UCSD professor John D. Blanco will discuss José Rizal’s classic book Noli Me Tángere (Latin for Touch Me Not). Japanese rock group Band-Maid will perform at House of Blues.

Tuesday, at the Sherman Heights Community Center, there will be a Dia de Los Muertos Flower Crown Workshop. Peace Train's Sharon Katz will once again take the stage at Humphrey's by the Bay along with two local women singer/songwriters.

Wednesday, the San Diego International Film Festival kicks off with its Opening Night and Gala at MOPA in Balboa Park. Most of the subsequent film screenings will be at the Westfield UTC (formerly Arclight). The SDIFF continues until next Sunday. At the Coronado Library, Milos Forman's Loves of a Blond will be shown. As part of the Italian Film Festival's 2022 feStivale series, the film La Terra dei Figli (The Land of the Sons) will be presented at the Digital Gym. At the Southwestern College Performing Arts Center, The Songs of Frida Kahlo concert will feature some of Kahlo's favorite songs.

Thursday, there will be Día de los Muertos Altar Workshop at the Encinitas Library. Sharon Katz and the Peace Train continue their tour of the San Diego area with a free concert at Del Mar Plaza. At the Sherman Heights Community Center, there will be a workshop for creating Dia de los Muertos Nicho, or a Day of the Dead Box. The Italian Film Festival will screen the film Futura at MOPA. At UCSD's Park and Market, there will be a talk on Who were Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo? Reykjavik group Kaelen Mikla will perform at the Music Box. Japanese singer-songwriter Haru Nemuri will perform at the Soda Bar.

Throughout next weekend, Carmen will take place at the Joan B. Kroc Theater.

Next Friday, at the Olivewood Gardens, chef & kitchenista Aureny Aranda will be Celebrating Cultura con The Kitchenistas. Warwick’s & University of San Diego’s College of Arts and Sciences present acclaimed author Celeste Ng who will talk about her book Our Missing Hearts. The Middle-Earth Ensemble and several belly dancers will perform at Sufi Mediterranean Cuisine. There will be a Royal Diwali Party in Mira Mesa. The Italian film Ariaferma (The Inner Cage) will be shown at MOPA. The all-female Mariachi band Flor de Toloache will perform at the Music Box.

Next Saturday, there will be a Latina Success Conference at SDSU. The House of Turkiye will hold their annual Lawn Program at the International Cottages. At the Chula Vista Center, the first annual Funky Chicanos Music Festival will happen. The House of Korea will present Korea-ful Night celebrating Korean culture. The San Diego Italian Film Festival will wrap up with the Ristretto Awards Gala at MOPA. At UCSD's Conrad Prebys Music Center, there will be a performance exploring the Art of Improvisation Iranian Contemporary Dance and Music. Spanish pop singer Rafael will perform at The Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre.

Next Sunday, the Oceanside Dia de los Muertos Festival will take place. The House of Puerto Rico will hold their annual Lawn Program at the International Cottages. At Normal Heights Community Dev, Pepele Mendez and Lakshmi Basile will hold a Flamenco Workshop for aspiring singers, dancers, and guitarists. Halluci Nation will perform at the Belly Up.

Cross-cultural/international-themed theatrical offerings in San Diego include Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical (ends Sunday) at the Old Globe's Shiley Stage, What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank at the Old Globe's Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre, Kristina Wong - Sweatshop Overlord (ends Sunday)at the La Jolla Playhouse, and Chasing Shakespeare at the Community Actors Theatre.

Lastly, don't for get to check out Ongoing and Extended Events as well as our extensive list of International Films screening in local theaters!

Everyone here at the San Diego Participant Observer and the Worldview Project wish you fulfilling, illuminating, and culturally-rich experiences in the days ahead. Stay safe and see you next week!!

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Salvadorian Pupusas with Curtido

Our Recipe of the Month is for Pupusas and Curtido. A street food staple, pupusas are cheese-filled "corn pancakes." Served with sides of curtido salad and tomato salsa, they are a satisfying treat.