Film events

Leonard A. Oakland Film Festival - Fifth annual event pays tribute to Oakland, a professor of English and a member of the Core 250 team who has taught at Whitworth for 47 years. TODAY, “Get Low,” 7 p.m. Director: Aaron Schneider, 2009. A recluse (Robert Duvall) emerges from the Tennessee woods after 40 years; he is the topic of much town gossip – including rumors that he’s a cold-hearted killer. He walks into a funeral parlor, announces plans to throw himself an epic party, and surprises everyone at the much-anticipated gathering by revealing why he shunned society for life in the woods. Rated PG-13. “Jackie Brown,” 10 p.m. Director: Quentin Tarantino, 1997. A flight attendant gets caught smuggling gun money and has to choose whether to rat out her murderous boss or keep quiet and do time. She meets a burned-out older guy whose marriage has fallen apart, and he becomes instrumental in both her life and her plan to stay out of jail and cop a million-dollar payoff. Rated R. SATURDAY: “4 Little Girls,” 7 p.m. Director: Spike Lee, 2001. In 1963, four girls, ages 11-14, were killed in an infamous church bombing in Birmingham, Ala. This movie, Lee’s first feature-length documentary, examines not only the crime, its aftermath, and its pivotal place in civil-rights history, but the lives of the four girls as their family and friends remember them. Not rated. “Bill Cosby: Himself,” 10 p.m. A concert movie from the zenith of Cosby’s on-stage comedic career; he holds court on subjects ranging from childbirth to substance abuse. While his subjects can be serious, his perspectives are usually hilarious and always entertaining. Whitworth University, Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall, 300 W. Hawthorne Road. (509) 777-4250.

Oscar-Nominated Short Films - Today-Saturday. In Animation and Live Action categories.

TODAY, 7:30, films nominated for Best Animated Shorts are: Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare”: TV’s ageless baby attends the Ayn Rand Daycare Center, where she rescues a lonely caterpillar and rebels against being average; “Adam and Dog”: A playful dog exploring the world in the first days of creation makes a profound connection when he comes upon the first man; “Fresh Guacamole”: An unseen cook transforms a series of unusual but everyday ingredients into a bowl of guacamole; “Head Over Heels”: The emotional distance between a long-married husband and wife results in an unusual living arrangement; “Paperman”: A young man working in a mid-century New York City office tries desperately to attract the attention of a girl in the skyscraper across the street. The lineup also includes “Abiogenesis,” “Dripped” and “The Gruffalo’s Child.” Family-friendly.

SATURDAY, 7:30 p.m., films nominated for Best Live Action Shorts are: “Death of a Shadow”: A World War I soldier attempts to ransom his soul from Death and return to the woman he fell in love with before he died; “Henry”: An aging concert pianist undergoes a series of confusing but inevitable experiences as he searches for his missing wife; “Curfew”: At the lowest point of his life, a young man gets a call from his estranged sister asking him to babysit his 9-year-old niece; “Buzkashi Boys”: Two boys in contemporary Afghanistan, a defiant blacksmith’s son and a charismatic street urchin, dream of winning a popular and fierce polo match; “Asad”: A boy from a war-torn Somali fishing village must decide between a life of piracy or the life of an honest fisherman. Panida Theater, 300 N. First Ave., Sandpoint. $7/adults, $6/seniors and students. (208) 263-9191.

“Strong!” - Cheryl Haworth is a young woman with a big dream: to be the strongest woman in the world. As the 300-pound U.S. Olympic weightlifter prepares for Beijing 2008, she struggles with injury, confidence, and her place in a world where larger women are not readily accepted. The film addresses the pressing need for acceptance and compassion for young women and sometimes young men of all sizes who struggle, often in very detrimental ways, with the overwhelming pressure to be thin. (77 minutes). Presented by Women’s Studies Center. Wednesday, Noon-2 p.m., Eastern Washington University, Monroe 207, Cheney. Free. (509) 359-2898.