  Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema (r); Erykah Badu (l)
go!
To hell with Hollywood - there are plenty of great international movies that hardly ever get shown in multiplex movie malls. The Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema is your chance to catch over 100 different films from all parts of the earth in less than two weeks. French director Claire Denis (Chocolat) will be in town to introduce her most recent film, Nenette and Boni, which tells the story of a couple of siblings whose only bond is a mutual hatred of their sister. Robert Downey, Sr. (Putney Swope) will chat about his new flick, Hugo Pool, which stars his son Robert Downey, Jr. along with Malcolm McDowell, Alyssa Milano and Richard Lewis. There are also several productions that put Philly in their sights. Poverty Outlaw documents the saga of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union and In the Weeds captures the strife of local waitrons. Don't forget the big closing celebration with rockabilly queen Rosie Flores. Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, Wed.-Sun., April 30-May 11, at venues around the city. Closing celebration, Sat., May 10, Manayunk Farmer's Market. Festival office: International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 1-800-WOW-PFWC. Tickets: call Upstages at 893-1145. PrideFest Of all the festivals that infest our city, none of 'em beats PrideFest for sheer diversity: bodybuilders, Bootlickers, Eleanor Roosevelt, Quentin Crisp, a 12-year-old lesbian, a killer condom, gay travel agents, a martial arts tournament, a national swim meet, a workshop on eroticizing safe sex (for women), a workshop on meeting men (for men), a national gay and lesbian leaders symposium, a gay artists' panel, a salsa party, a jock strap party, an outdoor music festival, and the kid who sued his school district for allowing him to suffer anti-gay abuse and settled for almost a million bucks - all over the course of five days in May. Billed as "the nation's largest, most comprehensive lesbian and gay festival," PrideFest, now in its fifth year, offers 75 events (many of them free) presented by 60 national and regional organizations in venues all over the city. PrideFest, May 7-11. For a complete schedule, call 732-FEST, or visit the Web site at http://www.PrideFest.org. What The Funk?! Ever since George Clinton and his Muthaship dropped anchor, Philly has been drunk with the funk - to say nuthin' about its pocket-calculator-tweaked brethren, electron-soul chillun Morcheeba, DJ Shadow and Sneaker Pimps. And there's no stoppin' this Soul Train now. With mirror balls glarin' and smoke machines pumping, handfuls of funky folk are headin' this way, live for May. And if the live funk doesn't kill you, pre-show spinners like DJs Will & Shawn, baaaad jazz DJ Adam, techno king Nigel Richards and soulful trancers King Britt and Dozia will. Me'Shell NdegeOcello: At once radical and calm, religious and tempestuous, hard soul sister NdegeOcello is as apt to bare her ass as she is her soul. Whether she is expressing a wild poetic vibe about the joys of motherhood, same-sex/opposite-sex relationships, the politics of abortion, God, enslavement or the sweet sweat of deep groove-punctuated R?, Me'Shell will commit deeply. As good quiet as she is loud. (T.L.A., Tues., May 6, 334 South St., 922-1011. ) Erykah Badu: Badu is a swirling soulstress whose acrobatic Billie Holiday-esque vocals find an eye in her not-so-quiet, beat-heavy storm. Her Baduizm (Universal) is aptly named. Amidst its thick rhythms and cool electric pianos, Badu finds an individualistic vibe no other can claim. (Electric Factory, Fri., May 9, 7th & Willow Sts., 336-2000.)
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