A documentary chronicling the challenges of mixed-race blood cancer patients is screening at the Nikkei National Museum and Cultural Centre next weekend.
Mixed Match, a documentary by director Jeff Chiba Stearns, is showing on Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m.
Stearns’ film follows the lives of blood cancer patients who are seeking bone marrow donors for life-saving transplants – and, in so doing, are forced to reflect on their multiracial identities and complex genetics.
“With the multiracial community becoming one of the fastest-growing demographics in North America, being mixed race is no longer just about an identity, it can be a matter of life and death,” a press release notes.
Canadian Blood Services will be on site to sign up bone marrow donors after the screening.
Nikkei Centre is at 6688 Southoaks Cres. Admission is by donation, with suggested donation of $5. See www.nikkeiplace.org for details.
AUTHOR HONOURED
A Burnaby-based author is in the running for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize at this year’s B.C. Book Prizes.
Jen Sookfong Lee’s The Conjoined is one of five novels shortlisted for the fiction prize in this year’s awards. She’s up against Joan Haggerty’s The Dancehall Years, Anosh Irani’s The Parcel, Ashley Little’s Niagara Motel and Jennifer Manuel’s The Heaviness of Things that Float.
Other awards recognize the best in non-fiction, poetry and children’s literature, among others.
The shortlist was announced March 7, and winners will be presented at a gala event on Saturday, April 29. See www.bcbookprizes.ca for all the details.
MUSIC AT BRENTWOOD
Brentwood Presbyterian Church is playing host to more entertaining musical offerings.
Brentwood’s concert series continues on Saturday, March 25 with a 7:30 p.m. performance by the Gleusteen Duo, featuring classical works for piano and violin. Tickets are $40, or $20 for students, available at the door.
On Saturday, March 26 at 7 p.m., the Laura Crema Quartet is offering a benefit concert supporting bursaries for the Christian Urban Camp offered this summer by churches of New Westminster and Burnaby. It’s by donation.
And, on Saturday, April 1, audiences can enjoy a benefit concert for the Sippa Memorial Scholarship at Vancouver Film School, freaturing the release of Natalia Pardalis’ new music video, Cup of Tea, and an acoustic set from her EP I’m in love with Fairytales. You can find out more about her at www.nataliapardalis.com.
Check out more about happenings at Brentwood online at www.brentwoodpc.ca.
TOP STUDENTS IN CONCERT
You can enjoy performances by some rising stars in the classical music world during an April 1 concert.
Students who achieved top marks in the Royal Conservatory of Music exams in 2016 will perform in piano, violin and voice. The performance is set for Saturday, April 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Room 102 at the Shadbolt Centre, 6450 Deer Lake Ave.
Tickets are $10, or $8 for students and seniors. You can buy them at the door, and a reception will follow.
JAZZ AT THE MALL
Jazz music fans, take note.
Brentwood Town Centre is presenting live jazz performances by local musicians every Saturday and Sunday in April. The PK3 Jazz Trio, It Takes 2 and Maria Ho are featured on weekends from noon to 2 p.m. in the mall’s centre court.
Check out www.brentwoodtowncentre.com and look under News and Events for details – or just drop in to the mall to check out the music on an April weekend.
ALLEGORICAL ART
Yes, Luminescence is just about to open at Deer Lake Gallery, but this upcoming show needs to be on your radar too.
Coming up on Thursday, April 13 is opening night for Allegory, an exhibition featuring the work of photographers Julie Prescott and Kenneth Gillespie.
It will be on at the gallery until May 6, following on the heels of the Luminescence II exhibition that runs March 18 to April 8.
A press release about the show notes that the two artists have a commonality: “both establish a link between the landscape’s reality and that imagined by its conceiver; the hidden meaning, or allegory. Both challenge the subject from completely different perspectives.”
Check out www.burnabyartscouncil.org for details – and save April 13, 7 p.m. for the opening reception.
Do you have an item for Lively City? Send arts and entertainment ideas to Julie, jmaclellan@burnabynow.com, or find her on Twitter @juliemaclellan.
