Journeys in India, the true price of coffee and international cinema

Northwest Film Forum presents a special event Tuesday: Seattle filmmaker John Jeffcoat will speak about his experiences making films in India, including the in-progress documentary "Bollywood and Me" and the narrative feature "Outsourced," a recent prizewinner at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Jeffcoat will talk about moving between the genres of fiction and nonfiction film, and about the challenges and benefits of working abroad. The evening will also include sneak peeks at both films. 7 p.m. Tuesday; tickets are $3 (free for NWFF members).

Also at NWFF this week: The documentary "Black Gold," Marc Francis and Nick Francis' exposé of the global coffee industry, will screen at 4 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free, but you must RSVP to rsvp@communitycinemaseattle.org or 800-930-6060.

And the series "Lighter Than Air: The Films of Jacques Rivette" concludes this weekend, with screenings of the MGM-inspired musical "Haut Bas Fragile"; the 2001 Luigi Pirandello-inspired romantic comedy "Va Savoir"; and the French filmmaker's most recent work, the romantic fantasy "The Story of Marie and Julien." All NWFF events take place at 1515 12th Ave., Seattle; see www.nwfilmforum.org or 206-267-5380.

The Grand Illusion continues its presentation of Tony Gatlif's Gypsy trilogy with its middle film, "Mondo." Filmed in 1996, it's the story of a Gypsy boy who wanders the streets of Nice, France, looking for someone to adopt him. It screens nightly through Thursday. Also at the Grand Illusion is the Oscar-nominated documentary "Iraq in Fragments," a look at everyday life in war-torn Iraq directed by Seattle filmmaker James Longley. It screens at 5 tonight and 1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 1403 N.E. 50th St., Seattle; 206-523-3935 or www.grandillusioncinema.org.

In honor of International Women's Month, the Aaina Film Festival will take place this weekend at Central Cinema, focusing on the lives of South Asian women here in the U.S. and abroad. The festival includes live performance, an opening-night presentation of local short films and authors, and a full weekend of film programming including the documentary "The Beauty Academy of Kabul," about a group of women who open Afghanistan's first American-styled school of cosmetology, and "Amu," a drama about a young Indian-American woman who must confront secrets from her past. "Amu" filmmaker Shonali Bose will be present for a post-film discussion. Suggested donation is $5 for opening-night and daytime screenings, $7 for evening screenings; for details, go to www.tasveer.org. Central Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., Seattle.

Seattle International Film Festival's series "Essential Art House: 50 Years of Janus Films" continues this week with the Fellini classic "La Strada," Luis Buñuel's controversial "Virdiana," the rarely screened Jean Vigo boarding-school drama "Zero de conduite" ("Zero for Conduct"), Juan Antonio Bardem's Spanish drama of class consciousness "Death of a Cyclist," and a mini Ingmar Bergman festival: "The Seventh Seal," "Wild Strawberries" and "Smiles of a Summer Night" (which would later inspire the musical "A Little Night Music"). All films screen at the new SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall; tickets are $9 ($7.50 for SIFF members) and are available at the door (321 Mercer St., Seattle) or online at www.seattlefilm.org.

And finally ... well, I'm trying to make a connection between St. Patrick's Day and "The Creature from the Black Lagoon," but I can't do it. (You wouldn't want to make that a green lagoon, would you?) In any case, the 1954 thriller will screen — in 3-D! — at the Egyptian at midnight tonight and Saturday, in case you get tired of drinking green beer. Egyptian, 805 E. Pine St., Seattle; 206-781-5755 or www.landmarktheatres.com.

Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com