Stories
Death in New York
H.R. Britton returns for another evening of this storytelling series. This time professional tellers focus on everyone’s favorite Halloween topics… death, dying, ghosts and ghouls, all set in New York City. The public is invited to share their own three-minute tale about the dead (or, as the case may be, the undead!) Included in this show will be James Braly, writer and performer of the monologue “Life in a Marital Institution,” which recently ran at the Soho Playhouse; Andy Christie, Moth GrandSlam champion and creator and host of “The Liar Show,” a monthly storytelling game show; Avner Kam, also known as “Kamchik, the Singing Cowboy,” a character for whom he wrote a one-person musical; and Marlene Nichols, a New York based writer & performer. Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m. Free. Tenement Museum Shop. 108 Orchard St. 212-982-8420, tenement.org.
Film
CortoCircuito
The Latino Short Film Festival “CortoCircuito” presents some of the most thought-provoking Latin American, Spanish, and Latino-U.S. shorts produced in the last five years. Animated and fictional short films as well as documentaries and experimental works will be featured. Over 50 titles will be presented, with films from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Cuba, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Spain, Venezuela, Uruguay, and the U.S. The festival opens on October 23, at 7 p.m., with a two-part program, “Kid at Heart,” a “kid”-protagonist-driven short film selection where humor and sometimes cruelty are the keys to discover our “hidden child.” The second half features a selection of short films that have won awards at such important film festivals as Cannes, Guadalajara, Havana and Mar del Plata. All films are English-subtitled. Oct. 23-25. Free and open to the public. King Juan Carlos I of Spain Center of NYU. 53 Washington Square South. For further information and a schedule of all films to be screened, visit nyu.edu/kjc/cortocircuito or cortocircuito.us.
“Gallos” by David Pantaleon (Spain)
NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE
Werner Herzog’s darkly poetic spin on F. W. Murnau’s classic stars the ever-intense Klaus Kinski as a batlike, skeletal, ghoulish Count Dracula. Paler than death, the Count lures a naïve estate agent (Bruno Ganz) to his decaying Transylvanian castle with the promise of easy money. But when he spies a portrait of the man’s beautiful wife (Isabelle Adjani), the vampire becomes obsessed and sets in motion their destruction. Herzog has produced, written and directed more than 40 films, among them “Aguirre, Wrath of God” (1972) and “Grizzly Man” (2005), but it’s “Nosferatu” (1979) that’s best suited – and disturbing enough – for Halloween. Oct. 29-Nov. 4. IFC Center. 323 Avenue of the Americas (at West 3rd St.) 212-924-7771, ifccenter.com.
Courtesy Photofest/IFC Center.
Isabelle Adjani as Lucy Harker and Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula
Books
Happy Hour Series
“You’ll Like This Film Because You’re in It” is a how-to book by Michel Gondry, director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “The Science of Sleep,” which, Rania Richardson wrote here, “solidified his reputation as a master of whimsy.” This paperback was inspired by his latest film, “Be Kind Rewind.” Edited and art directed by Gondry himself, the book discusses the ideas behind his “Cinema Club” and is as unique, funny and fanciful as his films, serving as an inspirational guide to aspiring independent filmmakers. Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Free. Strand Bookstore. 828 Broadway (at 12th St.) 212-473-1452, strandbooks.com.
Reading
Collegiate competition
Kate Torgovnick, author of “Cheer!: Three Teams on a Quest for College Cheerleading’s Ultimate Prize,” read from her work alongside GQ editor Mickey Rapkin, who reads from “Pitch Perfect,” his book about college a cappella groups. Refuting the common misperception that cheerleading is all fluff, Torgonick’s account, wrote our reviewe Michael Rymer, is “above all a book about a grueling sport for which participants prim their faces before dawn on game days but also tear ligaments, lose toenails, and suffer black eyes.” This reading also features a “Cheer!” slideshow, and a special a cappella performance. Monday, Oct. 27 at 7 p.m. Free. Housing Works Book Café. 126 Crosby St. (betw. Prince & Houston Sts.)
Correction: Last week’s A-list incorrectly stated the date that author Walter Mosley will be reading at NYU. The reading will be on Friday, Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. Lillian Vernon Creative Writers House, 58 West 10th St.
