The classic Japanese film Sansho – The Bailiff will screen at the International House (3701 Chestnut St.) tonight as part of the Cherry Blossom Festival. All proceeds will be donated to the Philadelphia- Japan Disaster Relief Fund.

Here is a description of the 1954 film from the International House website:

“When an idealistic governor disobeys the reigning feudal lord, he is cast into exile, his wife and children left to fend for themselves and eventually wrenched apart by vicious slave traders. Under Kenji Mizoguchi’s dazzling direction, this classic Japanese story became one of cinema’s greatest masterpieces: a monumental, empathetic expression of human resilience in the face of evil.”

Tickets are $8 for general admission, $6 for students/seniors and $5 for Internationalist members.

All of the funds raised in the Philadelphia-Japan Disaster Relief Fund will go directly to the Japanese Red Cross Society in Japan.

Things are looking up. Spring is near. We can taste it. Here are a few things going down this weekend. Let us know if we missed something especially important to you. Write editor — at — westphillylocal.com.

Saturday, March 12

• Chess Tournament • 1 p.m. • Lucien E. Blackwell West Philadelphia Regional Library (125 S. 52nd St.) • Free

Join chess players from around West Philly for this free chess tournament. Adults and children are welcome, though they will compete separately.  See more information here.

• Tool Library Yard Sale • 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. • West Philly Tool Library (4620 Woodland Ave.)

The West Philly Tool Library is celebrating its third anniversary with its annual yard sale. Four Worlds Bakery will provide treats.

• All Around This World musical snack time • 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. • Milk and Honey Market (4425 Baltimore Ave.) • Free

Good music and snacks from Jay Sands for kids 0-8 years. This thing fills up quick so you might want to RSVP. Call Jay at 215-913-2679.

• Javaflix Movie Discussion Night • 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. • VCC Office and Cultural Center (4523 Springfield Ave.) • Free

The Javaflix discussion group will watch and discuss Gasland, the Oscar-nominated documentary about the effects of natural gas drilling (a process called “fracking”). The film is particularly pertinent for Philadelphia residents because of the drilling upstream in northeastern and northcentral Pennsylvania. Here’s a trailer for Gasland.

Sunday, March 13

• Kids Rock for Kids benefit Concert • 11:30 a.m. • World Cafe Live (3025 Walnut St.) •Tickets: $7

World Cafe Live’s “Kids Rock for Kids” rock concert series benefits children’s medical charities in the Philadelphia area several times throughout the year. Concerts feature teenage rock bands from Music Training Centers’ Rock 101 program in a family-friendly atmosphere.This event will benefit LiveConnections.org, which creates innovative music education programs for children and special needs populations.

• Cat’s Pajamas Kids Music Fundraiser for the Global Leadership Academy • 5 p.m. • Green Line Cafe (45th and Locust) • Tickets: $5-$15 for kids and adults on a sliding scale.

On January 9, 2011, a fire hit the building housing the Global Leadership Academy in West Philly. We’re joining the fundraising effort, as GLA prepares to open a new building next school year! The Cat’s Pajamas makes very cool music for kids, bringing a musical-comedy twist to high-octane kid-rock. All the proceeds go directly to the GLA’s Fire Relief fund! For more info on Cat’s Pajama’s go here.

Need a cheap tool? Maybe a hammer for a buck? A tool box for two bucks? Or maybe you just want a good cup of coffee and a scrumptious pastry on a Saturday morning. If so then head down to Woodland Avenue on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for the annual Yard Sale Jamboree at the West Philly Tool Library (4620 Woodland Avenue).

The Tool Library is selling off all of the stuff it can’t loan out.

Michael Froehlich of the Tool Library writes:

Each year, the Tool Library receives hundreds of donations of tools, hardware, and, frankly, lots of things we don’t really know what to do with. Many of them we can put into circulation. But lots of them we can’t. This Saturday we’ll be emptying our basement and selling them off.

An added treat will be free coffee and pastries from nearby Four Worlds Bakery (4634 Woodland Ave.). Michael expects a visit from the Build-It Bus, the traveling workshop for kids, at about noon.

If you can’t make it Saturday but you still want to help out the Tool Library always accepts tools and cash donations. Click on their link above for more info.

We forgot to mention a couple of posts ago that there will be two more fundraisers for the Windermere fire victims this week.

The first will be Wednesday, March 2 at Drexel’s Mandell Theater (33rd and Chestnut) at 7:30 p.m. The event features performances by the Blue Diamond Dragon Step Team, the Chinese Graduate Dance Club, the Treble Makers, Drexel Jhalak, the Drexel Comedy Football Team and more. Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell is also scheduled to be in the house. All proceeds go to the Walnut Hill Community Association fire victims fund.

A second fundraiser is set for Friday, March 4 from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.). The “Arts for the Cause” show features a bunch of talented performers, including jazz vocalist Rajdulari, Monica McIntyre and the Rosemary Fiki Band.

Here is a video of Monica McIntyre and friends performing “Ghetto Magic” at The Rotunda last January.

Here are some things going on this weekend. For more, check the Happenings page:

• Fun-A-Day Art Show • Friday 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. and Saturday 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. & 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. • Studio 34 (4522 Baltimore Ave.) • Free admission

The Seventh Annual Fun-A-Day Art Show presents an eclectic array of art your friends and neighbors made every day for the month of January. Also featuring performances, food and refreshments. Don’t forget to bring your kids. On Saturday don’t miss an open mic reading event (5 p.m. to 7 p.m.) and the main show (7 p.m. to 11 p.m.).

• Mariposa Food Co-op Flea Market • Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. • New Mariposa building (4824 Baltimore Ave.) • Free admission

Vendors will be showing off their: hand-made jewelry, baked goods, new-to-you clothes, books, records, services, pottery, pet treats, and artworks. You can also meet some local body workers and get a sample of their skills at the market. And while you are at the market, check out the Mariposa tables. You can talk to a representative about the expansion, see the plans and learn how you can make a financial contribution to the expansion.

• 30th Annual Chinese New Year Celebration • Penn Museum (3260 South St.)

The celebration features music and dance performances, healing and martial arts demonstrations, games, workshops, children’s activities, and grand opening as well as grand finale lion dance performances. The celebration is free with Museum admission donation ($10 general admission; $7 senior citizens [65+]; $6 students [with ID] and children [6 to 17]; free for children under 6, members, and PennCard holders). See the complete schedule of events here.

• Great Expectations • 8 p.m. • Curio Theatre • 815 S. 48th St. • Tickets $10 to $15

The Dickens classic opens tonight at the Curio. There is also a Saturday performance at 8 p.m.

This is a very cool event going on in the neighborhood tonight. First, author Sara Marcus will read from her book Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution at the Kelly Writers House (3805 Locust Walk on the Penn campus) at 6 p.m. The book explores the Riot Grrl movement, which started in the mid 1990s and has taken root in a number of cities in the form of female empowerment efforts.

In Philadelphia, those efforts include Girls Rock Philly, a rock & empowerment camp where girls ages 9-17 learn instruments, write songs & form their own bands. The founder of that group, Beth Warshaw-Duncan, will join Marcus, Kathleen Hanna (the front woman of the pivotal Riot Grrl band Bikini Kill) and activist/musician Katy Otto for a panel discussion on topics ranging from the panelists’ own participation in the movement to “what women in music can and should be doing today.” Copies of Marcus’ book will also be available at the discussion.

Then it’s time to rock. A  concert will follow the discussion nearby at The Rotunda (4014 Walnut St.) beginning at 8 p.m. The benefit show for Girls Rock Philly will feature Trophy Wife, Whore Paint (Providence), Slutever and Cat Vet. Suggested donation is $5. All proceeds go to Girls Rock Philly.