The immortal Tchaikovsky holiday classic. Performed at the Royal Opera House in London and featuring the Royal Ballet and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. The film screens on Saturday, December 11 at noon and Sunday, December 12 at 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 general admission, $12 discount tickets. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.

Based on the book of the same name by Denise Paraná, this film looks at the life of Brazil’s outgoing President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. From his birth in 1945 and impoverished childhood as a shoe shine boy up to 1980, when he became the leader of the Workers’ Party, Lula, The Son of Brazil tells this extraordinary and inspiring story of his rise above hardship through the death of his mother, Dona Lindu, who raised eight children on her own while teaching them all to live life with dignity, no matter what. The film features a standout performance by Glória Pires as Dona Lindu and is Brazil’s official entry into the 2010 Academy Awards. The film premiered in Miami as part of the 14th Brazilian Film Festival of Miami. In Portuguese with English subtitles. The film screens on Friday, December 10 at 9 p.m.; Saturday, December 11 at 2:15 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, December 12 at 4:15 and 9 p.m. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non-UM students, and staff. General admission is $8. Cash only. Free for UM students. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.

Marwencol is a documentary about the fantasy world of Mark Hogancamp. After being beaten into a brain-damaging coma by five men outside a bar, Mark builds a 1/6th scale World War II-era town in his backyard. He populates the town he dubs “Marwencol” with dolls representing his friends and family and creates life-like photographs detailing the town’s many relationships and dramas. Playing in the town and photographing the action helps Mark to recover his hand-eye coordination and deal with the psychic wounds of the attack. When Mark and his photographs are discovered, a prestigious New York gallery sets up an art show. Suddenly Mark’s homemade therapy is deemed “art,” forcing him to choose between the safety of his fantasy life in Marwencol and the real world that he’s avoided since the attack. The film screens on Friday, December 10 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 11 at 5 and 9:40 p.m.; and Sunday, December 12 at 2:30 and 7 p.m. Admission is $6 for seniors, University of Miami alumni, faculty, non-UM students, and staff. General admission is $8. Cash only. Free for UM students. For more information, visit www.cosfordcinema.com or call 305-284-4861.

The second annual “Skinny Dip: Dipping into Our Wallets to Save Our Skin” will be held on Saturday, December 11 at 6 p.m. at Kitchen 305 in The Newport Beachside Hotel and Resort, 16701 Collins Avenue, Sunny Isles Beach. The concert, which is in memory of Linda K. Snyder, will raise awareness and funds for melanoma research at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

More than 15 of South Florida’s top artists will perform on two stages throughout the night. Artists and bands will include Shawn Snyder, The Jacob Jeffries Band, Radioboxer, Big Poppa E and the E Band, Griffin Anthony, Jill Hartmann, Shauna Sweeney, and Fernando Perdomo of Dreaming in Stereo. Guests will also enjoy door prizes and a silent auction. A $15 suggested donation (includes drink ticket) will be requested at the door. For more information, visit www.theskinnydip.org.

Cattle Herder's Hat, collected between 1960-1973. Gift of Professor and Mrs. Robert R. Ferens.

Some never before seen works are on exhibit as part of “Useable Art: African Aesthetics in Daily Life from the UM Lowe Art Museum.” Most African art serves a function—spiritual if not utilitarian, or often both. This exhibition consists of objects that provide some purpose of daily living that can be relatively easily recognized by non-Africans. They can also be appreciated for the appeal of their forms, the beauty of their patterns, and the quality of craftsmanship.

The works are on view through Sunday, January 16, 2011, with the curator’s lecture also taking place on January 16 at 2 pm at the Lowe.

The Lowe’s extensive holdings of African art include not only ceremonial masks and ritual figures but also many objects made for use in daily life. This exhibition will showcase a selection of the finest containers, textiles, tools, home furnishings, and other useful objects—very few of which have ever been displayed.

“Usable Art” is organized by the Lowe Art Museum and is sponsored in part by The State of Florida and the African Art Endowment.

The Lowe Art Museum is located on the University of Miami’s Coral Gables campus at 1301 Stanford Drive, Coral Gables. Gallery and Museum Store hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday 12 to 4 p.m.; Closed Monday. Regular Admission (not including special events) is $10; $5 for seniors and non-UM students; free for Lowe Art Museum members, University of Miami students, faculty and staff, and children under 12. For more information, call 305-284-3535 or visit www.lowemuseum.org.