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Fine Arts Cinema closes with a 1926 film, 'The Adventures of Prince Achmed.' Urban Guide Listings to plan your week by Fine Arts Cinema It takes some time to settle into a comfortable relationship with a movie theater, and the Fine Arts Cinema seems like it's breaking up with East Bay film buffs just when the gettin's getting good. Now that we know where our favorite seats are, which candy bars are best, and how much time we have for a smoke during intermission, the 4 year-old Berkeley repertory cinema is closing shop. Temporarily. The independently owned and operated FAC which burst onto the Bay Area movie scene with bold programming and a nearly archeological ability to consistently dig up rare films was also enlightened with strong local roots, presenting docs and shorts from the vast Bay Area filmmaking scene and musicians to perform original scores. The theater will close this weekend as it opened, screening a 1926 animated film, The Adventures of Prince Achmed, a fantasy filled with magic carpets and island kingdoms illustrated by breathtakingly intricate paper cut-out silhouettes, presented with a live Arabic score by the Georges Lammam Ensemble. For us East Bay film lovers, our relationship is going long-distance. The Fine Arts Cinema will go "on the road," screening programs at various pick-up locations while its home on Shattuck Avenue is torn down and replaced by a multi-use building which they say will have a bigger and better FAC theater, coming in 2004. With farewells and future promises, we'll wait. Fri/26 ­ Sun/30. Fine Arts Cinema, 2451 Shattuck, Berk. 848.1143; www.fineartscinema.com. (PC) 'Woman Carrying Cotton,' by John W. Jones, "Confederate Currency: The Color of Money." Through June 29. The Color of Money Continue the celebration and education of Juneteenth this week by catching the end of a bold and revelatory exhibit at the African American Museum and Library of Oakland in its beautiful new digs on 14th Street. The show, called "Confederate Currency: The Color of Money," focuses on currencies issued by Southern states and banks during the mid-1800s depicting ­ among feathered script and cameos of Southern belles ­ propagandistic vignettes of slavery. Tiny sepia etchings, drab and faded on the bills, these scenes of happy chattel and their wealthy owners are brought to life by artist John W. Jones with bright acrylics and large canvases. Elegantly lit and hung side by side, the 30 or so bank notes and paintings tell a uniquely American story through an unusual medium -- "it's right on the money," Jones puns. One image, used on 21 different currencies, shows an immensely strong slave woman hoisting an enormous bail of cotton. While this boasts of the "manly" work enslaved women could perform, another bill, one from Georgia, depicts a version of Moneta, the Roman goddess of money, surrounded with bags of gold and tiny black silhouettes picking cotton in the background -- interestingly, this Moneta is mulatto. As its caption prompts, "What other elements of the system of slavery are present in this painting?" Through Sat/29, African American Museum and Library of Oakland, 659 14th St., Oakl. Tues-Sat 12pm-5:30pm. Free. 652.2344; www.colorsofmoney.com. (EL) Local designers flaunt their threads at the Oaktown Stitch Down. Oaktown Stitch Down How does "dessert" sound? If it sounds sweet to you, then Oaktown Stichdown wants you to know that they've got plenty, and they like to share. This up and coming collective comprised of eight fashion designers and their crew invite you to their new show "Dessert!" Fashion and fun await you this Thursday. The design styles will run the gamut from A to Z, but with a solid sense of selective discernment. The catwalk is now the bar. Celebrate the DIY ethic with fetching models. Arrive early if you want a seat. Expect a huge crowd, but don't be shy. The possibility of a connection runs rampant. Just leave Camu at the door. It's time to treat yourself. Come to Radio and get hooked up on the frequency. Oaktown Stichdown is also throwing out a casting call. If you're a fashion designer come by, say hi, and roll the dice. Thu/27, 7pm and 11 pm. Radio, 435 13th St., Oakl. Donations accepted. 451.2889. (CB) Picks by Corey Best (CB), Peter Crimmins (PC), and Eve Lotter (EL). [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]