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Urban Guide Listings to plan your week by Voices and Visions Independent Short Film Festival showcases shorts by local filmmakers. Voices and Visions Independent Short Film Festival Back for more after a successful first fest last winter, the Voices and Visions Independent Short Film Festival is going down, encore, July 20th at The Black Box in downtown Oakland. "Voices" for cinephiles, noise-starved, post-last weekend's silent film festival and ready for a contemporary message. "Visions," plural, for those preferring a number of films in a variety of styles (like a documentary about a smash-up car derby, cutting-edge digital piece that waxes poetic, montage of The End clips from old movies [a conceptual delight], and animated short called The Money Pig -- all in rapid succession). This Saturday's Voices and Visions is sure to screen a little something for everybody. With some of the films based in the area and some of the filmmakers from the area, reasons to stop by and support Bay Area cinema at a wonderful Oakland venue abound. Sat/20, 8pm (7:30 doors). The Black Box, 1928 Telegraph Ave, Oakl. $12-15. 595.5597; www.blackboxoakland.com. (EL) Cuica Y Clave III "SalsamBa Carnival" Couldn't get enough of the salsa samba party groove at this year's Carnival? Well, who says that the sites, smells, and rhythms of Brazilian dance and culture have to be celebrated once a year? For world-class charanga band Orquesta Charanson, a fusion of local Oakland residents with roots representing many cultures from around the world, the collective spirit of Carnival lives on year round. Led by violinist and band member Anthony Blea, Charanson will keep the flame alive this Saturday at the Shattuck Down Low as they light up the stage and dance floor with their unique Salsa cubano sound. First, grab a bite of some delectable Brazilian and Cuban cuisine to keep your tummy warm. Then be prepared to do some serious hip shakin' and feet grindin' to a blend of original works and old favorites. San Francisco Carnival King '99, Alain Soto, will be in effect to teach free salsa and samba lessons for those who want to learn some skills. Sat/20, 8:30 pm (8 doors). Shattuck Down Low, 2284 Shattuck Ave., Berk. $10 advance, $15 door. 1.866.841.9139 ext. 4373. (CS) The heat is on: Fan the inner flame at Eccentric Design Group's Fire Garden. The Fire Garden Armored medieval knights battling electricity? Untouchable fire sculptures hot and hissing? Glass gardens that glow at night? The images don't really have an easy nesting place, but that's why they work. Berkeley's Eccentric Design Group, a collective of artists and performers collaborating on interactive sculpture, performance, and ambiance, have cooked up something truly indefinable in this year's mindblower, the Fire Garden. In Golden Pacific Brewery's 20,000 sq. foot parking lot, Eccentric artists and performers use fire as the medium, welding dance, film, and fashion together for a nocturnal sensory feast. Wander the yellow-blue landscape and catch Therm's lighting performances, Light Fantastics mobile light forms, Fashion by Firelight's "fetish insects," and the CinePimp's avant-garde film projections. It's just too much for one night, so Eccentric has spread it over two. Not to mention also Reverend Screaming Fingers' sonic mayhem, and the The Space Cowboys' housey inferno, fanning the fires. Friday only, see Pyro performance group Lapsus; Saturday, the Ultra Gyspy's blazing belly dancing. If you ever wanted to pay head to our common primeval fire, this is the bonfire to dance around. Fri/19 and Sat/20, 8pm-2am. Golden Pacific Brewery. 1404 Fourth St., Berk. $10-$15. All ages welcome; children under 12 free. 601.6269. (EP) Picks by Eve Lotter (EL), Erica Pedersen (EP), and Cicely J. Sweed (CS). [ East Bay | Metroactive | Archives ]