“O bureaucratic capitalism! Wet slug to be suffocated in eggshells and beer!” Ah, the poetry of communist propaganda. Jim Finn has been attuned to it with a series of films exploring the links among cinema, art, and propaganda, including Interkosmos, which screened at Hallwalls last fall. His newest work, The Juche Idea, had the prestigious closing night slot at the recent New York Underground Film Festival. It explores the revolutionary art of North Korea, where “Juche” (pronounced “joo-CHAY”) is the state ideology and religion as described in texts written by the Dear Leader himself, Kim Jong-il. Finn, a Hallwalls Artist-in-Residence, mixes fictional footage (some of it filmed at the University at Buffalo and Kleinhans) with jaw-dropping scenes of massively choreographed Korean rallies and popular films that pleased the Dear Leader, a notorious movie buff. Don’t hold your breath waiting for Hollywood to remake The Tiny Dentures of Imperialism: Check out The Juche Idea as it makes its local premiere.

The Buffalo Infringement Festival 2008 is nearly in sight, and plans must be laid, funds must be raised. The mid-summer week’s dream is scheduled for 11 days between July 24 and August 3, and this year’s edition promises to be every bit as weird, wild, and wonderful as the previous three. In case you don’t know, the international event made its way to Buffalo for the first time in 2005, aligning us with the urban centers of New York City, Montreal, and Toronto. On the 2008 circuit, we are the lone Americans to be hosting the event, joining Montreal, Regina, Saskatchewan, and Bordeaux, France. The Fundraiser is necessary to help things along before the next organizers’ meeting on Wednesday, May 14. For the admission fee attendees will get a grand line up of local entertainment from Mr. Hakim, Aediem, Tentet/Octet, Axis of Evil, Qualia, Noah Gokey, Bonus Plus, Joseph Mulhollen (pictured), and Shut Eyes (roughly in order of appearance).

Like the Infringement Festival, Mamapalooza is another event that began in a different city but has been embraced by Buffalonians with terrific zeal. Subtitled “Mom’s Rock More Than Just the Cradle,” the concert was spawned seven years ago in Manhattan by some rocker women who thought it was about time to appreciate those multi-taskers who manage to juggle music with maternal duties. The first Mamapalooza boasted 10 bands in one night, and, this year, we in Buffalo have got that beat. The line up includes performances by project coordinator Annette Daniels Taylor (pictured), Liliangina Quinones, Verneice Turner, the Beat Chicks, Linda M., Barbara Levy Daniels, Vonetta T. Rhodes, Kilissa Cissoko, Jennifer Elinge, Noa Bursie, Wise Mecca, Folkloric Productions Dance Co., Daughters of Creativev Sound, and Belly Dance with Faaria. It’s not all music either: Co-presented by Just Buffalo Literary Center, the event will feature readings and spoken word, dance performances, and children’s entertainment for the kids of all ages who’ll be coming along to see “Mom” rock out.

Buffalo native Leanne Scmidt returns home next weekend with her Brooklyn-based contemporary dance company for a series of performances at Buffalo’s newest theater. Leanne Schmidt and Company was founded by its namesake in 2006, and Wonderland is the third work Schmidt has presented there. In keeping with her mission statement to “create work that is human, vulnerable, and accessible,” Wonderland draws on the choreographer’s intimate experiences—with a loved one’s mental illness, family, and personal growth—through the depiction of dreams, fantasies, and exploration of the psyche. While the material may be somewhat sad, the program remains accessible to the audience through its humor and athletic, energetic choreography. Leanne is a graduate of the Buffalo Academy for Visual & Performing Arts who holds a BFA in Dance from SUNY Brockport and an MFA in Dance from Arizona State. The other performers and Company members include Kimberly Goss, Beth Maderal, and Josselyn Levinson.