Locals only: What plays in Las Vegas

What plays in Las Vegas

Following in the footsteps of Zappos, hipsters and those fat guys in diapers who pose for photos with tourists, the Las Vegas Film Festival is heading downtown.

The seventh annual fest runs Wednesday through Aug. 3 at Inspire Theatre, 501 Fremont Street, and Scullery Theatre, 150 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Befitting its name, the Las Vegas Film Festival is full of movies with local ties. Look for showcases for filmmakers from UNLV (6 p.m. Wednesday), CSN (12:30 p.m. July 31) and Sanford-Brown College (12:30 p.m. Aug. 1). A block of local short films is set for 4 p.m. Aug. 3. And a screening of “Popovich and the Voice of the Fabled American West,” starring Strip performer Gregory Popovich and his furry friends and directed by Las Vegans Mike Thompson and Jerry Thompson, is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. Sunday.

Other highlights include “Heaven Adores You” (8 p.m. Aug. 2), an intimate look at the late singer-songwriter Elliott Smith; “A Brony Tale” (8:20 p.m. Wednesday), a documentary about the ever-growing cult of male fans of “My Little Pony”; and “Teacher of the Year” (6:20 p.m. Aug. 1), a comedy with the festival’s most recognizable cast, including Matt Letscher, “Key & Peele’s” Keegan-Michael Key, Larry Joe Campbell and Brenda Strong.

Tickets are $10 per screening or $140 for an all-access pass.

For more information and a complete schedule, see www.lvff.com.

Spell-binding

Everyone knows that reading is magic — figuratively. But there’s a literal celebration of both at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, as “Reading Is Magic” with Tony Daniels returns to conjure comedy, sleight-of-hand — and plenty of audience participation. For more information on the free program,, call 702-507-3459 or visit www.lvccld.org.

Get happy

Panevino, 246 Via Antonio Ave., is offering all items from its new bar and lounge menu at discounted prices during happy hour from 4 to 7 p.m. weekdays. They include such dishes as Angus sliders (shown) topped with onions, peppers, mushrooms and white cheddar, $11, and healthy choices like grilled eggplant-stuffed hummus rolls on red wine-braised cabbage and topped with crispy arugula, $7. Cocktails and beers are half-price and wines by the glass are specially priced during happy hour.

Rock on

It doesn’t look like Led Zeppelin will ever tour again, so we’d advise wiping away your tears with a ticket to see Wolfmother, as the Australian hard rockers sound just like a modern-day version of that legendary band. See them at 8 p.m. Friday at Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, 3708 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Tickets are $20; call 702-698-7000.