HEART, SOUL AND CINEMA

Rewarding the perseverance of filmmakers whose work is often overlooked by mainstream festivals, the Kansas City Urban Film Festival returns to the Screenland Crossroads (1656 Washington, 816-421-9700). Live entertainment complements free screenings of the suspense short Barren
(6 p.m.) and the documentary Just Like You: Cancer, as Told by Three Children (7 p.m.), leading up to the 8 p.m. showcase of the environmental documentary Meltdown. Saturday’s slate, “A Celebration of Black Film: The Romances,” spotlights a half-dozen offerings plus the premiere of event organizer Shawn Edwards’ documentary The Movies We Love: The 25 Best Black Romantic Movies (Ever). For more hardcore tastes, K.O.D. Tour: Tech N9ne Live in Kansas City raises the roof at 11 p.m. Saturday, and the locally produced feature Crimedot closes out the festival with two screenings Sunday evening. See screenland.com to view the complete lineup and order tickets ($8 per screening); find more details at facebook.com/UFFKC.;— Brent Shepherd

Fri., Sept. 3; Sat., Sept. 4; Sun., Sept. 5, 2010