What's on in Livermore in June: a new Filipino film festival and a chef contest

The first Arté Film Festival takes over the Bankhead Theater on Sunday, June 7, a full day of films about the Filipino American diaspora and the first festival of its kind in the Tri-Valley.

Doors open at 10 a.m. Screenings start at 11:30 a.m. with two Pixar shorts, then Asian Persuasion at 12:50 p.m., Diamonds in the Sand at 3 p.m. and The Road to Sydney at 5:05 p.m. General film admission is $20, student tickets are $15, and an all-day pass is $65.

The day is not only screenings. Muralist Venazir Martinez will make work live, La Union Filipiniana stages a fashion show, and Tropa and Dot Wine perform. The festival is run by Arté, the California production company founded by Joanne Tan and Keesa Ocampo, and co-presented with Livermore Valley Arts.

"We wanted to make the experience of cinema accessible to as many people as possible in the most memorable way," Ocampo said in the festival announcement. The full program is posted at ProducedByArte.com.

Today: chefs on the Bankhead plaza

Before that, Livermore Valley Arts holds its first Palate: The Art of Cuisine today, Saturday, June 6, from noon to 3 p.m. on the Bankhead plaza and in the lobby. Doors and bars open at 11:30 a.m. and chef stations at noon.

Tri-Valley chefs each build a signature small plate around a single prominent color. Guests taste, vote and crown an audience favorite. Bay Area jazz musician Jeff Bordes plays outdoors on the Shea Homes Stage.

General admission is $195 and includes one drink ticket; additional drink tickets are $10. It is a fundraiser, with proceeds going to programming at the Bankhead Theater and the Bothwell Arts Center and to the organization's arts education and outreach. The event sits inside Visit Tri-Valley's TWIST Weekend.

Tickets for both are available online, at the box office windows, or by phone at 925-373-6800.