Film Kitchen monthly screening series for local and independent artists

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This month, the series for local and independent artists screens shorts by or about local comedic talent. The centerpiece is “The Comedy Confluence,” a 30-minute documentary about the fast-growing Pittsburgh comedy scene, by Andy Kelemen and Mike Rubino, that recently premiered on WQED-TV. The fast-paced, slickly produced film profiles standup comic Norlex Belma, all-woman sketch troupe Frankly Scarlett, improv artist Dave Hart, educator Tessa Karel, and the Dungeons & Dragons-themed improv show Knights of the Arcade. The Feb. 9 Film Kitchen, curated by Matthew Day, also includes Kelemen’s short “Get Your Nerd On” and three shorts by Frankly Scarlett: “Male Gaze,” “Homeschool Reunion” and “Don’t Talk About the Outfits.” Also on the program: “Helen Iris: Watch Dog,” by Day, Gayle Pazerski and Brad Stephenson, and three “comedy commercials” by the troupe Hustlebot, including “Goddamn Rag,” “Gold 4 Gold” and “Football.”