Anyone who has participated in the last 11 years of Denver Film’s Women+Film Festival knows that stories told by and about women have a breadth and depth more than equal to their male peers.

“It’s so important to support women behind the camera,” said Barbara Bridges, the founder of the festival. “In the last 50 years, women have only accounted for 30 percent of speaking roles, so it’s important to see women on the screen as well. Any kind of work women are doing is important.”

The 12th Annual Women+Film Festival will take place from Tuesday, April 13 through Sunday, the 18th. The films will be streaming on Denver Film’s virtual platform. The platform allows for viewers to stream their selected films on Roku, AppleTV or their computer or mobile device.

“Selecting films for the festival is an extensive process Barb and I collaborate on,” said Matt Campbell, Denver Film’s artistic director. “We have a great balance of types of films, as well as a lot of international films, and stories from different cultures and minority representation.”

This year’s line-up — which includes narrative and documentary, feature-length and short films — highlights a variety of subjects and stories that audiences might be familiar with and those to learn about.

The opening night selection is Mariem Pérez Riera’s documentary, “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It,” and festival-closer is Nicole Riegel’s “Holler,” featuring Pamela Adlon and Jessica Barden. Those two films will only be available on the 13th and 18th respectively, but all other films shown as part of the festival are available to stream for the duration of the festival.

“The way we approach the festival remains the same, no matter what platform or medium we’re using,” Bridges said. “I still hear from people who are excited to take part in the festival — they’re planning watch parties. These are films that can be enjoyed by anyone.”

As is often the case, there will be several conversations with filmmakers and local connections, providing the viewer with both a more personal and larger-scale connection to the works. Which adds another layer to the aim of the festival in the first place — to celebrate the power of women both behind and in front of the camera.

“The most interesting films being made are directed by women, and the most interesting stories are coming from women,” Campbell said. “We want to follow what’s current and interesting in the film industry, and we think women-centered stories and female filmmakers are where it’s at.”

For information and tickets, visit womenplusfilm.eventive.org/welcome.

‘Cinderella’ slips on her ballet slipper

Denver’s Ballet Ariel is slowly gearing up to return to live performance with it’s shortened, one-act version of the classic fairytale, “Cinderella.”

Performances will be spread out over the metro area this spring. First off will be at 2 and 7 p.m. on Friday, April 2 at the PACE Center, 20000 E. Pikes Peak Ave. in Parker; then 1 and 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 24 and Sunday, April 25, at the Lakewood Cultural Center, 470 S. Allison Parkway in Lakewood. The third option is at 3 p.m. on Sunday, May 25 at the DL Parsons Theatre at the Northglenn Recreation Center, 11801 Community Center Dr. in Northglenn. Ballet Ariel will be complying with all state and local Covid-19 regulations.

Buy your tickets at www.balletariel.org.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week - Todd and Chris Spring Tour

The live music scene is slowly rumbling back to life and Todd Sheaffer, songwriter and Railroad Earth front man, and Chris Thompson, songwriter and guitarist of CORAL CREEK, are playing a series of socially-distant, outdoor concerts all over the western US, with several stops in Colorado.

The first stop will be at 6 p.m. on Monday, April 5 at Station 26 Brewing, 7045 E. 38th Ave. in Denver, followed by a performance at Coda Brewing, 12965 South Golden Road in Golden, at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 6. At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 8, the duo will stop by the Lazy R, 4730 Forest Hills Road in Evergreen. The tour will wrap up at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 8 at the McAwesome Ranch, 3039 Haystack Road in Castle Rock.

Tickets and details can be found at www.liveoutfront.com/todd-chris-spring-tour.

Streaming style - National Book Festival Presents: Lupita Nyong’o and Carla Hayden

The Library of Congress — the world’s largest library — is offering a variety of literary events this spring in a virtual format to keep readers all over the country engaged. One such exciting event is the National Book Festival Presents: Lupita Nyong’o and Carla Hayden, which will be livestreamed at 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 8. The conversation between Hayden (the Librarian of Congress) and Nyong’o (an Oscar winner and author the No. 1 best-selling children’s book, “Sulwe”) will be especially fascinating for children and those who love children’s literature.

The event will premiere at the Library’s Facebook page (www.facebook.com/libraryofcongress) and will also be available on its website and YouTube page.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture apears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.