Viva Manga! by MATTHEW HAYS There aren't any brand spanking new premieres here, but Manga and anime enthusiasts will want to attend nonetheless. This weekend at the Imperial, Fantasia types have organized a Manga Film Festival. Entries are alternately apocalyptic, gory and sexy (or all three), including X, Blood: The Last Vampire, Blackjack, Ghost in the Shell and my personal favourite, Perfect Blue. While many of the films have screened before and are available on video, nothing beats seeing them in 35mm print on the big screen. Info: www.fantasiafest.com The First Peoples' Festival continues this weekend and many of the films screening are well worth checking out. James M. Fortier's documentary Alcatraz is Not an Island carefully follows native protesters who occupied the famous island Alcatraz, a landmark protest which led to a higher level of awareness about native land claims. The film screens this Saturday, June 16 at 7 p.m. at the NFB. The fiction feature Bearwalker, starring Greta Cheechoo, Renae Morrisseau and Maximilian Martini, screens at 7 p.m. on Sunday, June 17 and at 8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19, at the NFB. The film is a harrowing tale about a woman who wakes up to find her husband dead. She and her sisters must then figure out what to do so that she is not blamed for his demise. Also part of this year's native fest roundup is local filmmaker Andrea Sadler's latest doc, The Sacred Run. The film will have its world premiere as the fest's closing event on June 21. But a fundraising party will be held this Saturday, June 16 at Zeke's Gallery (3955 Saint Laurent). An afternoon sale begins at 2 p.m., followed by a party from 9 p.m. till 3 a.m. The 50-odd minute film is a poetic doc on native spirituality, clearly made with great passion for and fascination with its subject. Obviously, a grassroots film project well worth supporting. For other details on the native film festival, call 575-1701. The Parc's Sergio Leone series continues this week. Sensible, spaghetti-loving filmgoers will lap up The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (tonight, June 14, 7:15 p.m.), For A Few Dollars More (Friday, June 15 to Sunday, June 17) and Once Upon a Time in the West (Monday, June 18). West is especially good and noteworthy in particular for the unusual bit of casting genius of having otherwise-clean-cut Henry Fonda playing an utterly evil villain. Those looking to flashback to the late '70s/early '80s punk scene may also want to turn to the Parc for their ongoing excellent midnight madness series. The cult rarity Rude Boy, featuring The Clash, screens this Friday and Saturday, June 15 and 16. The movie has become stylistically noteworthy for mixing documentary with fiction, something rarely done in '80 but which has become far more common. COMMENTS: mhays@mtl-mirror.com