This Wednesday night, St. Petersburg is the setting for three separate screenings of stirring, thought-provoking films. Beach Theatre's "Reel Truth" Film Festival to benefit WMNF continues with a showing of The U.S. vs. John Lennon. This documentary about Lennon focuses on his life in the 1970s, when he moved to New York City, took an active role in the anti-war movement, and attracted much unwanted attention from U.S. government officials that included (but weren't limited to) President Richard Nixon, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover, and Sen. Strom Thurmond. Friends of the Festival — a nonprofit that produces the annual Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival — hosts its Monthly Film Series at Muvico Baywalk. The featured selection is Shelter, a drama that follows a young man who gives up his dream of going to art school so he can support his ailing father and neglected nephew, and his blossoming romantic relationship with a fellow surfer. A dollar from each paid admission will be donated to AIDS Walk St. Petersburg. Finally, as part of its St. Pete-Film Movement screenings of thought-provoking, critically-acclaimed independent and foreign films, the Studio@620 presents Backseat Bingo and Something Like Happiness. Backseat Bingo is a short animated documentary that features personal revelations about love and intimacy by 70-, 80-, and 90-something seniors living out their days in a retirement community. Something Like Happiness is a poignant drama from the Czech Republic about the transitioning lives of three miserable friends who reside on the outskirts of an industrial city: Monika, an idealistic young woman who works in a supermarket while she waits for an summons from her boyfriend to join him in America; her childhood friend, Tonik, a gentle lost spirit who's abandoned his conservative lifestyle to help his eccentric aunt take care of her dilapidated farmhouse; and Dasha, an emotionally unstable mother with two young children and a married boyfriend. Wed., Aug. 22: The U.S. vs. John Lennon, 6:15 and 8:30 p.m., 315 Corey Ave., St. Pete Beach,$8, 727-360-6697, beachtheatre.com; Shelter, 7:30 p.m., 151 Second Ave. N., St. Petersburg, $9 adults/$7 students, 727-502-0965, tiglff.com; and Bingo/Happiness, 8 p.m., 620 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg, $5 (free admission to members), 727-895-6620, thestudioat620.org.

This article appears in Aug 15-21, 2007.