Each Friday on our Weekend Passport segment, Jerome and global citizen Nari Safavi, one of the founders of Pasfarda Arts and Cultural Exchange, help you find a way to experience another country without having to buy a plane ticket.

This weekend, renowned Spanish director Ventura Pons is in town for the Latino Film Festival. He’ll be accepting the Gloria Award for his work as the one of the most prominent Catalan filmmakers. Fans will have a chance to meet him this Saturday at the Landmark Century Theatre after a screening of his 2000 film, Anita No Perd El Tren (Anita Takes a Chance). The director will stick around after the show for a Q & A session.  You can also see a screening of his latest film, Year of Grace, tonight at 6:00pm at the AMC River East Theater.

Also, the Architecture and Design Film Festival is having a panel discussion on the exportation of culture called Architect as Diplomat: Embassies and What They Communicate. The panel is based on the ideas presented by Jord Den Hollander in his film, Mission Statements. The film explores how the architecture of embassies functions in the society where they are placed. You can weigh-in on whether exporting culture through architecture is good or bad, see how it’s done, and learn about the role architecture plays in the international conversation tonight at 5:30pm at the Music Box Theater. The event is free and panelists include Dutch architect and filmmaker Jord den Hollander and architect and architecture historian Eric Keune. The panel is moderated by Victoria Lautman.

Last but not least, Hamza Walker, the associate curator and director of education at the Renaissance Society, tells Worldview about  RIFFS, an the exhibit featuring the work of photographer Yto Barrada. The photographs  depict a socio-political and autobiographical portrait of the developments that have taken place around the city of Tangiers in last 15 years. The exhibit runs through April 22, but there’s a free lecture this Sunday at 2pm called Globalization on the Margins, Tangiers’ Socio-Spatial Fabric.

Happy travels!