Three local film series will exclusively feature black-themed movies during the month of February. Already in play is African-American Films at the Main Library, which is currently presenting a new title at 7pm every Monday in the venue's Francis Auditorium. Up next on February 10 is 1974's Claudine, with Diahann Carroll's Oscar-nominated performance as a maid whose struggles in the ghetto are balanced by her romance with a garbage collector (James Earl Jones). February 17 will present 1972's Across 110th Street, a gritty drama pitting cops (Yaphet Kotto and Anthony Quinn) against black bank robbers and Italian mobsters. The series then wraps up on February 24 with 1989's incendiary Do the Right Thing, which not only ranks as Spike Lee's best movie but as one of the greatest films of modern times. Admission is free; call 704-336-2020 for more info.Meanwhile, over at The Cinema @ Eastland Mall, Flashback Fridays kicks off February 7 with 6:30pm and 8:30pm showings of the popular 1975 comedy Cooley High (the basis for the TV sitcom What's Happening!). As series co-producer Dennis Darrell explains, "This is an old-time get-together to check out some of the old black classics or near-classics. We realize that everybody has seen these films hundreds of times, but we want to take them back to that first time they saw, say, a Cooley High on the big screen. And, of course, this series is also for those countless others who never got to experience these films [in a movie theater]." Admission is $5 for the first show and $7 for the second screening. And Darrell welcomes suggestions for other 70s-era black films to present the remainder of the month; e-mail titles to dcdarrell@hotmail.com.

Finally, the Black Cinema Cafe returns February 11 with a screening of Deacons for Defense, starring Forest Whitaker and Ossie Davis in a true-life drama about a black militia group in the 60s. A reception starts off the evening at 7:15pm, followed by the movie at 8pm. The film is being shown prior to its airing on Showtime. Admission is free but by invitation only. For an invitation, e-mail charlotte@black cinemacafe.com.

The Charlotte Film Society has unveiled its Second Week/ Second Chance film series lineup for the months of March, April and May. Among the buzz-heavy titles being offered are the S&M-laced love story Secretary, featuring Maggie Gyllenhaal's terrific Golden Globe-nominated performance; 8 Women, a murder-mystery-cum-musical featuring an all-star cast of some of France's greatest actresses (Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Beart); and Tim Blake Nelson's offbeat Holocaust drama The Grey Zone, starring Steve Buscemi, Harvey Keitel and Mira Sorvino. For a complete list of titles, or CFS membership information, call 704-414-2355 or go online to http://charlottefilmsociety.com.The Light Factory's Factory Films series continues Tuesday, February 11, with a screening of the documentary Southern Comfort, which centers on the final year in the life of a middle-aged female-to-male transsexual hillbilly (and cancer victim). The picture will be screened at the Visulite Theater; social hour begins at 6:15pm, followed by the movie at 7:15pm. Tickets cost $7; call 704-333-9755 for further details.For those willing to drive for their cinematic fix, a trio of film festivals will be taking place around the state in the ensuing months. The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, the largest festival of its sort in the US (and formerly known as The DoubleTake Documentary Film Festival), will be held April 10-13 in Durham. The event will feature over 100 screenings, filmmaker appearances (including "An Evening With Jonathan Demme"), panel discussions and an awards ceremony. For further details, go online to www.fullframefest.org.Durham will also serve as home to the Second Annual Ms. Films: A Festival of Movies By Independent Women, to be held February 7-8. The event will showcase a number of workshops and panels, including a roundtable discussion with Oscar-winning documentarian Barbara Trent (The Panama Deception). For a complete schedule, costs and other info, visit the website at www.msfilms.org.

Meanwhile, the RiverRun International Film Festival, which had been housed in Asheville the past few years, has made the move to Winston-Salem, where it will offer screenings, workshops and panel discussions April 24-27. The festival is in partnership with the NC School of the Arts, and it will be accepting entries through March 1. For more information, call 336-831-1914 or go online to www.river runfilm.com.