San Francisco events for Thursday, April 25, 2013.

Who’s in town

• Documentary photographer Catherine Opie speaks at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Her subjects have included the LGBT community, California surfers and high school football players. [7 p.m., 151 Third St., S.F.]

Lectures

• Climate change: The Brews and Views program looks at climate change past, present and future. Speakers include Peter Joseph from the Climate Reality Project. [6 p.m., Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, 390 Capistrano Road, Half Moon Bay]
• Art talk: Brett Cook and Jeff Chang discuss the changing perspectives on contemporary portraiture and the art of the hip-hop diaspora in regard to artist Kehinde Wiley’s work. [6:30 p.m., Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., S.F.]

Literary events

• Peggy Riley: The debut novelist talks about “Amity and Sorrow.” [6 p.m., Book Passage, 1 Ferry Building, S.F.]
• David Talbot: The best-selling author celebrates the paperback release of “Season of the Witch” in an atmosphere of cocktails and conversation. [7 p.m., San Francisco Elks Lodge No. 3, Kensington Park Hotel, third floor, 450 Post St., S.F.]
• Helene Wecker: The debut novelist talks about “The Golem and the Jinni.” [7:30 p.m., Booksmith, 1644 Haight St., S.F.]
• Louisa Shafia: The chef and cookbook author discusses “The New Persian Kitchen.” [6 p.m., Omnivore Books on Food, 3885a Cesar Chavez St., S.F.]

At the colleges

• Natalie Bakopoulos: The award-winning fiction writer discusses her work. [7:30 p.m., Humanities Building, Room 587, SFSU, 1600 Holloway Ave., S.F.]

At the public library

• Book group: Bernal Book Club meets to discuss “The Language of Flowers” by Vanessa Diffenbaugh. [4 p.m., Bernal Heights Branch, 500 Cortland Ave., S.F.]
• Building with Legos: Children ages 5 to 12 and their parents and caregivers can build projects during the monthly session. [4 p.m., North Beach Branch, playground clubhouse, 661 Lombard St., S.F.]

Opening night

• The 56th San Francisco International Film Festival gets rolling. “What Masie Knew,” a loose adaptation of Henry James’ novel, is the opening-night feature. [7 p.m., Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., S.F.]

Local activities

• Symphony concert: The San Francisco Symphony, conducted by Christoph Eschenbach and featuring guest baritone Matthias Goerne, performs works by Wagner and Dvorak. [8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave., S.F.]
• Ghostbusters: Live! Tim Kay, Thomas Apley, Adam Curry, Shawn Miller, Becky Hirschfeld, Adam Vogel, Alexia Staniotes, Scott McNeil and Christina Shonkwiler battle paranormal ghosts (OK, puppets) in an  onstage re-enactment of the 1980s movie. [8 p.m., Dark Room Theater, 2263 Mission St., S.F.]
• Dancing to the music: David Dorfman Dance presents “Prophets of Funk,” a performance celebrating the music of Sly and the Family Stone. [8 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, 701 Mission St., S.F.]
• Zuppa: The roasted whole Rocky Jr. chicken, with toasted ciabatta, charred onions and assorted vegetables, is recommended today. The dish serves two. Also look for the ragu di campagna. [564 Fourth St., S.F.; (415) 777-5900]

Music

• Rock on: Bon Jovi brings its “Because We Can” tour to the South Bay. [7:30 p.m., HP Pavilion, 525 W. Santa Clara St., San Jose]

Art reception

• Art show: Yarek Godfrey ends his San Francisco residence and closes “Bittersweet Dreams” with a reception. [6 to 8 p.m., Hotel California, 580 Geary St., S.F.]

Nightlife

• Early summer: The California Academy of Sciences hosts “Spring Into Summer NightLife.” Highlights include a miniature edition of Sunday Streets with lawn bowling, hula-hooping and dancing. [6 to 10 p.m., 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, S.F.]

Comedy

• Stand-up show: Comedian Kevin Nealon, best known as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” from 1986 to 1995, performs a stand-up show. [8 p.m., Cobb’s Comedy Club, 915 Columbus Ave., S.F.]

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