A 25th anniversary screening of "Rushmore," the coming-of-age comedy directed by a Houston-born filmmaker and shot primarily in the city, will highlight the Houston Cinema Arts Festival that kicks off Thursday night.
The 15th annual festival runs through Nov. 19 and will feature a series of movie screenings, a virtual short film program and related events such as a space-themed short film competition, workshops, live performances and art exhibits. The list of festival venues includes the auditoriums at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), The DeLUXE Theater, Rice Cinema, Rooftop Cinema, Talento Bilingue de Houston, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art and St. John's School – one of the locations where "Rushmore" was filmed and the alma mater of director Wes Anderson.
Anderson will make a video introduction for the screening of "Rushmore," scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17 at the Lowe Theater at St. John's School. There also will be a post-show panel sharing "class reunion" stories about the making of the 1998 film, which was co-written by Owen Wilson and starred Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Olivia Williams.
"This year's festival theme is ‘Bring It On Home,' which highlights our incredible city – our roots, our successes, our setbacks and our opportunities for growth," the Houston Cinema Arts Society, which organizes the festival, said in a news release.
More than 20 other films will be featured during the festival, including "The Herricanes," a documentary about Houston's team in the former National Women's Football League during the late 1970s. It will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at MFAH's Brown Auditorium Theater, followed by a Q&A with director Olivia Kuan.
MORE: Documentary reflects on the Houston Herricanes, pioneers of women's football (Houston Matters)
Also on the schedule is a free musical performance of Kendrick Scott's "Unearthed," which the Houston jazz drummer created about the Sugar Land 95. It is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 17 at The DeLUXE Theater.
The festival concludes Nov. 19 with the CineSpace Short Film Competition at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, where there will be space-themed art, music, games, interactive exhibits and food trucks. Doors open at 4 p.m. for the 7 p.m. competition, which is free to attend.
Tickets for individual festival screenings and events range from free to $15, with a four-ticket bundle available for $50, an all-access pass for $200 and the virtual short film pass for $20. Students get a 50% discount.
Tickets and passes can be purchased through the festival website, which also includes a complete schedule of programs.
Below is a schedule of festival screenings and events:
HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS FESTIVAL
THURSDAY, NOV. 9
Opening night and Houston premiere of "Lost Soulz," followed by Q&A with filmmaker Katherine Propper | 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
FRIDAY, NOV. 10
Screening of "Going Varsity in Mariachi" | 7:30 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium Theater, 1001 Bissonnet St.
SATURDAY, NOV. 11
Screening of "AEIOU" | 12:30 p.m. at Rice Cinema, 6100 Main St.
Texas premiere of "Art College 1994" | 3 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
Filmmaking Masterclass with Katherine Propper of "Lost Soulz" | 4 p.m. at Rice Cinema, 6100 Main St.
Houston premiere of "Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project" | 8 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
SUNDAY, NOV. 12
Screening of "Q" | Noon at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
Texas premiere of "Mami Wata" | 2:30 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
Special preview screening of "Ana and Mia," followed by Q&A with Fatima Hye | 4 p.m. at Rice Cinema, 6100 Main St.
Screening of "Home" short film, accompanied by Core Dance performance | 5:30 p.m. at The DeLUXE Gallery, 3303 Lyons Ave.
Screening of "The Herricanes," followed by Q&A with Olivia Kuan | 7:30 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium Theater, 1001 Bissonnet St.
MONDAY, NOV. 13
Texas premiere of "Omen" | 7:30 p.m. at The Alta Arts, 5412 Ashbrook Dr.
TUESDAY, NOV. 14
Screening of "Mr. Jimmy" | 7 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
Screening of "Borders | No Borders: Narrative," followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers, moderated by Michael Robinson | 7 p.m. at Talento Bilingue de Houston, 333 S. Jensen Dr.
Screening of "The Weird and Wonderful World of Industrial Musicals" | 7:30 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lynn Wyatt Theater, 5500 Main St.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15
Screening of "Borders | No Borders: Documentary," followed by a panel discussion with filmmakers, moderated by Michael Robinson | 7 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
Screening of "32 Sounds" | 7:30 p.m. at Rooftop Cinema Club Uptown, 1700 Post Oak Blvd.
THURSDAY, NOV. 16
Texas premiere of "In Our Day" | 6 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lynn Wyatt Theater, 5500 Main St.
Screening of "Welcome Space Brothers" | 9 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
FRIDAY, NOV. 17
Screening of "Story Ave" | 7 p.m. at Talento Bilingue de Houston, 333 S. Jensen Dr.
Performance of Kendrick Scott's "Unearthed" | 7 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
25th anniversary screening of "Rushmore," followed by panel discussion | 7:30 p.m. at St. John's School, 2401 Claremont Ln.
SATURDAY, NOV. 18
Screening of "Breaking the News" | 1 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lynn Wyatt Theater, 5500 Main St.
Filmmaker Masterclass with Lucy Kerr of "Family Portrait" | 4 p.m. at Rice Cinema, 6100 Main St.
Texas premiere of "Family Portrait," by followed by Q&A with Lucy Kerr | 7 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lynn Wyatt Theater, 5500 Main St.
Texas premiere of "Plastic," followed by virtual Q&A with Daisuke Miyazaki | 9 p.m. at The DeLUXE Theater, 3303 Lyons Ave.
SUNDAY, NOV. 19
Screening of "The Proposal," followed by a virtual discussion with director Jill Magid, moderated by Contemporary Arts Museum, Houston executive director Hesse McGraw | 1 p.m. at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lynn Wyatt Theater, 5500 Main St.
Screening of "Eiffel Towers and Hoover Dams: New Experimental Film," followed by a conversation with programmer Michael Sicinski | 1 p.m. at Rice Cinema, 6100 Main St.
CineSpace Short Film Competition | 7 p.m. at Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, 2401 Munger St.
