HCAF 2019

Here is what to see and attend at the Houston Cinema Arts Festival

Yellow Rose celebrates the cowboy life.

Photo courtesy of HCAF

It was indeed a swanky evening as people attended the launch party for this year's Houston Cinema Arts Festival, recently held at Chapman & Kirby.

Attendees gorged on meatballs, flatbread pizza, and chocolate cake bites before Jessica Green, the festival's new artistic director, presented what the program of this year's fest, which will run Thursday, November 14, through Monday, November 18, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Rice Cinema; The Deluxe Theater; and other locations.

Green introduced two thematic programs: "The Yeehaw Agenda" and "Moon Landing 50." Agenda will be a celebration of rodeo riders, cowboys, and westerns, offering up such selections as Yellow Rose, about an undocumented Filipino girl who longs to be a country singer; Bacurau, a western/horror mashup from Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho (Aquarius); and Black Rodeo, a 1972 documentary about an all-African-American rodeo in Harlem. (Director Jeff Kanew will be in attendance for that one.)

"Moon" will obviously explore the legacy of the moon landing via narrative and storytelling. Among the selections: Space Dogs, a doc on the first living being sent into space; a 30th-anniversary of the space-travel doc For All Mankind (directed by the late Houston Al Reinert); and a bevy of international films that makes up this year's CineSpace 2019 competition.

During the presentation, Green said this year's fest is mostly about what Houston has brought to the world. "A lot of this programming and my ideas are in tribute to Houston, and are really inspired by Houston and inspired by Houston's influence on the planet and Houston's reach," she said. "And the ideas that come out of Houston really inform a lot of other ideas."

What to watch
Several films that have been killing it on the film-festival circuit will also be screening at the fest. The opening-night film will be Waves, from former Houstonian Trey Edward Shults (It Comes at Night), who will be in attendance. Afterwards, he'll have a conversation with rapper and HCAS board member Bun B.

Other films include A Hidden Life, the latest from Terrence Malick; Varda by Agnes, the last film from the late, great filmmaker Agnes Varda; Marriage Story, the new film from Noah Baumbach, starring Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver; and Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a period-piece from Celine Sciamma which will also be the fest's closing-night film.

What to attend
There will also be many special events popping off. Euzhan Palcy, the first black, female director of a film produced by a major Hollywood studio (A Dry White Season, BTW) will be in attendance for a centerpiece screening of her 1983 film Sugar Cane Alley. On the same night, a screening/food pairing will go down as A Taste of Sky screens at Cafe Brasil, where food and cocktails will also be served. On the last day, African-American filmmakers from Houston, Dallas and Austin will be in attendance at the Black Media Story Summit.

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For a schedule of programs, individual ticket information, and all-access passes, visit the official Houston Cinema Arts Festival site.

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Get inspired

Noted Houston street artist paints vibrant new mural at downtown venue

Photo courtesy of Hobby Center for the Performing Arts

GONZO247 poses in front of his new mural, "Houston is Inspired" inside Hobby Center

Visitors to the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts can now see an incredible new mural by one of Houston's most iconic street artists.Mario Enrique Figueroa, Jr., known as Gonzo247, debuted his piece, "Houston is Inspired" on Friday, December 12.

“This piece is all about capturing the energy that makes Houston, Houston," said the artist in a statement. "It’s that raw, vibrant hustle — the music, the culture, the stories we’ve been telling for generations. I wanted to create something that pulls people in, gets them hyped for what they’re about to experience. Every color, every shape, every detail is telling a story, a vibe. This ain’t just a mural or a piece of art — it’s a journey. It's about the grind, the growth, and the inspiration we pass on to each other, on and off the stage.”

The piece is called "Houston is Inspired," after the program at Hobby meant to showcase local performers by offering them week-long residencies on a prestigious stage. This season includes CJ Emmons's one-man comedy musical show I'm Freaking Talented; a rhythmic interactive storytelling experience called Our Road Home by Jakari Sherman; and Lavanya Rajagopalan's combination of music, dance and verse, Kāvya: Poetry in Motion. Information about all three shows, including ticket prices and availability, can be found at TheHobbyCenter.org.

The last show (debuting May 1) was a particular inspiration to Gonzo247. Viewers may notice a pair of hands in a traditional Indian dance pose, a direct reference to Rajagopalan's show.

The Houston is Inspired program was launched launched in the 2023-2024 season. In addition to the residency in Zilkha Hall, artists are given a $20,000 stipend for production and marketing costs. It is now a permanent fixture of the Hobby season. Applicants for future seasons can submit here.

Known for his original "Houston is Inspired" mural in downtown's Market Square, Gonzo247 has been an active force in Houston art for 30 years, including producing the video series Aerosol Warfare about the street art scene in the 1990s and 2000s as well as founding the Graffiti and Street Art Museum. He also served as the artist liaison for Meow Wolf's Houston installation. If anyone's visual vision is perfect to welcome audience members to shows highlighting homegrown talent, it's him.

“Art’s all about telling stories, but it ain’t just what you see — it’s what you feel," he said. "This piece speaks to the heart of everything we’re about: culture, rhythm, struggle, and triumph. When you walk into the space, you gotta feel the anticipation, the energy building up. That’s what I wanted to capture — the vibe of the whole city, the passion in the work, and that next-level hunger to rise up and create something fresh. It’s like the beat drops, and everything just connects.”

visual-art downtown mural gonzo247