If there's something positive about inconclusive, open-ended films, it's that they stimulate dialogue about possibilities and intent. And, after all, isn't that the purpose of art?

Such was the case Wednesday night as the Houston Cinema Arts Society kicked off the 2011 Cinema Arts Festival with a screening of David Grubin's Downtown Express at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. It drew a hip-and-chic and very talkative throng of around 250, many of whom walked along a Hollywood-style red carpet, where Channel 8 InnerViews host Ernie Manouse chatted up the fashionably artsy crowd.

The festival made New York Times reporter Michael Hoinski's "most interesting things to do around [Texas] this week" list. By implication, I was in the company of interesting personas of the highest order, including the film's star, violinist and Juilliard-graduate-cum-actor Philippe Quint, producer Michael Hausman — the logistical brains behind Gangs of New York, Brokeback Mountain, Amadeus — and Grubin, happily mingling with the festival's artistic director, Richard Herskowitz.

"I've curated the film festival to speak of the various links between film and other art forms, including dance, poetry, music and painting," Herskowitz said. "There is a global trend towards the use of multimedia that's reflected in our screening choices."

Herskowitz points to a narrowing distance between the art disciplines, where art, music and dance festivals are beginning to converge through the use of technology.

Downtown Express extended that conversation after the movie ended, with a live performance by Quint, accompanied by Juilliard classmate pianist Michelle Mares, that helped bridge the dialogue between live performance and previously recorded material in a way that brought some closure to the ambiguously unresolved film.

The storyline follows a Russian violinist's road to self-discovery through his studies at Juilliard and his exploration with more popular music genres. Call it a case of art imitating life, but in a nutshell, that's Quint's story: An impeccably trained-musician — his playing will move you to tears — dabbling in the world of the silver screen. When he came out on stage, Quint joked that he didn't know if he should come out as his character or himself. They are that similar.

"It's hard for me to watch the film," Quint said. "It's equivalent to hearing the sound of my own voice, listening to my own records."

Yet music, not so much the human characters, are the main subject of the film, and any way you look at it, Downtown Express makes big assertions about the state of the music in society.

"Another trend is for films to address educational objectives and tout the importance of arts in education," Herskowitz added. "This year, you'll see a lot of Shakespeare-themed films like Shakespeare High, Coriolanus and Upstream."

Afte the screening, the audience took part in a lively reception where Roxor Gin libations and Whole Foods delicacies were served.

In the crowd were Don Short, Mimi and Robert Del Grande, Mayor Annise Parker with first lady Kathy Hubbard, Joel Bickley and Roland Maldonado, Neal Hamil, Alton LaDay and Houston Arts Alliance's Jonathon Glus, Gracie Cavnar, Diane Lokey Farb, Roz and Alan Pactor, Franci and Jim Crane, Art Car: The Movie director Ford Gunter, Shakespeare High producer Brad Koepenick and Lauren Ware.