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MFAH | Saturday, April 27 | 7:00 PM with director Chris Sullivan in attendance

FILM CONTAINS MATURE THEMES. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

Nearly fifteen years in the making, Chris Sullivan’s somewhat autobiographical Consuming Spirits is a meticulously constructed tour de force of experimental animation. Shooting frame by frame in 16mm, Sullivan seamlessly blends together a range of techniques—cutout animation, pencil drawing, collage, and stop-motion animation—into a distinct, signature visual style. In the process, he constructs a hypnotic, layered narrative, a suspenseful gothic tale that tracks the intertwined lives of three kindred spirits working at a local newspaper in a Midwestern rust belt town. – TriBeca Film Festival

“A work of obsessive artisanal discipline and unfettered artistic vision. You have never seen anything like it.” – The New York Times

Raised in Pittsburgh, Chris Sullivan teaches animation and experimental narrative at the School of the Art Institute in Chicago. He has been creating films and performance work for the last 30 years. Consuming Spirits was funded by the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. It was instrumental in Sullivan being awarded a coveted 2012 Creative Capital Grant.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Sundance Cinemas | Tuesday, April 23 | 7:15 PM

Presented in collaboration with Texas Independent Film Network and Southwest Alternate Media Project

USA, 1997

Director: S.R. Bindler

Cast: Sid Allen, Brent Baskin, Greg Cox

Hands on a Hardbody documents a yearly endurance competition that takes place in Longview, Texas. The event pits twenty-four contestants against each other to see who can keep their hand on a pickup truck for the longest amount of time. Whoever endures the longest without leaning on the truck or squatting wins the truck. The documentary follows the 1995 competition which lasted for seventy-seven continuous hours. The film garnered the audience award for best documentary at the 1997 Los Angeles Film Festival.

Click here to purchase tickets.

Click here to visit film’s official website.

During Diana Vreeland’s fifty year reign as the “Empress of Fashion,” she launched Twiggy, advised Jackie Onassis, and established countless trends that have withstood the test of time. She was the fashion editor of Harper’s Bazaar where she worked for twenty-five years before becoming editor-in-chief of Vogue, followed by a remarkable stint at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, where she helped popularize its historical collections. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel is an intimate portrait and a vibrant celebration of one of the most influential women of the twentieth century, an enduring icon who has had a strong influence on the course of fashion, beauty, publishing, and culture. One of the most popular screenings of the 2012 Cinema Arts Festival Houston.

Showtimes

Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Friday, April 19 | 5:00 PM & 7:00 PM
&
Saturday, April 20 | 7:00 PM

Date Correction: Special guests at the April 19 7 PM screening: Gary Tinterow, Director of The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Peter Speliopoulos, Vice President for Design at Donna Karan New York, and Robert Turner, former curatorial assistant to Diana Vreeland, and fashion editor at Vogue

Presented in collaboration with MFAH Film

USA, 2011
Director: Lisa Immordino Vreeland
Producers: Magnus Andersson, Ron Curtis, Jonathan Gray, Mark Lee, John Northrup, Raja Sethuraman, Lisa Immordino Vreeland
Cast: Diana Vreeland (archive footage), Jeffrey L. Daly,  Philippe De Montebello

Click here to purchase tickets.

Click here to visit film’s official website.

I’m thankful, then, for the services that have emerged in recent years for shut-in festival programmers like myself. Festival Scope and Cinando are the two I use the most.  You have to prove you’re a legit programmer or distributor, and then there are subscription fees to pay, and then … a deluge of unreleased films pours into your computer.  I’m thrilled that these services allow me to scout new movies ALL THE TIME, and not only when I get to travel, or when I get hold of advance DVD screeners.

So I preview more movies than ever, and thus the narrowing down is more agonizing than ever. Looking back on what I’ve watched on Festival Scope and Cinando in the past half year or so, I see many arts titles that I would like to show in the Cinema Arts Festival, and may or may not have room to include: Exposed by Beth B, an edgy new doc about burlesque performers in New York; Far Out Isn’t Far Enough: The Tomi Ungerer Story, an illuminating portrait of a masterful illustrator; Laura Gamse’s The Creators, an inspiring and beautifully edited film on the power of art to change lives in South Africa; Soundbreaker, a film about an unbelievably exciting Finnish accordionist; Museum Hours, Jem Cohen’s exploration of a Viennese museum through the eyes of a fictional museum guard and visitor ….I could go on and on.

Starting next month, I will wrench myself away from my screen and go back on the road. I’ll ease myself back in gently, with two days at the Ashland Film Festival in April. Then, in May, I’ve got an epic trip planned, first to New York’s Frieze Art Fair, where I saw a lot of great media art last year, followed by … the Cannes Film Festival. It will be my first trip there since 1979. I guarantee that my blog update from Cannes will be more interesting than this one, about my pathetic situation as a festival programmer confined to my quarters.

Sundance Cinemas | TUE FEB 12 | 7:00 PM | Q&A with Executive Producer Don Carleton immediately following the film.

USA, 2010
Director: Mat Hames
Executive Producer: Don Carleton
Co-Producers: Ramona Kelly, Alison Beck
Cast: Harry Belafonte, Barbara Conrad Smith, Icy Simpson
Running time: 74 min.

The first film in TIFN’s Spring 2013 program, When I Rise is an inspiring true story of Barbara Smith Conrad, a gifted University of Texas music student and a member of the first African American class. Conrad Smith was cast in an opera opposite a white male classmate, fueling a campus-wide outrage that escalated to the Texas Legislature. What followed, was a story of struggle against discrimination and triumphant rise to the heights of international opera after the story surprisingly made headlines around the world.

When I Rise premiered on the acclaimed PBS series Independent Lens in 2011. The film was an official selection of the 2010 SXSW Film Festival, the 2010 Dallas International Film Festival, the 2010 Hot Docs Festival, the 2010 New York City International Film Festival, the 2010 New Orleans Film Festival, the 2010 Starz Denver Film Festival the 2010 Santa Barbara International Film Festival (winner of the Social Justice Award), the 2010 Indianapolis International Film Festival (winner of Audience Choice Award and Black Expressions Award).

For tickets visit the Sundance Cinemas Houston website.
Click here to learn more about the film.
Visit official website.
Click here to learn more about AFS and TIFN.

And what has become my favorite part of Sundance – the New Frontier section of media installations – was free. There were several strong installations there, with my favorite being North of South, East of West, a four-wall, four-screen narrative feature that was, to my surprise, commissioned by Ballroom Marfa in 2011. The artist, Meredith Danluck, does an impressive job of steering the gaze of audience members, sitting on swivel chairs in the center of the room, around the room as we attempt to take in the interrelated stories. The acting (especially by Ben Foster, who showed up in Braden King’s multi-screen performance, Here (The Story Sleeps), at our festival two years ago) is terrific and the script quite funny, so I think our audience will love it, if we can get it for our next festival.

People (including critic Nancy Wozny)  were enthralled by Phil Solomon’s three-screen American Falls in our last festival, and so I’m encouraged to continue featuring strong multi-screen experiments. When I was at Miami Art Basel in December, I saw and admired Eija Liisa-Ahtila’s The Annunciation, a 35-minute narrative about a director staging scenes of Mary’s encounter with the angel, shown on three walls in the Bass Museum. I was very pleased when, coincidentally, Ahtila’s gallery sent me two film versions of The Annunication, one single-screen and one split-screen, and asked if we’d consider showing them back-to-back in next year’s festival.

In the New Frontier shorts program, I saw work by two artists, Kevin Jerome Everson (Century) and Yung Jake, a hip-hop new media artist, that excited me, and I extended a festival invitation to Kevin (who was a colleague of mine when I worked at the Virginia Film Festival and the University of Virginia employed us both). I hope he accepts. Meanwhile, you don’t have to wait until November to see Yung Jake’s work, including this mind-boggling HTML5 Internet experience featured at New Frontier.

Since HCAS has me on the lookout for films about artists, I checked out a film about a couple of married painters, Cutie and the Boxer. The Boxer is Ushio Shinohara, a real action painter who box-paints his canvas, as you’ll see in the photo at the top of this post that I took at a live performance  after the screening. Discovering, within a captivating documentary, great artists whose work was previously unknown to me, reminded me of my first encounter with Searching for Sugarman at Sundance last year. I hope Cutie and the Boxer, which was picked up by the Weinstein Company, becomes as big a hit. If it’s not out by November, I will happily include it in our program.

You’re invited to a sneak preview screening and reception for the upcoming PBS documentary, MARIACHI HIGH. In this spirited coming-of-age story, college-bound Latino high school students compete to be the state champion Mariachi band while experiencing the trials and triumphs shared by all American teens. From nerve-racking band auditions to the thrill of the 2010 Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza in San Antonio, graduation and beyond, MARIACHI HIGH provides much-needed affirmative screen time for teens who are inspired by cultural pride and striving for excellence.

PREVIEW

The film will be followed by a lively Q&A and performance by the Mariachi students of MECA.

What: Premiere screening and celebration of MARIACHI HIGH

When: Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Time: 6:00 PM Reception sponsored by La Fisheria

7:00 PM Screening and Performance

Where: Talento Bilingue de Houston

333 South Jensen Houston, TX 77003

This event is now sold out but there could be no shows if you are willing to come and wait in the rush line.

If not, you can also see the documentary on Channel 8, June 29 at 9:00 PM.

BERT at 7:00 PM on Thursday, February 14 at The Menil Collection.
More information here…

Houston Cinema Arts Society is a collaborating partner of ReelAbilities: Houston Disabilities Film Festival that takes place February 6-13, 2013.  The Festival is dedicated to promoting awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories and artistic expressions of people with different disabilities, and its goal is to foster a community that includes all individuals by eliminating the stigma associated with disabilities.  ReelAbilities was started in New York City in 2007 and is coming to Houston for the first time, thanks to the generous support of Host City Organizer Jewish Family Service and Lead Sponsor TIRR Memorial Hermann.  The weeklong schedule includes award-winning films in many languages and genres at several venues in Houston.  Many of the events are free!  Click here to learn more about Shooting Beauty.

HCAS has recently announced a new partnership with the Texas Independent Film Network (TIFN) and the Austin Film Society (AFS), a non-profit organization that promotes the appreciation of film and supports creative media production. Over the next few months we will be presenting special screenings at Sundance Cinemas. Also joining in this collaboration are Southwest Alternate Media Project and the Houston Film Critics Society. Upcoming screenings include When I Rise on February 12, Now, Forager on March 12, and Hands on a Hard Body on April 23. Click here for more information about When I Rise.

Houston Cinema Arts Society is proud to join the Menil Collection and Houston Museum of African American Culture for the screening of Bert, a new documentary exploring the life and art of Texas art patriarch Berg Long, Jr.  The film will be shown at the Menil Collection on Thursday, February 14, 2013, at 7:00 PM. Click here for more information about Bert.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 15, 2013

 HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2013 DATES
2012 Festival Boasted Redford and Many Packed Houses
`at Screenings & Other Events

HOUSTON – On the heels of a successful 2012 festival that featured an intimate conversation with Robert Redford and eight days of film screenings, installations, live performances and parties, Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) today announces that the fifth annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival (HCAF) will take place November 6-10, 2013.

“We are extremely pleased with the continued success and growth of the Houston Cinema Arts Festival and we know that our fifth year will be the best yet and will bring even more excitement to Houston,” said Trish Rigdon, Executive Director of HCAS.

This past year’s festival presented 54 programs during its five-day run in various downtown and museum district venues. Like 2012, HCAF 2013 will be a “walkable” event, featuring theaters within easy access of the Metro Rail Red Line, including Sundance Cinemas Houston and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH).

The 2012 Houston Cinema Arts Festival Opening Night festivities at the MFAH on Nov. 7 provided a spectacular launch for the festival with a sold-out presentation of LOVE, MARILYN with the movie’s producer Amy Hobby. LOVE, MARILYN also underscored HCAF’s 2012 emphasis on female directors, including a 40^th anniversary tribute to the media arts organization, Women Make Movies.  The festival culminated with the Houston premiere of DIANA VREELAND: THE EYE HAS TO TRAVEL, followed by a conversation between director Lisa Immordino Vreeland and fashion icon Lynn Wyatt.

More than sixty speakers participated in the 2012 festival, including producer Roger Lee from Hong Kong, documentarian Andrew Garrison from Austin, experimental filmmaker Vanessa Renwick from Portland, and, from Los Angeles, a particularly well-known artist.

One of the highlights of the 2012 Houston Cinema Arts Festival was Robert Redford’s discussion with Houston’s own Ernie Manouse. “Redford’s participation in this year’s festival was very meaningful to us as well as to many of the independent filmmakers in attendance,” said Artistic Director Richard Herskowitz. “His Sundance Institute with its festival, workshops, and other arts programs, has paved the way for festivals like ours as well as for many of the directors and producers who presented at HCAF.”

In addition to sold out screenings of the Opening and Closing Night films, other films and presentations that drew a packed audience included Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp, Conversation with Robert Redford, SuperEverything* by the Light Surgeons, Remains To Be Seen by Phil Solomon, the 25^th Dallas Animation VideoFest and the films of J.J. Murphy.

Another highlight of this year’s festival was HCAF’S FILM FESTIVAL FIELD TRIP where more than 500 students attended daytime screenings of TRASH DANCE and LE TABLEAU.  Student groups and contemporary art appreciators also enjoyed CINEMA ON THE VERGE, HCAF’s greatly expanded section of interactive media installations, which included six installations that were sited in the modern, mixed-use building at 4411 Montrose. HCAF also added its new CINEMA 16 SCREENING ROOM programming, featuring a series of experimental works shot in glorious 16-millimeter film. CINEMA ON THE VERGE was presented through a partnership with Houston First Corporation.

Further, the 2012 Houston Cinema Arts Festival included the Houston premieres of upcoming feature films, including STAND UP GUYS with guest director Fisher Stevens, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, QUARTET, THE SAPPHIRES, A LATE QUARTET, CASTING BY and CAESAR MUST DIE.

Finally, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival – a program of Houston Cinema Arts Society – could not do all it does for the Bayou City without its slate of first-class sponsors who have been with HCAF for multiple years, such as Houston First Corporation, Levantine Entertainment, Anadarko Petroleum, Champion Energy Services, and Amegy Bank.

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 ABOUT HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS SOCIETY (HCAS)

Houston Cinema Arts Society is a non-profit organization created in 2008. With the support of former Houston Mayor Bill White and the leadership of Franci Crane, HCAS organized and hosted the 2009, 2010 and 2011 Houston Cinema Arts Festival, a groundbreaking and innovative arts festival featuring films and new media by and about artists in the visual, performing, and literary arts. The festival celebrates the vitality and diversity of the arts in Houston with the objective of enriching the city’s film and arts community. HCAS is funded in part by the following organizations: the Crane Foundation, Levantine Entertainment, Houston First Corporation, The Brown Foundation, Inc., Houston Film Commission, Houston Arts Alliance through the City of Houston, Champion Energy, Anadarko Petroleum, SharpEgg, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and MFAH Films. Houston Cinema Arts Festival is also supported in part by grants from the Texas Commission on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The fifth annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival will be held Nov. 6-10, 2013. For more information, please visit HCAS at www.cinemartsociety.org.

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Media Contacts:
Mark Sullivan / Ashley Wehrly
On the Mark Communications
713-978-5050
mark@onthemarkcom.com
ashley@onthemarkcom.com