Tenth annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival showcases film and art in variety of forms
The 10th annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival organized by the Houston Cinema Arts Society took place Nov. 8-12, showcasing a variety of different multimedia experiences for guests. The festival was absolutely incredible with an overwhelming amount of activities and experiences for guests to engage in.
In order to accommodate all of the various events during the festival, the organizers partnered with venues across Houston including the Moody Center for the Arts, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), Rice Media Center, and White Oak Music Hall.
Special Guests at the festival included filmmakers, industry insiders and authors such as Alex Cox, Nathaniel Kahn, Jennifer Blei Stockman, Jonathan Lethem, Fred Barney Taylor and Maria Giese.
Centerpiece screenings
This portion of the festival provided screenings of “Widows,” “At Eternity’s Gate,” “Vox Lux” and “Roma.” All of these films, including “Green Book,” were shown at the MFAH screenings on the closing night. Every film shown generated post-screening buzz.
“Widows” blew my expectations out of the water with an ensemble cast and an original story with an impactful and deeply satisfying climax and conclusion. “At Eternity’s Gate” was an emotionally visceral journey through the life of the troubled artist, Vincent van Gogh. Accompanied by beautiful visuals and fantastic performances from Willem Dafoe and Oscar Isaac, this film left a significant impression on me.
There were also films shown at the festival about a vast selection of different art forms. “Jaddoland,” “Chef Flynn,” “The Rest I Make Up,” “Maria by Callas,” “Owned: A Tale of Two Americas” and “The Invisible City: Houston’s Housing Crisis” all provided audiences with insight into the realms of their respective subjects
Festive occasions
“A Dazed and Confused Cinema Arts Celebration: The Soundtracks of Richard Linklater” was an event with much anticipation as a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Linklater’s film “Dazed and Confused.”
The event consisted of Houston’s very own Bernard Freeman, aka Bun B, who is a member of the Houston Cinema Arts Society. Bun B asked Richard Linklater questions about the musical selections in “Dazed and Confused” and then performed many of the famous tracks by Houston’s own “Handsomebeast”.
After the performance, Bun B returned with special guests to perform music from his latest release. Afterward, DJ Ramalama took the stage for the remainder of the night, giving festival-goers the opportunity to dance the night away.
Among other occasions, “Bathtubs over Broadway” provided audiences the opportunity to explore corporate musicals, “Citizen Blue” told the story of James Blue, and “Skip Day” which offered insight into the lives of high schoolers from the Florida Everglades.
Live and Immersive cinema
“Compressed Air: The Best Experimental Films of 2018” was an incredible showcase of short films curated by University of Houston lecturer Michael Sicinski. The event was an incredibly beautiful showcase of films from all around the world on a variety of topics.
Additionally, there were Live Cinema events which combined animations and other films with live music elements with filmed interviews, archival footage and narration which culminate in an immersive film and sound experience incomparable to a traditional movie theater!
Immersive cinema events included a 360 Cinema at Silver Street Studios which showcased a series of six short films in 360-degree views with the help of the Samsung Gear VR headset. This particular experience was incredible as the various films take the viewer through tragedies, a hometown changing beyond recognition and the wonders of space.
Cinespace
The most notable and intriguing portion of the festival was the Cinespace competition, which truly blew away audiences. Filmmakers were challenged with utilizing NASA’s archives of footage to create a story were judged by Director Richard Linklater and NASA in order to narrow down submissions for this crown jewel of the many hosted events at HCAF.
The films all possess longings for the wonder of exploration which evoke nostalgia in the minds of all, driving hopes and aspirations upwards towards “The Moon, Mars, and Beyond” as NASA challenged filmmakers to do. Personal favorites from this screening include “Hall of the Space Kings,” “Space Craft,” “Arc,” “The Visitors,” “Tape Machine” and “Oxidation” for their inventive usage of the footage alongside their own.
Conclusion
The Houston Cinema Arts Festival possessed an incredibly strong lineup of activities and experiences for festival-goers. At many times, it was difficult to decide one thing over another, which did cause a bit of fear of missing out but also promoted the diversity of the festival in its offerings.
The timing for the festival was solid, with events lining up one right after the other. Unfortunately, the tight scheduling did lead to instances where one could not get from one venue to the other fast enough in order to attend back to back screenings in different locations.
However, the choices I made were ultimately rewarding, and I feel they would have been regardless of my ultimate choice between two different experiences.
Overall, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival was an unmatched experience providing audiences with opportunities to appreciate and admire cinema in a cornucopia of formats. From live music accompaniment to virtual reality, HCAF 2018 was an immersive and wholly exciting experience which I look forward to attending again.
