Houston Cinema Arts Festival
When:
October 1, 2026 to October 11, 2026
Where:
Houston, TX
About the Event:
18th Houston Cinema Arts Festival, returning October 1–11, 2026 at venues throughout Houston that include MFAH, River Oaks Theatre, DeLUXE Theater, and more.
Under this year’s theme, My Eyes Are Playing Tricks on Me, the festival examines an increasingly complicated relationship between image and truth; from artificial intelligence, surveillance and political manipulation to memory, identity, performance and communities reclaiming the ability to author their own stories.
Across more than 35 feature films, six short-film blocks, filmmaker conversations, workshops, live performances, experimental cinema and multidisciplinary events, the 2026 festival brings acclaimed international work from Cannes and Venice into conversation with films and artists whose stories are inseparable from Houston.