Movies Houstonians Love

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This annual film series invites notable Houstonians from different walks of life to present a favorite film. An initiative of the MFAH film committee, Movies Houstonians Love has two primary goals: to provide speakers with the opportunity to show another side of themselves, and to introduce new audiences to the year-round film programming offered in the Museum’s Brown Auditorium Theater.

View upcoming films in the series. 

Over the years, presenters have included luminaries such as ballet star Lauren Anderson; musicians Bun B, Kam Franklin, and Robert Earl Keen; former first lady Barbara Bush; sports stars Cynthia Cooper, Larry Dierker, and Clyde Drexler; fashion designer Chloe Dao; mayors Bob Lanier, Annise Parker, Sylvester Turner, and Bill White; restaurateurs Irma Galvan, Armando Palacios, and Monica Pope; radio host John Lienhard; and filmmaker Richard Linklater.

Films & Presenters

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Season 18 (2024–2025)
October 12 | Ratatouille | James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur Chris Shepherd

Season 17 (2023–2024)
December 9 | The Right Stuff | Retired astronaut Colonel Terry Virts
January 13 | O Brother, Where Art Thou? | Indie Slate magazine publishers Maureen Herzog and Dave Walker
March 22 | Meet Me in St. Louis | Khori Dastoor, general director & CEO at Houston Grand Opera
April 19 | Caravaggio | David McGee, Houston artist

Season 16 (2022–2023)
October 2 | El Norte | Augustina Reyes on behalf of UH professor emeritus Michael Olivas (1951–2022) 
December 2 | Choose Me | Author and UH professor Roberto Tejada
February 25 | Dazed and Confused | Meteorologist Eric Berger
March 4 | Leonor Will Never Die | Filipinx multimedia artist Cybil Pallugna-Saenz

Season 15 (2019–2020)
September 15 | Threshold | Heart surgeon Bud Frazier
November 3 & 10 | House | 2016 Houston youth poet laureate Fareena Arefeen
February 23 | What We Do in the Shadows | Two Star Symphony

Season 14 (2018–2019)
October 7 | Laura | Arts patron and MFAH film committee member Patricia P. Hubbard
February 2 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | Artist and Glassell School of Art director Joseph Havel

Season 13 (2017–2018)
September 25 | The Dinner Game | Houston Grand Opera artistic and music director Patrick Summers
December 2 | Mahogany | Houston Chronicle fashion & beauty editor Joy Sewing
April 15 | Army of Shadows | Da Camera artistic and general director Sarah Rothenberg

Season 12 (2016–2017)
September 27 | From Here to Eternity | MFAH chairman of the board Richard D. Kinder
October 9 | The Jewel Box | Author Chitra Divakaruni
October 24 | Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy | Singer Kam Franklin
March 13 | A Raisin in the Sun | Mayor Sylvester Turner

Season 11 (2015–2016)
September 28 | The In-Laws | Houston Chronicle columnist Ken Hoffman
October 26 | The Loved One | Architect Jim Furr
November 23 | True Stories | Señorita Cinema founder Stephanie Saint Sanchez
February 1 | Funny Bones | Author and UH professor Mat Johnson
March 7 | Hedwig and the Angry Inch | Author and former Houston poet laureate Gwendolyn Zepeda

Season 10 (2014–2015)
October 6 | Je vous aime | MFAH film committee cochair Michael Zilkha
November 3 | Cabaret | MFAH director Gary Tinterow
December 1 | It's a Wonderful Life | Catastrophic Theater associate director Tamarie Cooper
January 27 | Contact | Heart surgeon Billy Cohn
March 2 | Being There | Musician Robert Earl Keen
March 30 | Black Narcissus | Artist Carl Palazzolo
April 26 | Babe | Hip-hop artist Willie D

Season 9 (2013–2014)
October 14 | Muscle Shoals | MFAH film committee member and Ultimate Film Buff Mark Wawro
October 28 | Fitzcarraldo | Former MFAH associate director Gwen Goffe
November 25 | Lola Montès | CAMH director Bill Arning
January 27 | Bagdad Café | FotoFest founders Wendy Watriss and Fred Baldwin
March 31 | Rushmore | Houston Chronicle’s Kyrie O’Connor
April 28 | Hands on a Hardbody | Author Nick Flynn

Season 8 (2012–2013)
September 24 | Braveheart | Houston Rockets star Clyde Drexler
November 26 | Moneyball | Houston Astros managers Jeff Luhnow and Bo Porter
February 5 | The Umbrellas of Cherbourg | Philanthropist Anne Chao
April 1 | Laura | MFAH film committee founding chair Lynn Wyatt
April 21 | Citizen Kane | The Baker Institute’s Edward Djerejian
May 6 | Orpheus | Houston Symphony’s Hans Graf

Season 7 (2011–2012)
October 2 | Kind Hearts and Coronets | Gallerist Meredith Long
October 24 | Bill Cunningham New York | Fashion designer Alexandra Knight
November 7 | Wings of Desire | Southwest Alternate Media Project's Mary Lampe
January 30 | Aftershock | Rice University’s Y. Ping Sun
February 20 | Live and Become | The Menil Collection director Josef Helfenstein

Season 6 (2010–2011)
September 28 | The Wizard of Oz | Mayor Annise Parker
October 26 | The Big Lebowski | Restaurateur Bryan Caswell
January 31 | The Lives of Others | Author Justin Cronin
March 1 | Mildred Pierce | HoustonPBS’s Ernie Manouse
March 18 | Nothing but a Man | Project Row Houses’ Rick Lowe
April 26 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Civic leader Ellen Cohen

Season 5 “Meals on Reels” (2009–2010)
September 21 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | Restaurateur Marcus Davis
October 26 | Tortilla Soup | Restaurateur Irma Galvan
November 30 | Big Night | Restaurateur Michael Kramer
January 5 | Mostly Martha | Restaurateur Anita Jaisinghani
January 25 | La grande bouffe | Restaurateur Scott Tycer
February 22 | Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? | Restaurant owner Robert Del Grande
March 29 | Super Size Me | Restaurateur Armando Palacios
April 26 | Babette's Feast | Restaurateur Charles Clark
May 10 | Food, Inc. | Restaurateur Monica Pope

Season 4 (2008–2009)
October 27 | Reds | Politician Sissy Farenthold
November 11 | Andrei Roublev | Gallerist Fredericka Hunter
January 26 | Mr. and Mrs. Iyer | University of Houston president Renu Khator
February 23 | Kingdom of Heaven | Anadarko Petroleum CEO Jim Hackett
March 30 | A Man for All Seasons | Houston Grand Opera's Anthony Freud
April 13 | The Sound of Music | Amazing Race winners Joyce and Uchenna Agu
April 27 | For Whom the Bell Tolls | Former Mayor Bob Lanier

Season 3 (2007–2008)
September 24 | Gattaca | Educator Mike Feinberg
October 29 | Singin' in the Rain | Houston Ballet’s Lauren Anderson
November 26 | No Highway in the Sky | NPR’s John Lienhard
January 28 | Dead Poets Society | Fashion designer Chloe Dao
February 25 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | Houston Chronicle columnist Leon Hale
April 28 | Tea with Mussolini | Philanthropist Joanne King Herring

Season 2 (2006–2007)
October 30 | Casablanca | Houston Astros star Larry Dierker
January 29 | Life Is Beautiful | Former first lady Barbara Bush
February 13 | Style Wars | Hip-hop artist Bun B
April 17 | Some Came Running | Filmmaker Richard Linklater

Season 1 (2005–2006)
October 24 | The Shawshank Redemption | Basketball star Cynthia Cooper
January 30 | The Last Picture Show | Mayor Bill White
February 13 | Catch-22 | Heart surgeon Denton Cooley
March 13 | Barbarella | Actress Annalee Jefferies

Generous support has been provided by the Foundation for Independent Media Arts.