Jenny Conte

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7th Annual CineSpace Short Film Competition Now Accepting Submissions

HOUSTON, TX – NASA and the Houston Cinema Arts Society ( HCAS) open submissions for the 2021 CineSpace Short Film Competition on March 1 kicking off the seventh year of the film competition. The deadline for submissions closes July 14, 2021 at noon EST.

The competition fosters creativity at the intersection of art and science by inviting filmmakers around the world to create short films inspired by and incorporating NASA archival footage and imagery.  Submissions featuring NASA footage from 60 years of space exploration will be judged on creativity, innovation and attention to detail. As in previous years, filmmakers will compete for $26,000 in cash prizes with awards going to the top three overall winners and winners of two special categories: Best Educational Film on Space and Science and Film That Best Depicts Unity and Inclusion in Science.

Filmmakers of all experience levels from around the world are welcome to submit their films for consideration. The competition is inclusive of all genres including narrative, documentary, comedy, drama, animation, experimental, and others, and films will be submitted to the content creation platform Tongal. Film entries must be 10 minutes or less and consist of at least 10 percent publicly available NASA archival content. Finalists are selected from the submissions by a joint NASA-HCAS screening committee, and first, second, and third place prizes are awarded by Academy Award ® nominee Richard Linklater.

Finalists will be announced alongside the lineup of the 2021 Houston Cinema Arts Festival in October 2021. Winners will be announced and awarded their prizes at the 13th Annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival taking place November 11 – 15, 2021.  Finalists and winners may be screened at other film festivals across the country, on NASA TV, or even onboard the ISS.

Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting unique and innovative film programs, multimedia installations and performances, and educational opportunities to engage, enrich, and empower Houston’s diverse communities and cultures.

For more information on CineSpace, competition guidelines and the submission process and to view past winners and finalists, visit: http://www.cinespace.org

Find NASA video and imagery at: http://www.nasa.gov/content/download-nasa-videos-for-cinespace

Learn about NASA’s innovative and collaborative efforts at: https://www.nasa.gov/offices/COECI/index.html

Look for more about the Houston Cinema Arts Society at: cinemahtx.org

2021 Sundance Film Festival and Houston Cinema Arts Society Reveal Additional Program Selections Debuting in Houston and Beyond Film Selections

HOUSTON, TX – Houston Cinema Arts Society announces new additions to the Sundance Satellite program. Judas and the Black Messiah, Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir, and Mayday will join previously announced films CODA, I Was a Simple Man, and Passing. In addition to the screenings of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival Official Selection, Houston Cinema Arts Society is presenting the “Beyond Film” series, programs curated by HCAS in compliment to the official Sundance selections. Programs include a Drive-In screening of the Texas-based film that premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, Miss Juneteenth, at the DeLuxe Theater Pop Up Drive-In, a virtual conversation between Miss Juneteenth director Channing Godfrey Peoples and HCAS Board Member Richard Linklater, and the return of the Black Story Media Summit – Texas on a virtual platform.

Feature competition film Mayday will screen at Moonstruck Drive-In on Sunday, January 31 at 7:30PM. The much anticipated film Judas and the Black Messiah, starring LaKeith Standfield and Daniel Kaluuya, will play Moonstruck Drive-In on Monday, February 1 at 8PM. Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir is the last feature by late director James Redford, Robert Redford’s son, and will play Moonstruck Drive-In on Tuesday, February 2 at 7:30PM.  

Judas and the Black Messiah / U.S.A. (Director: Shaka King, Screenwriters: Will Berson, Shaka King, Producers: Ryan Coogler, Charles D. King, Shaka King) — FBI informant William O’Neal infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther party when J. Edgar Hoover fears charismatic leader Chairman Fred Hampton will emerge as a Black Messiah. O’Neal lives in fear of discovery and cannot escape the deadly trajectory of his betrayal. Cast: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Lil Rel Howery, Martin Sheen. World Premiere. Monday, February 1 at 8:00PM at Moonstruck Drive-In


Miss Juneteenth / U.S.A (Director and Screenwriter: Channing Godfrey Peoples, Producers: Neil Creque Williams, James M. Johnston, Jeanie Igoe, and Toby Halbrooks – Turquoise Jones is a single mom who holds down a household, a rebellious teenager, and pretty much everything that goes down at Wayman’s BBQ & Lounge. Turquoise is also a bona fide beauty queen—she was once crowned Miss Juneteenth, a title commemorating the day slaves in Texas were freed – two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. Life didn’t turn out as beautifully  as  the  title promised, but Turquoise, determined to right her wrongs, is cultivating her daughter, Kai, to become Miss Juneteenth, even if Kai wants something else. Cast: Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson, and Alexis Chikaeze. Houston in-person premiere. Sunday, January 31 at 7:30PM at The DeLuxe Theater. This screening is co-presented with Austin Film Society and Black Public Media.

Mayday / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Karen Cinorre, Producers: Jonah Disend, Lucas Joaquin, Karen Cinorre, Sam Levy) — Ana is transported to a dreamlike and dangerous land where she joins an army of girls engaged in a never-ending war along a rugged coast. Though she finds strength in this exhilarating world, she comes to realize that she’s not the killer they want her to be. Cast: Grace Van Patten, Mia Goth, Havana Rose Liu, Soko, Théodore Pellerin, Juliette Lewis. World Premiere. Sunday, January 31 at 7:30PM at Moonstruck Drive-In.

Amy Tan: Unintended Memoir / U.S.A. (Director: James Redford, Producers: Karen Pritzker, Cassandra Jabola) — Amy Tan has established herself as one of America’s most respected literary voices. Born to Chinese immigrant parents, it would be decades before the author of The Joy Luck Club would fully understand the inherited trauma rooted in the legacies of women who survived the Chinese tradition of concubinage. World Premiere, Documentary. Tuesday, February 2 at 7:30PM at Moonstruck Drive-In.

Richard Linklater will join Miss Juneteenth director Channing Godfrey Peoples for a free virtual conversation, co-hosted by Austin Film Society and Black Public Media. Both Linklater and Channing have early works focused on specific communities in Texas, aiming to represent them cinematically and authentically. The filmmakers will sit down for a virtual conversation to explore the creative threads that connect them, and the journey of making independent films today. The talk will take place on January 28 at 4PM. Registration is free but required. 

The 2nd Black Media Story Summit-Texas, following the inaugural summit held during the 2019 Houston Cinema Arts Festival, at the historic DeLuxe Theater in Houston’s 5th Ward, will be a virtual affair, and part of the Sundance Film Festival’s “Beyond Film” Sundance Satellite programming.  This free virtual conference will bring together 100 guests, including filmmakers/content creators of color, foundations, tech, distributors, and social justice leaders on the Eventive virtual platform for a day of collaboration and discussion about new strategies designed to support diverse black stories. The Texas summit is one of several regional events that continue the conversation started at the inaugural Black Media Story Summit in 2018 originated by Black Public Media, and aims to galvanize local efforts to amplify black stories. This invite-only  event is presented by Black Public Media, Austin Film Society, and Houston Cinema Arts Society on Tuesday, February 2nd from 10am to 4:30pm.

Tickets for in-person screenings are available now. You can learn more about the films selected for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and see the online schedule on the Festival’s film program guide at festival.sundance.org. To purchase tickets to these in-person screenings, visit cinemahtx.org

ABOUT HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS SOCIETY (HCAS)

Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting unique and innovative film programs, multimedia installations and performances, and educational opportunities to engage, enrich, and empower Houston’s diverse communities and cultures.  HCAS flagship programs include the Houston Cinema Arts Festival held annually in November, the Cinespace short film competition (a collaboration with NASA challenging filmmakers to create films from the NASA archives), Borders | No Borders (a short film competition for filmmakers with meaningful ties to Texas, the states it borders, and Mexico), and the Black Media Story Summit (a collaboration with Black Public Media, the Austin Film Society, and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation). HCAS is dedicated to serving Houston filmmakers and film lovers and engaging in meaningful partnerships with creative individuals and organizations at the intersection of cinema with the visual arts, music, theatre, literature, dance, culture, science, and the humanities.  HCAS is generously supported by HEB, National Endowment for the Arts, Brown Foundation, Kinder Foundation, Houston First Corporation, Franci Neely Foundation, Petrello Family Foundation, Cabrina & Steven Owsley, Carrin Patman & Jim Derrick, Catherine Asher Morgan, Sara and Bill Morgan, Louisa Stude Sarofim, Nina & Michael Zilkha, Mark Wawro, Amegy Bank, Texas Film Commission, Houston Film Commission, Texas Commission for the Arts, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, Six Foot, and Houston Arts Alliance. The 2020 Houston Cinema Arts Festival took place November 12-22 at Drive-Ins around Houston and on the virtual Eventive platform.

2021 Sundance Film Festival and Houston Cinema Arts Society Reveal Program Selections Debuting in Houston

Houston, TX — The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced last month the new independent work selected for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, January 28-February 3, 2021. The Festival will take place digitally via a feature-rich, Sundance-built online platform and in-person screenings across the country on Satellite Screens including in Houston (public health permitting). Online, Festival attendees can gather in virtual waiting rooms, participate in live Q&A’s, and congregate in new environments to interact in a range of ways, both new and familiar. The Institute shared details of how the Festival will meet audiences on the online platform and Satellite Screens in December. 


Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is proud to partner with the Festival to bring selections of the program to Houston at Moonstruck Drive-In and The DeLuxe Theater. Each film will be preceded by an HCAS curated pre-show reel. More announcements will follow next week.


The film selections playing in Houston are: 

CODA / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Siân Heder, Producers: Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi, Patrick Wachsberger) — As a CODA – Child of Deaf Adults – Ruby is the only hearing person in her deaf family. When the family’s fishing business is threatened, Ruby finds herself torn between pursuing her love of music and her fear of abandoning her parents. Cast: Emilia Jones, Eugenio Derbez, Troy Kotsur, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant, and Marlee Matlin. World Premiere. Playing Thursday, January 28 at 7:30PM at Moonstruck Drive-In.

I Was a Simple Man / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Christopher Makoto Yogi, Producers: Sarah S. Kim, Christopher Makoto Yogi, Matthew Petock, Yamato Cibulka) — As a family in Hawai’i faces the imminent death of their eldest, the ghosts of the past haunt the countryside. Cast: Steve Iwamoto, Constance Wu, Kanoa Goo, Chanel Akiko Hirai, Tim Chiou, Boonyanudh Jiyarom. World Premiere. Playing Friday, January 29 at 7:30PM at Moonstruck Drive-In.

Passing / U.S.A. (Director and Screenwriter: Rebecca Hall, Producers: Forest Whitaker, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Margot Hand, Rebecca Hall) — Two African-American women who can “pass” as white choose to live on opposite sides of the color line in 1929 New York in an exploration of racial and gender identity, performance, obsession and repression. Based on the novella by Nella Larsen. Cast: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, André Holland, Alexander Skarsgård, Bill Camp. World Premiere. Playing Saturday, January 30 at 7:30PM at Moonstruck Drive-In.

“We are so excited about our Sundance Satellite line-up at the fabulous Moonstruck Drive-In and eager to share some of the most intriguing, gorgeous, and groundbreaking filmmaking on the planet with Houston’s discerning film going audience,” says HCAS Artistic Director Jessica Green. “Siân Heder’s Coda, Christopher Makoto Yogi’s I Was a Simple Man, and Rebecca Hall’s Passing represent the new voices, excellence, and diversity of world-class independent filmmaking in 2021. All three set a fresh gaze on underrepresented, unique, yet universally felt experiences and scopes. We are really proud, at Houston Cinema Arts Society, to be tasked with shepherding this experience on behalf of Sundance for Houston.“ 

Tickets for in-person screenings, along with the local screening schedule, will be available beginning January 7, 2021. You can learn more about the films selected for the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and see the online schedule on the Festival’s film program guide at festival.sundance.org.  

Houston Cinema Arts Society will be revealing additional local programming including talks and events in mid-January for the Beyond Film section. For more information, please see at Festival.Sundance.org and cinemahtx.org.

ABOUT HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS SOCIETY (HCAS)

Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting unique and innovative film programs, multimedia installations and performances, and educational opportunities to engage, enrich, and empower Houston’s diverse communities and cultures.  HCAS flagship programs include the Houston Cinema Arts Festival held annually in November, the Cinespace short film competition (a collaboration with NASA challenging filmmakers to create films from the NASA archives), Borders | No Borders (a short film competition for filmmakers with meaningful ties to Texas, the states it borders, and Mexico), and the Black Media Story Summit (a collaboration with Black Public Media, the Austin Film Society, and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation). HCAS is dedicated to serving Houston filmmakers and film lovers and engaging in meaningful partnerships with creative individuals and organizations at the intersection of cinema with the visual arts, music, theatre, literature, dance, culture, science, and the humanities.  HCAS is generously supported by HEB, National Endowment for the Arts, Brown Foundation, Kinder Foundation, Houston First Corporation, Franci Neely Foundation, Petrello Family Foundation, Cabrina & Steven Owsley, Carrin Patman & Jim Derrick, Catherine Asher Morgan, Sara and Bill Morgan, Louisa Stude Sarofim, Nina & Michael Zilkha, Mark Wawro, Amegy Bank, Texas Film Commission, Houston Film Commission, Texas Commission for the Arts, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, Six Foot, and Houston Arts Alliance. The 2020 Houston Cinema Arts Festival took place November 12-22 at Drive-Ins around Houston and on the virtual Eventive platform.

Houston Cinema Arts Society Hosts Sundance Satellite Film Festival in Houston

 December 9, 2020                                                  

HOUSTON — Houston Cinema Arts Society is partnering with Sundance Film Festival to host a Sundance Satellite Film Festival in Houston. Expanding beyond its Utah home, the Festival has created a network of partnerships to bring feature films and customized local programming — talks, events, artist meet-ups — to communities across the country. In addition to these Satellite Screen partnerships, the Institute will program screenings at The Ray in Park City and the Rose Bowl and Mission Tiki Drive-Ins in Los Angeles, health and safety guidelines permitting, as well as on the Sundance Film Festival virtual platform. Each Satellite Screen will create and host their own events, sharing local cultural conversations with broader Festival audiences, with most also screening selections from the 2021 program.

“These partners are the backbone of independent artistic communities across the country, where filmmakers are born and cinephiles are developed,” said Sundance Film Festival Director Tabitha Jackson. “We’re entering these partnerships because a healthy ecosystem for artists and audiences requires that independent cinemas across the country survive and thrive.”

Houston Cinema Arts Society will host drive-in screenings at downtown Houston’s beautiful Moonstruck Drive-In, as well as the Drive-In at the historic DeLuxe Theater, one of the jewels of the 5th Ward. HCAS will also be presenting “Beyond Film” virtual programming, companion programming to the “Sundance Select” films. Programming details to be announced. Tickets will go on sale on January 7th at cinemahtx.org.

 

*We at HCAS are so excited to be partnering with the Sundance Film Festival on presenting a Sundance Satellite Film Festival in Houston.” HCAS Artistic Director Jessica Green said. “This is a rare opportunity to bring together a world renowned film festival, featuring the best in global independent film, with Houston, the United States’ most emergent global and diverse city. We are excited to share some of the best of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival in real time, with Houstonians, along with “Beyond Film” virtual programming featuring, and in partnership with local filmmakers, artists and organizations.”

HCAS Artistic Director Jessica Green and festival artists are available for interviews upon requests. Film screeners available upon request.

Press Contact:

Michael Robinson

Marketing and Communications Manager

713.429.0420

michael@cinemahtx.org

 

ABOUT HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS SOCIETY (HCAS)

Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting unique and innovative film programs, multimedia installations and performances, and educational opportunities to engage, enrich, and empower Houston’s diverse communities and cultures.  HCAS flagship programs include the Houston Cinema Arts Festival held annually in November, the Cinespace short film competition (a collaboration with NASA challenging filmmakers to create films from the NASA archives), Borders | No Borders, a short film competition (for residents of, and filmmakers with significant ties to Texas, the states it borders, and Mexico), and the Black Media Story Summit (a collaboration with Black Public Media, the Austin Film Society, and the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation). HCAS is dedicated to serving Houston filmmakers and film lovers and engaging in meaningful partnerships with creative individuals and organizations at the intersection of cinema with the visual arts, music, theatre, literature, dance, culture, science, and the humanities.  HCAS is generously supported by HEB, Houston First Corporation, Levantine Films, Franci Neely Foundation, Petrello Family Foundation, Cabrina & Steven Owsley, Carrin Patman & Jim Derrick, Catherine Asher Morgan, Sara and Bill Morgan, Louisa Stude Sarofim, Nina & Michael Zilkha, Mark Wawro, Amegy Bank, Kinder Foundation, Brown Foundation, Texas Film Commission, Houston Film Commission, Texas Commission for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, and Houston Arts Alliance. The 2020 Houston Cinema Arts Festival took place November 12-22,  at Drive-Ins around Houston and on the virtual Eventive platform.

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HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS SOCIETY RECEIVES HUMANITIES TEXAS RELIEF GRANT

Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is the recipient of a Humanities Texas Relief Grant.

HCAS is dedicated to presenting innovative films, media installations, multimedia performances, and educational initiatives that celebrate the artistic process and enrich Houston’s culture and urban vitality. Since the onset of the pandemic, HCAS has pivoted to virtual programming.
Relief Grant funds provided essential early funding to build out virtual platforms and provide scholars, activists, filmmakers, and artists with honorariums for participating in virtual discussions.

This summer, Humanities Texas awarded over $1.1 million to 198 Texas nonprofits that suffered losses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipients include museums, libraries, preservation organizations and heritage and cultural centers, among many others.

These organizations offer historical and cultural programs that have significant impact within their communities. Humanities Texas aims to help these organizations remain vital in this difficult time.

“We are fortunate to have the opportunity to provide critical support to so many organizations across the state,” said Humanities Texas Executive Director Eric Lupfer. “Looking ahead, we will continue to seek ways to assist Texas cultural and educational institutions in surviving this crisis.”

“The Relief Grant allowed HCAS to move confidently and quickly to a virtual platform and provide much needed honorariums to program participants. HCAS was able to continue to engage audiences from home in a meaningful and interactive way,” said Laurence Unger, Executive Director of HCAS.

Funding for these grants has been provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act economic stabilization plan. n

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Humanities Texas, based in Austin, Texas, is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Its mission is to advance education through programs that improve the quality of classroom teaching, support libraries and museums and create opportunities for lifelong learning for all Texans.

HCAS hosts a special preview screening of the Sundance Winning Documentary Boys State

HCAS is hosting a free virtual preview screening of the 2019 Sundance award-winning documentary Boys State for HCAS members and HCAF 2019 festival ticket purchasers, followed by a Q&A with directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss and film subjects Houstonian Steven Garza and San Antonian Ben Feinstein, moderated by HCAS’s Michael Robinson. The film is courtesy of Apple Original Films and A24. Boys State will be released on Apple TV+ on Friday, August 14th.   


Registration ends August 5th at 10:00am CST. Members can reserve tickets at the link below. HCAF 2019 ticket purchasers can email admin @ cinemahtx.org with their name and the film they watched at the festival and will be added to the list. Registrations after 10am CST will not be included. 


Boys State follows the lives of teenage boys participating in Boys State, a program where selected students from all around the nation build a representative government. They involve themselves in alliances, political parties, campaigns, mock elections and legislatures as they learn how the political process works. One of the films subjects, Steven Garza, a student from Mayde Creek High School in Katy, Texas, displays perseverance and heroism in sticking to his progressive beliefs running for a governor position even though the conclave was dominated by his white, conservative peers.


For more information, visit: https://hcas.eventive.org/schedule/5f22ee3385a26f00360d69c7

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