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Tuesday 10am - 5pm Wednesday 10am - 5pm Thursday 10am - 9pm Friday 10am - 7pm Saturday 10am - 7pm Sunday 12:15pm - 7pm

Films at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

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Films at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

The MFAH has celebrated cinema as an art form since 1939. Experience films as they were meant to be seen. We present more than 200 screenings annually.

The film program at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, offers moviegoers a unique venue for appreciating both classic and contemporary films. The Museum is the oldest repertory cinema in Houston and has sponsored the exhibition of film since 1939.

04/17/2026

Showing this Saturday, April 18: "Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars"

April 18 is Robert Wilson Day in Texas, celebrating the Waco-born theater and visual artist who died in 2025. This newly restored documentary, presented in conjunction with Houston Grand Opera’s surreal presentation of Wilson’s production of "Messiah" (April 17–May 3), chronicles one of the great unrealized theatrical productions of the 20th century: "The Civil Wars." Wilson proves himself to be a force of nature, working with Philip Glass and David Byrne as they seek to mount a 12-hour opera—a collaboration between six international theater companies—for the Los Angeles 1984 Summer Olympics. The New York Film Festival called "Robert Wilson and the Civil Wars" compulsively watchable.

Get tickets at mfah.org/events/robert-wilson-and-the-civil-wars

04/16/2026

Showing this Friday and Sunday: Lumière, le cinéma!

This new documentary celebrates the pioneering achievements of French entrepreneurs August and Louis Lumière in the late 19th century. Lumière, le cinéma! illuminates how the brothers employed the camera as a creative instrument as they (and their operators) mastered framing, staging, and subject selection for the very first motion pictures, introducing the art of the moving image to a somewhat skeptical public. Filmmaker and cinephile Thierry Frémaux (director of the Cannes Film Festival and cofounder of the Institut Lumière) narrates excerpts from new restorations of more than 100 short films, set to an evocative score of period music by Gabriel Fauré.

This event is part of the French Cultures Festival, coordinated by Villa Albertine Houston.

Get tickets at mfah.org/events/lumiere-le-cinema

04/10/2026

Two showings this Saturday: "My Father's Shadow"

Winner of the Caméra d’Or Special Mention at Cannes, Akinola Davies, Jr.’s debut feature is both intimate and epic. It’s a deeply personal family story set against the turbulence of 1993 Lagos during a pivotal national election promising a shift from military rule to democracy in Nigeria. When young (real-life) brothers Remi and Akin unexpectedly accompany their oft-absent father to the city to collect his overdue salary, what unfolds is a rich journey through memory, masculinity, and a country on the cusp of fragile transformation.

🔗 Get tickets at mfah.org/events/my-fathers-shadow

04/09/2026

Showing on Friday & Sunday, April 10 & 12: "Why Has Bodhi-Dharma Left for the East? (Dharmaga tongjoguro kan kkadalgun)"

Set in a remote mountain monastery, the first Korean feature to have U.S. theatrical distribution explores themes of consciousness, acceptance, and redemption. An old Zen master wishes to make the ceremony of his death his final lesson to his apprentice, who is struggling to come to terms with abandoning worldly ways. Meanwhile, a young boy has his own awakening to mortality as he attempts to nurse a bird he thoughtlessly injured with a stone. The title of the film is a Zen koan—a paradox meant to aid meditation—that provokes the question of the distinction between leaving and arriving. This resonant film complements the exhibition “Buddha | Nature: Five Dialogues on Our Shared World.”

🔗 Get tickets at mfah.org/events/why-has-bodhi-dharma-left

04/02/2026

Showing this weekend at the MFAH: "Mr. Nobody Against Putin."

Pasha Talankin is a beloved Russian primary-school teacher, known as a mentor and prankster who offers students a safe haven in his office. After Russia invades Ukraine, Talankin is forced to promote state-sanctioned messages and is horrified by the transformation of his school and community.

His feelings lead him to become an international whistleblower, documenting the rise of militarized children’s groups, repressive laws, and fervent nationalism. When he learns his own life may be at risk, Talankin is forced to plan a dangerous escape. Winner of multiple awards on the film-festival circuit,

"Mr. Nobody Against Putin" also won the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature at the 2026 Academy Awards.

📆 Friday, April 03 | 7 PM
Friday, April 03 | 7 PM
Sunday, April 05 | 5 PM

🎟️ Tickets at mfah.org/events/mr-nobody-against-putin

03/27/2026

This Saturday, enhance your experience of the exhibition "Frida: The Making of an Icon" with a screening of this fascinating documentary made by husband-and-wife filmmakers David and Karen Crommie.

After getting to know Kahlo during her time in San Francisco, the Crommies created a film that interweaves images from the artist's life and work with memories shared by people who were close to her and her husband, Diego Rivera.

📆 Saturday, March 28 | 2 pm and 4 pm

Get tickets at mfah.org/events/the-life-and-death-of-frida-kahlo

03/25/2026

To kick off the Houston Jewish Film Festival at the MFAH, we're showing "Come Closer."

Israel’s official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards is a searing exploration of grief, love, and obsession, inspired in part by director Tom Nesher’s personal family tragedy. After the sudden death of her younger brother, Eden discovers that he had a secret girlfriend and is drawn into an intense relationship with the woman, blurring the lines between healing and self-destruction.

📆 Thursday, March 26 | 7 pm

Get tickets at mfah.org/events/come-closer

03/04/2026

Starting THIS Friday! Have you gotten your tickets yet?

https://www.mfah.org/events/series/moonlight-movies

02/27/2026

Moonlight Movies are back at the MFAH! ✨

Grab a spot on the sloping roof of the Glassell School of Art and enjoy an outdoor screening just steps from the sculpture garden. 🌙🎥

Stroll past the art, settle in with complimentary popcorn, and sip signature cocktails inspired by each film.

This year's theme: Time Travel ⏳
📅 Back to the Future | March 6
📅 Time Bandits | March 13
📅 13 Going on 30 | March 20

Headsets provided for premium sound. See you on the plaza! 🍿💫
🔗 Head to mfah.org/films tickets.

Address

1001 Bissonnet At Main
Houston, TX
77005

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 5pm
Wednesday	10am - 5pm
Thursday	10am - 9pm
Friday	10am - 7pm
Saturday	10am - 7pm
Sunday	12:15pm - 7pm

Telephone

(713) 639-7515

Website

http://www.mfah.org/films

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