PROGRAMS & EVENTS

Aurora Picture Show’s screenings, film festivals, installations, live performances, artist talks, and member events may take place at our own space or other locations around Houston. Each Aurora program is unique, so please make sure to note the specific location, time, ticket price, etc. Scroll down to see upcoming and past events, and click on them for full program details.

Extremely Shorts Film Festival 2024
May
31
to Jun 1

Extremely Shorts Film Festival 2024

Aurora’s annual festival showcasing adventurous short films of all kinds from around the globe! Guest Juror Lili Chin has selected 29 films from 10 countries. Join us for festival screenings and receptions. Extremely Shorts is sponsored by the Storyhive and Saint Arnold Brewing Company.

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NIGHT LIGHT 2024
Apr
6

NIGHT LIGHT 2024

Aurora and Buffalo Bayou Partnership co-present this free outdoor event featuring new site-specific video installations by Houston artists Violette Bule, Ronald Llewellyn Jones, and Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin. There will also be a looped animated film made by artist Ezra Wube with local residents and a market featuring music, food trucks, and local vendors.

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Geometry of Light
Mar
1

Geometry of Light

In conjunction with the Chryssa & New York exhibition, Aurora and the Menil Collection present a free outdoor screening of short experimental film and video works by artists including Jenny Holzer, Muriel Magenta, and Luis Arnías.

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Lillian Schwartz: Early Permutations
Feb
15

Lillian Schwartz: Early Permutations

Aurora and The Moody Center for the Arts co-present this free program celebrating computer art pioneer Lillian Schwartz with a selection of some of her earliest films, made at Bell Laboratories 1970-76, followed by a conversation with guest Kristen Gallerneaux.

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Member Moviola
Feb
7

Member Moviola

This installation of Aurora’s member gathering and secret cinema will be held at Brasil / Flatland Gallery. Guest archivist will present rarely seen film footage shot in Houston between the 1950s and 70s!

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Aurora Rummage Sale!
Jan
27

Aurora Rummage Sale!

Drop by Aurora Picture Show's big rummage sale Saturday to say hello and riffle through our things! We'll be selling tons of neat cheapos, and besides raising a little money for the organization this will also be a chance to hang out at our Bartlett Street space. Cocktails by Double Trouble begin at 1pm!

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Resistance In Color
Jan
19

Resistance In Color

On the centennial of cinematic master Sergei Parajanov, this special presentation features rarely-seen short films he made in the 1960s as well as new experimental shorts by contemporary artist and Parajanov’s goddaughter, Ketuta Alexi-Meskhishvili, who will be in attendance.

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Documents, Dreams, and Discards
Aug
12

Documents, Dreams, and Discards

Aurora and the Menil Collection present a free screening of experimental films made between the 1940s and 1970s by Joseph Cornell, Wallace Berman, Bruce Conner, Storm de Hirsch, Shirley Clarke, Nam June Paik, and others.

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Member Moviola
May
31

Member Moviola

Join us for Aurora’s members and staff for our quarterly social and secret cinema gathering! This time, we’ll be celebrating the 100th birthday of visual artist, filmmaker, and legendary eccentric Harry Smith with images of his paintings, short films, and music from his Anthology of American Folk Music. Free for members.

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Extremely Shorts Film Festival 2023
May
19
to May 28

Extremely Shorts Film Festival 2023

Extremely Shorts Film Festival 2023 is an eclectic showcase of short films (3 minutes or shorter) of all kinds from around the world. This year’s guest juror Luis Arnías will be in attendance for the program, which features 29 films from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Turkey, and Brazil.

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Airing Out Harry Smith's Shirt
Apr
27

Airing Out Harry Smith's Shirt

Guest filmmaker/curator Andrew Lampert presents an eclectic program celebrating the centenary of Harry Smith (1923-91) with a screening of Smith’s masterpiece Early Abstractions alongside a selection of films and videos by his contemporaries and descendants.

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NIGHT LIGHT 2023
Apr
1

NIGHT LIGHT 2023

Aurora Picture Show and Buffalo Bayou Partnership present this free event anchored at Tony Marron Park and featuring video installations along the Buffalo Bayou East trails by Houston artists Chap Edmonson, Jamie Robertson, and Input Output.

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Willie Varela: Recuerdos
Mar
8

Willie Varela: Recuerdos

El Paso-based Chicano filmmaker Willie Varela, who has made personal, experimental films and videos exploring social space and cultural identity since the early-1970s, will be here for a screening of films and videos and a conversation about his life and work.

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Location: Houston 2023
Feb
24

Location: Houston 2023

Aurora and Public Poetry present the world premiere screening of new "filmpoems" made through the collaboration of Houston poets and filmmakers and relating to people, places, and experiences specific to the city. Participating artists in attendance.

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Michèle Magema: Body Performed
Nov
19

Michèle Magema: Body Performed

Multidisciplinary artist Michèle Magema will present her live performance Les mots mouillés (Wet Words), screen a selection of her videos, and engage in a conversation with Mary Magsamen and Jacqueline Couti.

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FotoFest: Short Films
Oct
25

FotoFest: Short Films

Co-presented by Aurora and Fotofest and organized by independent film curator Michael Robinson, this selection of short films examines disparate social, cultural, and political issues.

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