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.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer)
Aurora Picture Show and the Menil Collection co-present this free annual outdoor event that has become a Houston tradition for participants and picnicking attendees since 2013!
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.
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.
KITÂB AL-ISFÂR: BOOK OF THE JOURNEY
Aurora and the MFAH co-present the US premiere of Baba Hillman’s lyrical essay film Kitâb al-Isfâr: Book of the Journey, followed by an in-person conversation and Q&A with the filmmaker.
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.
The Idea Fund 2024 Presentations
DiverseWorks, Aurora Picture Show, and Project Row Houses invites you to The Eldorado Ballroom to celebrate this year’s The Idea Fund grant recipients and hear about their upcoming projects.
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.
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!
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!
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.
Aurora Holiday Happy Hour
Join us for this festive holiday gathering at MKT BAR at Phoenicia Specialty Foods and benefiting Aurora! Good company, delicious snacks, music, animation activities, and more!
Get Animated - Workshops
Aurora presents a day of free stop-motion animation activities for kids and families at BakerRipley East End Learning Center.
Eiko Otake: A Body With Fukushima
Aurora and Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts present Japanese-born interdisciplinary artist Eiko Otake’s solo performance project, A Body with Fukushima.
Abinadi Meza: Seeing Is Dreaming
Aurora and Basket Books & Art present this special screening of films by Texas-based Latinx-Indigenous artist Abinadi Meza, with the artist in attendance.
Green Bridges, Transient Walls
A free, outdoor screening of short films exploring our connections with nature as we move through borders and between worlds. Co-presented by Aurora and Houston Climate Justice Museum.
Aurora Summer Filmmaking Camp Premiere!
Join us at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for the world premiere screening of projects made by participants in this year’s summer youth filmmaking camps!
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.
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.
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.
BYOB (Bring Your Own Beamer) 2023
Aurora Picture Show and The Menil Collection present this lively, annual evening of outdoor, community-sourced projections covering the museum’s façade.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Idea Fund 2023 Reception and Presentations
The Idea Fund has awarded 12 projects by Houston artists in its 2023 cycle. Join us for this free, celebratory event, at which the grant recipients will give brief presentations about their exciting upcoming projects.
Cosmic Rays Film Festival: Look and Learn
Aurora and Cosmic Rays Film Festival present a selection of contemporary short films that use found footage, archival documents, scientific imaging, new media, drones, and celluloid to investigate how we visualize the world.
Aurora Holiday Party & Raffle
Join us for Aurora’s festive, free annual holiday party featuring drinks, light bites, music, holiday projections, and, of course, a raffle with goodies galore benefiting Aurora.
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.
Genevieve Quick: Hello World, Hello Houston
This unique installation by San Francisco-based artist Genevieve Quick is an interactive Sci-Fi exploration of the Asian American diasporic experience.
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.
Kelly Gallagher: Intimacies & Intricacies
Award-winning experimental filmmaker and animator Kelly Gallagher will be at Aurora to present a selection of new and recent work and talk about her ideas and methods.
BlackStar Film Festival: Experimental Shorts
Aurora and BlackStar Film Festival co-present a screening of experimental short films from the US, UK, Senegal, and India that center history, movement, and place.