Movies Houstonians Love
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
Season 18 (2024–2025)
- October 12 | Ratatouille | Chris Shepherd, James Beard Award–winning chef and restaurateur
- January 11 | The Muppet Movie | Craig Cohen, executive producer and host of Houston Matters on Houston Public Media
- February 21 | Gentlemen Prefer Blondes | Laurence Unger, artist, Ultimate Film Buff, and member of the film subcommittee
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.