SPECIAL EVENTS

2011 Cinema Arts Festival Houston is a unique, five-day film festival celebrating the visual, literary and performing arts. Works are shown not only in traditional theatrical venues but also via interactive video installations, live music and film performances, and outdoor projections.

Wednesday November, 09 7:00 PM
Downtown Express / Opening Night Party
Museum of Fine Arts Houston
$25 General, $20 Student/Senior with ID

With director David Grubin Q&A and performance by actor/violinist Philippe Quint
Party sponsored by Whole Foods Market with entertainment by the Tianna Hall Trio

The Museum of Fine Arts Houston will set an elegant stage as the opening night venue for the third annual Cinema Arts Festival Houston on Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 7:00pm.

Following a 7:00 PM screening of the regional premiere of Downtown Express and a performance by the film’s star, renowned Russian-American violinist Philippe Quint, guests will enjoy the Opening Night Celebration in the north lobby of the museum. Music by the Tianna Hall Trio will serve as a delightful backdrop for this special occasion while providing an opportunity for attendees, including the film’s director, David Grubin, to enjoy an array of delicacies provided by Whole Foods Market and special martinis compliments of Roxor Artisan Gin.

Sasha is a young Russian violinist on a scholarship to Juilliard, living with his affectionate but overbearing father. While Sasha prepares for a critical recital that will launch him on a path to a glittering future, he is increasingly drawn to the rhythms he hears on the streets of New York. When he meets Ramona, a bohemian singer/songwriter, he joins her band, and falls in love with her and her music. He begins to lead a double life, careening frantically between two worlds.

Music plays a central role in Downtown Express. The major characters are all professional musicians and their performances and rehearsals give the film its authentic and distinctive character. The film stars Philippe Quint, a virtuoso classical violinist; and Nellie McKay, a singer/songwriter with a devoted following.

Quint’s role in Downtown Express marks the first time that a classical musician has been featured as the lead in an American independent film. “I was instantly swept away by this story, because it mirrored my life in so many ways,” says the Russian-born Quint, who defected to the U.S. as a teenager, in part to avoid army service in Russia, in part to study with the Juilliard School’s renowned teacher Dorothy DeLay and take instruction from such luminaries as Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman.

Director David Grubin has produced more than 100 films, ranging from history to poetry to science, winning nearly every award in the field of documentary television. His biographies for American Experience on PBS — LBJ, FDR, Truman, TR: The Story of Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided — have set the standard for television biography.

Note: Q&A discussion between filmmakers and audience adds approximately 30 minutes to running time.