The 2018 Houston Cinema Arts Festival Announces 'Live Documentary' Performances of A THOUSAND THOUGHTS

The 2018 Houston Cinema Arts Festival - which celebrates its 10th anniversary - has announced its first piece of programming in the form of two "live documentary" performances of A Thousand Thoughts on Sunday, November 11 at Asia Society Texas Center. The unusual combination of live concert and film screening will be held at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.

During each of the two limited-seating performances, Kronos Quartet - a celebrated and groundbreaking string quartet from San Francisco, CA comprised of David Harrington (violin), John Sherba (violin), Hank Dutt (viola), and Sunny Yang (cello) - will perform alongside new and archival footage about its storied career. The show recounts the band's history from its founding by Harrington through its current incarnation with the great Korean-born cellist Sunny Yang, who joined the group in 2013.

Written and directed by Oscar-nominated filmmakers Sam Green and Joe Bini, notable artists as Philip Glass, Tanya Tagaq, Steve Reich, Wu Man, and Terry Riley. The live documentary experience has thus far held only seven performances - including at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival - dazzling audiences at every turn.

As Green tells the multi-decade and continent-spanning story of the groundbreaking string quartet, Kronos revisits its extensive body of work - performing music by George Crumb, Aleksandra Vrebalov and many others. Together on stage, Green and Kronos interact with the stirring cinematic imagery on screen to craft an important record and exploration of late 20th- and early 21st-century music. Transcending the typical live music and film event, this collaboration quickly becomes a meditation on music itself - the act of listening to it closely, the experience of feeling it deeply, and the power that it has to change the world.

"As it celebrates a major milestone this year, the Houston Cinema Arts Festival is delighted to offer audiences the chance to experience the legendary Kronos Quartet on screen and in person in A Thousand Thoughts," commented HCAS Artistic Director Richard Herskowitz. He added, "The intimate Asia Society auditorium offers the perfect vehicle for this interactive live screening event. Guests will feel like the Kronos Quartet is in their own living rooms for the duration of the performance."

A Thousand Thoughts filmmaker Sam Green will be one of the many returning guest artists who have made their collective marks upon Houston Cinema Arts Festivals past. Green presented his first "live documentary," UTOPIA in Four Movements, at HCAF 2010. Part of the mission of HCAF 2018 will be bringing HCAF alumni back to Houston in November and celebrating their evolving careers.

Tickets for the two showings of A Thousand Thoughts are now on sale. Tickets may be purchased by visiting http://cinemartsociety.org/kronos.

ABOUT THE HOUSTON CINEMA ARTS FESTIVAL

Houston Cinema Arts Society (HCAS) is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting innovative films, media installations, and performances that celebrate the artistic process and enrich Houston's culture and urban vitality. Created in 2008 with the support of former Houston Mayor Bill White and philanthropist Franci Neely, it organizes and hosts the annual Houston Cinema Arts Festival, a groundbreaking and innovative festival featuring films and new media by and about artists in the visual, performing, and literary arts. The Festival celebrates the diversity of the arts in Houston and elevates the city's film and arts scene. Houston Cinema Arts Society sponsors include premiere sponsors Anadarko Petroleum Corporation and METRO, signature sponsors Houston First Corporation and Levantine Films, and presenting sponsor Nabors Industries. HCAS is also supported by the Franci Neely Foundation; The Petrello Family Foundation; Amegy Bank; Kinder Foundation; Brown Foundation, Silver Eagle; Texas Film Commission; Houston Film Commission; Texas Commission for the Arts; National Endowment for the Arts; and Houston Arts Alliance. The 2018 Houston Cinema Arts Festival will take place from November 8-12.

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