Hot Town, Cool City Premiere

Weekend Festivities Kick-off World Premiere of Houston-inspired film

A few months ago, Houstonist ran across a unique website that encourged Houstonians to leave comments and mark favorites places on a map of the city. We later learned, the site (www.hottowncoolcity.org) was one part of a treasure map of Houston’s hidden gems presented in two parts, website and film, as described and suggested by Houstonians. This weekend, the film portion of the project is being premiered over a three day series of events.

Directed by Maureen McNamara, Hot Town, Cool City(USA, 2007, 56 min.) is a film that looks beyond the way Houston is depicted by the mainstream media. During her 22-year career with Landmark Theatres, the nation’s largest chain of art-house cinemas, Maureen McNamara rose from assistant manager at the River Oaks Theatre to director of operations. She currently teaches children’s art classes at the MFAH Glassell Junior School, and she received a grant from the Houston Arts Alliance to create her first film - “HT, CC” - and its interactive Web site www.hottowncoolcity.org.

Hot Town, Cool City showcases the sites that make the fourth-largest U.S. city unique. Segments featuring a variety of iconoclastic destinations are deftly combined with engaging interviews, lively music, and a captivating montage of people and places. Revealing a metropolitan area teeming with personality, creativity, and a sense of community, the triumph of HT, CC is that it validates Houstonians’ pride in their city while inspiring everyone else to plan a visit.

>>> FRIDAY, MARCH 30th: Opening Night & After Party, 8pm

After the opening night show, METRO will move (round-trip) your VIP entourage to an exclusive late-night soiree at Treebeards Restaurant downtown. The party at Treebeards will be upstairs and will run until 11:30 (cash bar). The last train back to the MFAH is just before midnight.

Tickets | Sorry, this screening is sold out.

>>>SATURDAY, March 31st & SUNDAY April 1st: Screenings & City Crawl

Screenings | SATURDAY 1pm, 6pm, 8pm | SUNDAY 1pm
Screenings introduced by | filmmaker Maureen McNamara

Miss Friday night's premiere and after party? Participate in the CITY CRAWL on Saturday & Sunday, sample some of what makes Houston a Hot Town, and a Cool City. Take your MFAH ticket stub from the film “Hot Town, Cool City” Pick up a METRO “Hot Town, Cool City” Map (available at the MFAH and METRO locations) Purchase a round-trip rail ticket from the METRO Museum District Station, and Visit select “CRAWL”locations listed on the METRO “Hot Town, Cool City” map (noted with *). Present your ticket for a free cup of joe, a gallery tour, a taco, a drink, and much more.

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where: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Brown Auditorium | 1001 Bissonnet Street
when: Friday 8pm, Saturday 1pm, 6pm, 8pm, Sunday 1pm
tickets: $7 purchase online