The 10 movies to see at this year's Houston Cinema Arts Festival

Mahershala Ali stars as Latif in 'Your Mother, Your Mother, Your Mother'

The Houston Cinema Arts Festival, kicking off Thursday, is celebrating its 18th anniversary this year with one of its strongest line-ups yet. Because the schedule can be overwhelming for the 12-day event, here are 10 suggested titles to check out.

1 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother'

Mahershala Ali stars as Latif in 'Your Mother Your Mother Your Mother'

This is easily the most anticipated film of the festival. Set in Houston (though filmed in Atlanta) and starring Mahershala Ali as a Muslim hit man, it's directed by Bassam Tariq, who came of age in Houston and went to Kempner High School. Tariq was recently honored at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "Your Mother" had its premiere, with the Rising Star Award. John Cho and Giancarlo Esposito co-star. Tariq will be on hand for a post-screening Q&A. 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium.

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Kenneth Branagh recently played against type in the comedic Apple TV film "Mayday," opposite Ryan Reynolds. But he gets back to serious business playing a journalist in this story of a Marine who wants to reconcile with the Iraqi family that he and his unit attacked during the war. Boyd Holbrook co-stars. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium.

Jeon Do-yeon as Mi-ok, left, and Cho Yeo-jeong as Ye-ji in "Possible Love."

South Korean director Lee Chang-dong made one of the most satisfying films of 2018 in "Burning." Now, he's back with another drama about conflicted love starring Zo In-sung (who was just seen in the monster movie "Hope"), Cho Yeo-jeong ("Parasite"), and Jeon Do-yeon ("The Housemaid"). The film picked up a couple of awards at the Venice Film Festival and was a nominee at the Toronto and Chicago festivals. 7 p.m. Friday, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium.

When Houston-raised basketball player Brittney Griner was arrested in Russia in 2022 for having vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage, the entire world had an opinion about her difficult situation. With the documentary "The Brittney Griner Story," viewers get to hear from her about her life, career and its challenges. There will be Q&A with director Alexandria Stapleton after the screening. 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium.

Poster of DJ Screw for sale at Screwed Up Records and Tapes on Jan. 1, 2016 in Houston.

This documentary about Houston chopped-and-screwed pioneer DJ Screw originally came out on VHS and then later DVD. But here's a chance to see it on the big screen. It includes performance footage, videos, interviews and behind-the-scenes material. The film will be followed by a set from DJ Red though this event is a separate admission. 7:30 p.m. Saturday, the DeLuxe Theater for the film, 9 p.m. in the DeLuxe Gallery for DJ Red.

Julianne Moore in the movie “The Debut.”

Actor turned director Jesse Eisenberg, coming off the success of his 2024 film "A Real Pain," returns with a comedy-musical starring Julianne Moore as a housewife who's cast in a community stage production and becomes obsessed with the role. The cast also includes Paul Giamatti, Halle Berry, Bernadette Peters and, of course, Eisenberg. 8 p.m. Oct. 10, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium.

Sandra Hüller, left, and Hanns Zischler in a scene from "Fatherland."

German actress Sandra Hüller got a lot of attention in 2023 when she had acclaimed roles in both the French film "Anatomy of a Fall" and the German production "The Zone of Interest." Earlier this year, she made a stylistic detour with the lighter American smash, "Project Hail Mary." But she's back on European soil for "Fatherland," from lauded director Pawel Pawlikowski ("Ida," "Cold War") in which she plays the daughter of German writer Thomas Mann as he drives across a bombed-out Germany after World War II. 8 p.m. Oct. 9, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Lynn Wyatt Theater.

Talking heads from 'Who Killed Fourth Ward?'

Anyone with an interest in Houston history should check out this three-hour, three-part documentary from 1976 made by the late James Blue, a professor at Rice who also was an co-director of the Rice Media Center. Blue explores the rapid changes taking place in Fourth Ward, an area founded by the formerly enslaved, as it began to be seen by the city elite/power brokers as an extension of downtown, and therefore ripe for redevelopment. Unfortunately, the film is not being shown in one sitting or in order, though each hour can stand on its own. Parts two and three are being shown at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 at Mt. Horeb Baptist Church. There will be a post-screening discussion with residents, moderated by 5th generation Fourth Ward resident Charonda Johnson. The first part is being shown at 4 p.m. Oct. 11 at Rice Cinema.

A scene from Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket.

Houstonian Wes Anderson's first film, "Bottle Rocket," was made in Dallas but we won't hold that against him. After all, this is the film that introduced the world to the Wilson brothers, Luke and Owen. The festival is celebrating the movie's 30th anniversary with a screening. 7:30 p.m. Friday, the River Oaks Theatre.

Furi Nanase, Hirokazu Koreeda, Rokka Okada, Natsuki Deguchi, Aju Makita, Daiju Koide attend the "Look Back" photocall during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival at Palazzo del Casino on September 07, 2026 in Venice, Italy.

The latest project from Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda ("Shoplifters," "Monster") is a film-festival favorite about the lives of two manga artists. It's a live-action take on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s popular manga, also called "Look Back." 7 p.m. Oct. 9, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Brown Auditorium.

Where: Various venues including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, The River Oaks Theatre, The DeLuxe Theater, Rice Cinema

Details: $15-$20 per screening for most films; cinemahtx.org/hcaf