Benefiting a New Arts & Film Center at Garden Oaks Theater
Celebrating 30 Years of Fantastical Filmmaking
Join Arthouse Houston for this rare in-person evening with Wes Anderson, celebrating his remarkable 30-year filmmaking career. Wes is returning to Houston, where his life and journey in film began, for this one-night-only event benefiting the preservation of the Historic Garden Oaks Theater and the founding of a new Arts & Film Center.
The evening will include a "Founders Experience", followed by a reception for all with charcuterie and wine by City Kitchen and Dionysus Imports, live music by the Kelly Doyle Trio, and a silent auction. The film program begins with a personal introduction by Wes Anderson and screening of five of his short films, selected by Wes. Starting with the short film that launched his career, Bottle Rocket, which was later adapted into his first feature film 30 years ago.
Followed by: Castello Cavalcanti, Hotel Chevalier, The Swan, and The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner.
Founders' Experience Tier I Donor Level. SOLD OUT. Seats in first 7 rows + Pre-Show Onstage Q&A and toast with Wes Anderson. Includes signed poster.
Founders' Experience Tier II Donor Level. LIMITED AVAILABLE. Seats in first 7 rows, 6 PM Early Access to Pre-Show Q&A with Wes Anderson, but no on-stage access due to limited capacity. Includes signed show poster.
Your ticket to this program is a donation and part of Arthouse Houston's Big Picture Series. Your donation will directly help the effort to preserve one of our few remaining historic cinemas and found a new cultural hub where cinema, live performance, production, and education converge. The restored Garden Oaks can help incubate future generations of homegrown filmmakers like Wes Anderson!
Top-Tier Founder Donors at $100K-$5MM will have naming rights within the new Arts & Film Center & four (4) complimentary Founders Experience tickets to this event. Make a pledge here.
When: Friday, July 17, 2026
6:00 PM: Q&A with Wes Anderson for Founders Experience ticket holders
7:00 PM: Doors Open, Reception & Live Music
7:30 PM: Welcome, Auction, and Intro by Wes Anderson, followed by a screening of selected shorts
Where: Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts
--
Thank you to Big Picture Series season sponsor Gwen Richard. As well as event sponsors: CityKitchen, Dionysus Wines, Criterion Collection, Houston Film Commission, Texas Commission on the Arts, Independent Media Arts Foundation, and the Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs.
Friends of River Oaks Theatre, DBA Arthouse Houston, is a 501 (c)(3) community arts nonprofit. All amounts contributed to this fund are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law as charitable donations.
EIN: 88-2921447
Your donation is non-refundable. If you reserved a ticket but aren't able to attend, please inform us and we can release your seat to invite a local artist or filmmaker who would like to attend.
For questions, please email info@arthousehtx.org. Learn more about the vision for the new Arts & Film Center at the Garden Oaks Theater.