Houston moviegoers hoping for another spot to find independent and foreign films will see their wishes come true in November. Sundance Cinemas, the Robert Redford-helmed chain of art house movie theaters, will open its Houston location on November 23 in the old Angelika Film Center space in Bayou Place Downtown, according to a release. In addition, two "pre-opening events" will be held November 21 and 22; details on these events will be announced later.
The manager of Sundance's Houston branch is Rob Arcos, who started out as an usher at River Oaks Theatre in 1999 and went on to become involved in Museum of Fine Arts, Houston's Latin Wave Festival and the Cinema Arts Society; he has also served as executive director of Q-fest.
Angelika Film Center closed without warning last year under conflicting statements from Bayou Place and the theater. In March, Sundance announced it was moving into the 8-screen theater after a $2.25 million overhaul of the space.
Houston's only the third city in the country to have a Sundance branch, after San Francisco and Madison, Wisconsin, the home of the Badgers.