THE REOPENING OF the storied River Oaks Theatre, which first began showing movies in Houston in 1939, is getting closer to reality after a long restoration process — and now an artistic director has been named.

Robert Saucedo will take the post. Saucedo is a veteran of the film programming game, having spent the last 13 years working in the field regionally. He was the programming director for Triple Tap Ventures’ Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and later became senior film buyer for the company’s national team.

“As artistic director, Saucedo will oversee the daily film and programming schedule for the soon-to-be- reopened River Oaks Theatre,” said a rep for Culinary Khancepts, which acquire the historic theater two years ago. “He will ensure Houston’s historic arthouse theater will feature programming 365 days a year, including upscale arthouse films and independent cinema from around the world, repertory screenings of classic and cult favorite movies, live events and filmmaker appearances.”

The rep added some special notes about Saucedo’s innovative curatorial style: “A few career highlights include a Q&A screening of Rushmore with Jason Schwarzman in conjunction with the Houston Film Commission, hosting a weekly independent and foreign cinema series in Katy for the last nine years, and arranging live alligators to be at a screening of the 1980 cult favorite Alligator. In 2019, Saucedo launched the horror film festival, Graveyard Fest.”

The iconic theater, which at times in recent years seemed destined for permanent closure, will reopen in early fall as a luxurious, three-auditorium movie-watching space. There will be all-new projection and sound systems, posh seating and a private screening room.

“Guests will enjoy an enhanced cinema experience focusing on unmatched hospitality, high-quality food and beverage service, flawless presentation, and other innovative theater amenities,” Culinary Khancepts pledges. The firm knows its way around great dining and moviegoing; it also owns and operates State Fare Kitchen & Bar, Liberty Kitchen, Star Cinema Grill, Hollywood Palms Cinema, Reel Luxury Cinemas, Audrey Restaurant & Bar and Leo’s River Oaks.