SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) – Moviegoers worried about the Castro Theater, which operates under a new management company, showed up at the famous Cinema Palace on Sunday to demand that classic cinema be part of the landmark future as well as its past.
“I have been coming to the Castro Theater for decades, for the silent film festival, the film noir festival and we want to see it continue,” said Michael Petrelis, who organized the “speak-out” in front of the theater on Sunday. afternoon. “I’m very nervous that Another Planet is a live music producer. They have no history of film programming. “
Another Planet Entertainment announced Wednesday that it has partnered with Castro owners Bay Bay Properties, Inc. to renovate the space and refocus on live entertainment. Petrelis and others are worried that a concert organizer is overseeing the events on a website that has been showing movies for a century.
“The Castle is one of the most important cultural institutions in San Francisco and it’s very important to me personally,” said Allen White, director and film teacher who signed a note posted in the theater.
Others wrote messages of support for film planning to continue in the Castle and attached them to the theater. Some wrote in chalk on the sidewalk. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
“She is the wonderful little brother for 100 years in the Castro neighborhood. “This is a divisive story, this is the theater that helped bring this community together,” said Russell Merritt, who was standing outside the theater. Merritt is a film historian touring in San Francisco. “This theater really needs a major overhaul and certainly the money that will come will make it possible to restore Castro to its glory. It’s a mess right now. “
The upgrades announced by Another Planet Entertainment have some hope that the new pilot could modernize Castro while maintaining the tradition of repertoire screenings and other programs important to the cinephile and LGBT community.
“They recognize that I think they are taking responsibility for a really important institution,” said District 8 Superintendent Rafael Mandelman. “They offer really huge resources, the opportunity to invest in a theater that has gone decades without investment to make it accessible, easy to use and an even bigger space.”
KPIX tried to contact Another Planet Entertainment to react to “Speak-Out”, but had no news since Sunday afternoon. The company acknowledged the history of the theater for both the cinema and the neighborhood in a statement posted on the internet.
“The Castro Theater is a symbol of the LGBTQ community, a valuable space for movies, music and live performances and a wonderful building that we will upgrade for more use in the future,” said Gregg Perloff, CEO and co-founder of Another Planet. company website.
The statement went on to say that the company has a history of working to preserve historic buildings around the bay area.
But some of those gathered on Sunday say these improvements came with a change in planning at these venues.
“We love this theater, we want all kinds of entertainment here,” said Petrelis.
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