SAVE OUR INDEPENDENT THEATERS 4Star Balboa Vogue

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A One Time Ask in Support of CinemaSF

As our friends, neighbors, and loyal patrons of CinemaSF know, we hold very dear the shared, in-person movie-watching experience and have worked very diligently to keep this meaningful experience special and alive in San Francisco. It is an experience that brings people of all ages, all backgrounds, and all interests to a safe space where they can laugh, cry, and share the wonder and emotions offered by the different genres we endeavor to present. From first-run theatrical to deep-cut repertory cinema, live music and performance, community-based events such as school fundraisers and kids’ birthdays, we have been dedicated to maintaining the integrity of what “going to the movies” at a beloved neighborhood theater is all about. We have worked to keep the Balboa and the Vogue Theaters thriving for the last 12 years, and more recently we have partnered with 4Star4Arts to revitalize the historic 4Star neighborhood theater on Clement Street in San Francisco, ensuring another cinematic home for all manner of people and all range of shared experiences. We truly believe our work to be vital to the cultural fabric of the various communities we serve - families, youth, young adults, seniors - and we are proud to offer what we can to keep this city's historic venues vibrant and sanguine.

We now find ourselves in a post-pandemic world that brings incredible financial challenges as global and local economies work to recover. Expense costs have risen, construction and equipment costs have significantly increased, builds have run long, maintenance on century-old buildings has become more costly, and we are unexpectedly in a position where our endeavors to save another neighborhood theater for San Francisco - the wonderful 4Star - has depleted our finances and left us in an unsustainable situation. Couple this with an industry that has been very slow to release movies of quality to the movie-going public for fear of their own financial loss, and a portion of the population still hesitant to return to indoor movies, we find ourselves needing to humbly ask for your help so that we can survive this momentary downturn and move quickly, successfully forward with our mission to keep movies and small, independent venues alive, fairly compensate our staff, and continue to offer welcoming spaces for the communities we so value, to gather, create, and enjoy together.

Community venues offer us the chance to see our peers and be seen by them, foster creativity, and support the arts on a truly grassroots level. Movie theaters offer us an opportunity to travel to and experience another world, to glimpse with wide wonder at the universe around us, and to feel deeply our shared humanity, learn and enjoy and escape. Please help us now through this financial challenge so we can keep providing you with all of this, and continue to support and participate with, our amazing communities.

Your generous contributions will help us resolve outstanding construction and operating expenses and will allow us to continue providing the exceptional and eclectic programming and good times everyone has come to count on at all of our venues. We deeply appreciate your consideration and we assure you this is a one-time ask.

With sincere regards,

Adam, Jaimi & the CinemaSF team