Petrelis Files

San Francisco Lost 5 Movie Screens in 2012

Best wishes to everyone for a prosperous and healthy and happy new year, as lucky 2013 begins.

And as 2012 draws to a close, I wish mark the end of the year by remembering the three movie theatres in San Francisco that either closed or no longer offer programming.

The Landmark Theatres chain shuttered the single-screen Bridge Theatre out on Geary Boulevard last week and back in September, the chain closed the three-screen mini-plex Lumiere Theatre on California near Polk Street.

The fifth screen to go dark was at the New People Cinema under the direction of the San Francisco Film Society. For just over a year, Bay Area cineastes enjoyed daily programming at this state of the art theatre on Post Street in Japantown.

But the audience simply didn't materialize for the small films from the festival circuit, and I'm proud to say I made it to several screenings and promoted the venue, urging readers and friends to catch a film there.

Besides missing such challenging and rewarding fare as "The Turin Horse" and "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia", and supporting the Film Society's worthy foray into regular programming, I'll also miss the films playing without 15-20 minutes of loud and obnoxious coming attractions.

Let's all play a role in keeping our remaining single-screen and art house theatre alive and thriving. Take in a movie at the Castro or the Roxie or the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Screening Room or the Vogue and Clay venues in Pacific Heights or the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley or the Rafael Film Center up in Marin County, and bring a friend.