Hi Folks,
In lieu of our July monthly meeting, we will be hosting Sidewalk Cinema with the Lower Polk CBD on Fern Alley!

Sidewalk Cinema is a pilot program from the creative partnership between the Lower Polk Community Benefit District and the SF Urban Film Fest that brings a series of screenings to the newly renovated Fern Alley in the Lower Polk neighborhood of San Francisco.

Fern Alley provides widened sidewalks, colorful street paving, and unique pedestrian lighting to the neighborhood, which is sorely lacking in public open space. The alley serves as the backdrop for the Sidewalk Cinema series, the first screening of which will center on ‘Third Spaces’ – the parklets, alleyways, sidewalks, parks, bars, and public libraries – that serve as places for building and strengthening communities, as well as settings for inward exploration.

The evening will begin with the short film “Cerebral City” by John Moody, a filmmaker turned M.I.T. trained urban planner, about the exploration of our urban spaces and the individual. This short film explores a woman’s discovery of Melbourne’s quirky public spaces and alleyways through the narration of a designer who helped transform Melbourne into the city it is today.

The main attraction of the evening will be the film “Twelve Pianos,” directed by Dean Mermell, in which San Francisco resident Mauro Ffortissimo and his band of piano-lovers push and pull pianos into the most unlikely places, including bumpy sidewalks and an abandoned building, to find inspiration and commune with music, the city, and nature. Dean Mermell and Maruo Ffortissimo will be in attendance and treating the audience to a short performance on a spinet piano, and hosting a Q&A after the screening.

An after party will be taking place at Lush Lounge immediately after the event.

You can find out more about this unique event here and RSVP at Eventbrite to stay informed about this event and others like it.

Lower Polk Community Benefit District is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit that works to improve the lives of all people in our Lower Polk community in San Francisco. They do this by keeping our neighborhood clean, by performing street outreach, by doing creative placemaking projects, and by providing other much-needed services.

SF Urban Film Fest gathers a diverse, engaged audience and uses the power of storytelling to spark discussion and civic engagement around urban issues. We focus on what it means to live together in a city and make urban planning more equitable and inclusive.