Frank Lee has spent virtually his complete life working movie theaters. At 70, after an prolonged occupation as an neutral theater operator in San Francisco, he and his partner and co-owner, Lida, want to promote the Marina and Presidio theaters which they’ve overseen given that early 2000s. Nevertheless he says the filmgoing experience shouldn’t end.
Lee wishes to “see these two theaters proceed as movie theaters.”
He says he could be sad about stepping away from the theaters, which might be every on Chestnut Highway throughout the Marina District and part of the Lee Neighborhood Theatres enterprise, nonetheless that it’s the very best second for a model new proprietor.
“I consider it’s about time. After 60 years throughout the enterprise, it’s maybe an outstanding different correct now. And points are attempting up,” Lee suggested Choice. “I consider the discharge schedule this yr might very properly be hopefully once more to common from pre-COVID.”
The lobby of the Marina theater in San Francisco.
Courtesy of Frank Lee
The Lees have operated the four-screen Presidio since 2004 and two-screen Marina since 2008.
“The neighborhood needs these two theaters, clearly,” Lee acknowledged.
Their first worthwhile theater was the two-screen 4 Star Theatre throughout the Richmond District, which they ran from 1992 until they provided it in 2021.
The Lees would depart behind a wealth of group historic previous on the theaters. They’ve already been part of curating film custom in San Francisco, notably throughout the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s, as soon as they programmed Asian cinema. They even held a loyal Asian Film Pageant on the 4 Star.
The competitors would current motion pictures like Ang Lee’s “The Marriage ceremony ceremony Banquet,” Zhang Yimou’s “Elevate the Crimson Lantern,” Park Chan-wook’s “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance,” Bong Joon Ho’s “Barking Canine Not at all Chunk” and quite a few works by filmmakers from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Hong Kong and China. Takashi Miike attended the competitors when it confirmed his film, “Lifeless or Alive.”
“We’ve been exhibiting some very good product out of all these Asian nations,” Lee acknowledged.
For the time being, Lee was persevering with on a comply with he’d shared collectively together with his father, who labored to every distribute and show Asian motion pictures from spherical 1964-1987. “I nearly helped him, hand in hand, grew up with the enterprise,” Lee acknowledged.
His father, Frank Lee Sr., had theaters all through the U.S. and one in Toronto, largely serving the native Chinatown neighborhoods of their respective cities — “Wherever there was a Chinatown, he had a theater,” Lee acknowledged. His theaters included the Bella Union Theater in San Francisco; Cinema East and Europa (sooner than it was the New Beverly) in Los Angeles; fifty fifth St, Playhouse and Canal Cinema in New York and the College Theater in Toronto.
Frank Lee Sr. was working these venues all through a interval when Chinese language language-language theaters have been well-liked cultural hubs for Chinese language language immigrant communities. He was moreover part of the rationale some Asian motion pictures even reached the U.S.
Lee, born and raised in San Francisco’s Chinatown, recollects attending the San Francisco Worldwide Film Pageant as a 9-year-old, accompanying his father, Frank Lee Sr. They observed a film from Hong Kong studio Shaw Brothers. Frank Lee Sr., a civil engineer and radio producer, then acquired a three-year handle the Shaw Brothers to distribute their motion pictures throughout the U.S.
Lee says that his father thought, “’How come nobody [is] exhibiting it?’ They’ve been merely exhibiting the outdated Hong Kong black-and-white motion pictures as of late. The Shaw Brothers motion pictures have been nearly Hollywood, widescreen, coloration, very good productions and all of the issues else.”
The flicks have been moreover an unconventional different on account of they’ve been in Mandarin, when Cantonese was further typically spoken throughout the U.S. then, in accordance with Lee. “He had quite a few help from New York media, San Francisco media and L.A. media, notably newspapers of as of late. They really supported the films, and they also reviewed every film that he exhibited, that he launched over from Hong Kong,” Lee acknowledged.
Frank Lee Sr. started off with exhibiting Hong Kong motion pictures then moved onto Taiwanese movies, sooner than looping once more to Hong Kong cinema. “There have been about 5 or 6 distributors on this nation which were combating for the flicks out of Hong Kong and Taiwan for 20 years. So my dad was certainly one of many essential ones,” Lee acknowledged.
“We [would] buy the rights to the films in Taiwan as of late and distributed to as many as 50 screens once more throughout the day, ’70s and early ’80s,” Lee added.
Courtesy of Frank Lee
Lee says his father closed his film enterprise by the late ’80s, as home video grew to change into further widespread. All through the pandemic, Lee despatched film prints from his father’s operations once more to film archives in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Lee’s private take care of programming Asian motion pictures ended after the 2000s as rivals inside that space of curiosity grew. Nevertheless he’s pleased with what he, and his father, achieved: “I’d say he’s a pioneer bringing in Asian motion pictures and introduce it to non-Asian audiences throughout the ’60s. Then I continued it throughout the early ’90s.”
As of late, he and his partner current an array of flicks. Comedies and female audience-oriented motion pictures do notably successfully, nonetheless the theaters moreover current a combination of business, Oscar-nominated and paintings motion pictures. The Lees rent the auditoriums out for private events like birthday occasions, firm events and Show display screen Actors Guild screenings. Native colleges use the theater areas for fundraising screenings. The San Francisco Worldwide Film Pageant used every theaters this earlier April.
The skin of the Marina theater in San Francisco.
Courtesy of Frank Lee
Lee says there isn’t so much rivals with completely different theaters. “On the west side, the place we’re, we’re simply concerning the one one, the one six-plex that exists correct now,” he acknowledged. “We’re in a position to nearly information one thing we like on the theaters being the one theaters in that area.”
He envisions that the Marina and Presidio can evolve to serve the city’s culinary tastes along with the theater experience. “We see a chance proper right here the place some operator might have to can be found and do dine-in,” he acknowledged.
The Marina has been permit-approved by the city to place in a meals kitchen. Whereas there isn’t any utility throughout the works for a similar enable on the Presidio, Lee acknowledged there’s a traditional blueprint for together with dine-in elements to every theaters if a model new proprietor wishes to pursue that chance, and even working a ghost kitchen at certainly one of many theaters to serve meals to the other. Lee describes the Chestnut Highway area as a “foodie area”: “Any new restaurant open, it’s phenomenal, it’s an event.”
The couple, who’ve two sons working as medical medical doctors, are aiming to retire this yr and in search of to talk to potential shoppers.
As he and his partner put collectively to let go of the Marina and Presidio, Lee foresees that their legacy as San Francisco theater operators will seemingly be about their contributions to the native film scene.
Their time throughout the theater enterprise has included hurdles identical to the pandemic, along with a licensed fight throughout the 2000s to hold onto the 4 Star whereas coping with eviction from the home homeowners of the property. The Lees acquired group help, with tons of of people signing a petition to avoid wasting numerous the theater.
“A lot of folks keep in mind us which means — neutral, hands-on, take quite a few prospects on the fourth hour, nearly current points that folk don’t current,” he added.
