Turmoil at the Castro
SFist was dismayed when we heard rumors surrounding the controversial firing of the Castro Theater's long-time programming director, Anita Monga.
We first heard these rumors when we read the Chron story detailing the ire Monga's firing has wrought, including several Castro staff resigning in support, as well as several other staff members experiencing termination in early November.
Supporters of Anita Monga have asserted that the owners of the Castro Theater, Karen and Ted Nasser, are planning on changing the direction of the Castro's programming to a more family-friendly and less gay-themed lineup. If true, this is of obvious concern, as it affects not just the unique gay identity of the Castro neighborhood, but an entire community that has benefited from the brilliant and daring programming of this theater as well.
Public concern for this is great enough that a protest is planned in front of the Castro theater from 3-5 PM on Saturday, Dec 18. The protesters plan to "protest Monga's firing and demand that the theater owners bring her back and make it possible for her to continue her work."
SFist loves the Castro theater and is very disturbed by the possibility that the theater would become a venue for mainstream film. However, we have been unable to receive much concrete substantiation for any of the allegations that the Nasser family plans to change direction. In fact, according to the Chronicle piece:
Karen Nasser went out of her way to assure local theater patrons that there would be no major changes at the Castro."No thought has been given to exhibiting films like the multiplexes show," she said. "The Castro has shown unique films, hosted film festivals and special events for many, many years. We expect and look forward to continue to work with each and every one of the film festivals and special events.''
While this statement is certainly not the most assertive one, it's certainly not what one would expect from a theater owner who is planning on showing only I, Robot 24/7.
SFist received no comment from our outreach to Monga's support organization, from the Castro staff members we contacted, or from the Nasser family regarding this obviously complicated issue. (We must admit to a little Guardian envy on this one, as we feel their access to many of the participants helped shape their well-researched and detailed article on the topic.)
However, we were able to reach Hilary Hart, Director of Publicity for the San Francisco Film Society (which presents the San Francisco International Film Festival). She appeared cautiously optimistic, stating that the Film Society is presently "not taking a position on the Castro, we are continuing to explore venues for the festival as we do every year, and that we remain in talks with the Castro to see how our needs will be met." In our conversation with her, she made it clear that while she is concerned, she feels that things are still too early to make any sort of definitive statement that the Castro is indeed changing the type of programming that they are providing.
She also sent us the complete text of the Nov 14 release by the San Francisco Film Festival and Special Events Coalition (which is made up of leaders of many of the major festivals in the area), which is referenced in the Guardian article:
Collectively we represent film festivals and special events that constitute a significant portion of the Castro Theatre’s programs, year after year. It is of the utmost importance to us that this treasured and internationally renowned San Francisco institution continues to operate professionally and in a way that welcomes film festivals and special events. We have contacted Ted Nasser, the owner and operator of the Castro and expressed to him our expectation that, in spite of his recent changes in theater management and operations, the theater will continue to be a hospitable and appropriate venue for our programs and communities. Talk of a boycott of the Castro concerns us greatly because such a misdirected action would hurt our organizations directly and significantly. We will continue to work toward building a relationship with the theater owner that will be mutually beneficial, as well as provide audiences with a first-rate home for film festivals and special events.
SFist also spoke to an unnamed representative of Frameline, the organizers of San Francisco International Lesbian & Gay Film Festivals. He stated that the Nassers continue to welcome their films, and he has yet to see any evidence to the contrary.
We also spoke to Peter Stein, executive director of the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. He made what we see as an important distinction:
I think that the Nassers' mismanagement of their staff is very dismaying, really alarming, and generally bad news for the community. But there's a lot of rumor and unsubstantiated fear that obscures the real concerns about the management continuing to provide the services the public deserves. It's distracting to speculate on the changes, given these other issues, and I am waiting to see what happens before making a decision.
So, as a person concerned about the Castro, what should we glean from all this? It seems clear that some of the business decisions the Nassers are making are of questionable wisdom, and their refusal to comment on their staffing changes, including their decision to contract with three organizations to handle the Castro's programming, publicity, and calendar design after Monga's dismissal. While SFist agrees that the Castro is certainly more than a mere local business and is one of the things that makes San Francisco great, most of these debated business decisions are the prerogative of private ownership.
As for the rumored changes in the programming, it is truly too soon to tell. We encourage all of our readers to keep an eye on the calendar and to continue to support the non-traditional films being shown at the Castro, so the Nassers will remain aware that it would best serve them as business owners the stay their programming course.
Regarding the movement to encourage the Nassers to rehire Monga, it's clear from the Guardian article that Monga had been unhappy at the Castro for quite some time. We see that she's now working in partnership with the San Francisco Film Noir Festival, which is the first festival to make the move from the Castro and will instead take place at the Balboa. Given her very evident gifts, we hope that she can continue to enrich the community with her gifts -- if not at the Castro, then elsewhere.
What do you, our community of readers, think of all this? Will you be attending the protest, or do you side with the Nassers? Let us know in the comments.