Films at the Gate (2006-present)

ABOUT

Since 2006, every summer, a vacant lot near Boston’s Chinatown Gate is transformed into a free, outdoor theater, showing Kung-Fu and classic Chinese-language films. Films at the Gate is a collaborative project of Boston Street Lab, film curator Jean Lukitsh, and the Asian Community Development Corporation. The series seeks to:

  • improve awareness of Boston’s Chinatown as a site of cultural activity
  • restore a tradition of shared, public experience of Chinese-language films in Chinatown, 
  • provide temporary community use of Chinatown’s underutilized spaces, 
  • draw foot-traffic to neighborhood restaurants, and make downtown Boston a destination beyond the working hours.
The Asian Community Development Corporation (ACDC) is a community-based organization serving the Asian American community of Greater Boston, with an emphasis on preserving and revitalizing Boston’s Chinatown. Jean Lukitsh is the curator of the series. Jean is a former resident of Chinatown, and was the projectionist for two of the three cinemas that existed in Boston’s Chinatown in the 70s and 80s. Leslie and Sam Davol are founding producers of the event. After moving to Chinatown with their two children in 2005 and starting Films at the Gate, they founded the 501(c)(3) nonprofit Street Lab. In 2013, they handed off production of the event to ACDC youth, who continue the tradition each year.
FILMS AT THE GATE WEB SITE

Visit www.filmstthegate.org where we maintain an archive of years past. Or see this year’s film schedule at ACDC.

GO BEHIND THE SCENES: OUR BLOG

Over the years that we produced Films at the Gate, we wrote about it on the Street Lab Blog.

A TRADITION OF FILM IN CHINATOWN

Until the late 1980s, Chinatown had three movie theaters which showed double-features three times a day, often to packed houses from midday to midnight. Whole families would attend, and children would often play in the aisles. In the 1970s and 80s, concessions consisted of vending machine-goods, bags of popcorn, and fortune cookies brought in by the owner. Patrons often brought in their own food as well. Jackie Chan movies were especially popular. Facing pressure from the popularity of home video rentals, all three cinemas closed in the 1980’s.
FILMS AT THE GATE PRESS

BLOG POSTS ABOUT FILMS AT THE GATE

Thanks for coming downtown

by | Aug 27, 2010 |

Sometimes there are a few empty chairs on the first night. Not tonight. You sat, stood, and kneeled on the lot to catch the opening of the fifth year of Films of the Gate. Thanks for coming down and transforming a vacant lot into a movie theater.  Friday is Jackie...

Watch Boston’s biggest star on Thursday night

by | Aug 23, 2010 |

Films at the Gate launches on Thursday night 8/26 with BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSINS - 2009. (Full schedule here.) Curator Jean Lukitsh reminds us that BODYGUARDS star Donnie Yen may just be Boston's biggest movie star: Forget about Matt Damon and Ben Affleck. In Asia, the...

Films at the Gate starts Thursday

by | Aug 21, 2010 |

Final preparations are underway for Films at the Gate 2010. The Boston Globe interviewed curator Jean Lukitsh about this year’s films in an article running tomorrow. Get all the event details and schedule here. See you soon on the lot.

Films at the Gate this week

by | Aug 21, 2010 |

Films at the Gate began as a simple idea five years ago. It's still simple: join us this week to watch films together, outdoors, for free, in a vacant lot in downtown Boston. Help us make the most of urban space. The Boston Globe interviewed curator Jean Lukitsh about...

Walking Tours, Kung Fu, and Tai Chi before the films

by | Aug 12, 2010 |

The sun goes down and the films roll at 8PM, but here are some things to experience before you take a seat at Films at the Gate 2010: Walking Tours depart every night from the Chinatown Gate at 6:00PM (45 min, THU-SUN 8/26-29) . Led by youth from the Asian Community...

Films at the Gate to visit the Greenway

by | Aug 11, 2010 |

In 2006, when Films at the Gate first transformed a vacant lot into an outdoor cinema, next door was a sandy construction site where a park was taking shape. With permission, we drew power from a contractor's trailer, which sat in the middle of what is now,...