Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema returns this September 2025 for its 22nd season, once again showcasing local filmmakers while bringing our neighborhood together under the stars.
Our team of top San Francisco Realtors have lived in, loved, and helped countless homebuyers and sellers in Bernal Heights since we got our start in 2002. We're thrilled to sponsor this year’s event and a community tradition that's part of what makes the neighborhood so special.
Since its early days in 2004, Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema has grown from a simple idea to showcase local filmmakers into a cornerstone of Bernal Heights culture. Founded by neighbors Leslie Lombre and Anne Batmale, this volunteer-driven organization has (as of 2025) screened 914 films, featured 882 filmmakers, and hosted 164 community events over the past two decades.
What started as conversations between two neighbors working together on the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center's annual Fiesta on the Hill has grown into something really special. Their mission is to present free screenings of diverse, local filmmakers' works in neighborhood parks and community spaces to increase exposure for local artists while bringing the community together.
This year's Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema festival runs September 4-6, 2025, with three distinct experiences that celebrate local filmmaking talent.
| Date | Event | Time | Venues & Presenting Partners |
| Thu, Sept 4 | Film Crawl on Mission | 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 pm | Studio 45 - Cafe Seventy8 - The Magic Patio - STEMful |
| Fri, Sept 5 | Film Crawl on Cortland | 7:00, 8:00, 9:00 pm | Inclusions Gallery - Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center - Baukunst - Bernal Library - Progressive Grounds |
| Sat, Sept 6 | Under the Stars at Precita Park | 6:00 pm lawn setup & music; films 7:00–9:30 pm | Award screenings plus community partner booths |
| Tue, Oct 14 | Season Finale | Evening | Good Life Audience Award screening & celebration (location TBA) |
Quarterly, long-format screenings with live Q&As start in January 2026 and continue through spring. Featuring longer films with Q&A sessions on January 27, March 24, and May 26, 2026. There's also the Behind the Screen: Stories from the Hill podcast, which explores the people behind each season's magic.
Pick a start time, then stroll to the next storefront between shows. Each location screens a unique short-film block, so every stop feels fresh. Bring layers, low-back chairs, and your curiosity. Admission is always free.
Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema runs on community participation. Volunteers help with outreach, day-of support, hospitality, ad sales, and publicity, and get reserved seating plus invitations to the season wrap party. Sign up via their volunteer page.
Local filmmakers can submit work at bhoutdoorcine.org/submissions. The selection committee reviews about 75 submissions over five weeks, and filmmakers are notified by early August if their work is selected.
In 2019, we had the pleasure of interviewing Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema co-founders Anne Batmale and Leslie Lombre for our BernalHeights.com community website.
When asked how they met and started the Outdoor Cinema, Anne shared:
"We met in 2001 while working on the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center's annual event Fiesta on the Hill. After working together on that event a few times Leslie came to me with the idea for Outdoor Cinema. She knew there were a lot of locals in film production. We thought it would be fun to create something to feature our neighbors and showcase their work. Leslie has a background in TV syndication and promotion."
Leslie talked about the neighborhood's unique creative character:
"Before I worked on the Fiesta I was managing the San Francisco International Film Financing Conference. That conference brought together 200 filmmakers from around the country to meet and pitch to film distributors and producers. We both knew a lot of filmmakers in this neighborhood. For example, all of my adjoining neighbors on Montezuma Street were somehow related to film. So it seemed perfectly right to do something here that showcased the talent we have in Bernal."
About their focus on keeping it local, Leslie said:
"Yes, it's always been hyper-local. This neighborhood has a very artistic character. Over the years we've invited other film festivals to have screenings. We want to co-promote other festivals to give audiences a taste of what's out there."
The festival recognizes exceptional work through four awards. As Anne explained in our 2019 interview: "We have a selection committee that's a cross-section of neighbors who screen all the submissions and vote. We distribute four awards: Best of Bernal, Spirit of Bernal, Good Life Audience Award and the Emerging Filmmakers Award."
"The Best of Bernal is designated for local filmmakers. Someone on the crew has to be a Bernal resident. The Spirit of Bernal is given to a film that resonates with the values of the neighborhood, like activism, inclusiveness, diversity and a sense of the common good. The Good Life Audience Award is what it sounds like: the audience chooses a favorite."
The Bright Star, Emerging Filmmaker Award recognizes young filmmakers who show exceptional promise in their craft.
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For Bernal Heights residents, prospective homebuyers, and the simply cinema-curious, Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema is a special event. Pack your blankets, grab some snacks, and come see the local talent in our community.
For complete schedule details and updates, visit bhoutdoorcine.org.
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