Enjoyed a free first-rate local film projected onto the wall of a bank lately - with free popcorn and live music included? No?! Well, every Thursday evening from June 17 through July 22, beginning at 8 p.m., anyone stopping by 49th and Telegraph can be treated to just that.

The Temescal Street Cinema "borrows" the side wall of the Bank of the West building for its free outdoor screenings - in celebration of both Bay Area filmmakers and other artists, as well as the Temescal neighborhood itself.

Barely two years old, the Temescal Street Cinema was founded by two committed neighborhood volunteers, Catarina Negrin and Suzanne L’Heureux. L'Heureux continues as the Temescal Street Cinema Event Coordinator.

"Looking for a way to claim the streets as a site for community interaction and artistic expression, Negrin and L’Heureux pitched the idea of an outdoor movie night to the Temescal Business Improvement District who has been sponsoring the event ever since," the website tells us, with ever-growing success.  

This season offers a brand-new attraction: experimental short films that will serve as "opening acts" for the longer feature films. It allows for the showcasing of even more local filmmakers and and an even more diverse array of film styles. Temescal's own Royal NoneSuch Gallery has selected these, while the longer films are curated by local filmmaker Arne Johnson of Mission Pictures.

The films are announced on the website as information becomes available. The first few are already up and suggest many more interesting offerings to come. Attendees are encouraged to arrive early or bring their own chairs, as seating is quite limited. For more information, please contact L'Heureaux at (415) 990-8028.

Come see Bay Area rising stars under the summer night sky!