DOWNTOWN STREETS TEAM MARIN COMMUNITY SCREENING

Downtown Streets Team Marin. Photo © CFI Staff

“Imagine a theatre which works hand-in-hand with other nonprofit organizations to provide a venue where film can be used to enhance their mission and fulfill their goals.”

This was the vision California Film Institute Executive Director Mark Fishkin had for the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center when it opened eighteen years ago and it continues to this day.

On Thursday, June 15, the Smith Rafael Film Center hosted a special screening for 35 Downtown Streets Team Marin members in appreciation of their hard work in the San Rafael community.

The ongoing mission of the Downtown Streets Team is ending homelessness by restoring the dignity and rebuilding the lives of unhoused men and women.

Some team members hadn’t been to the Rafael in over 40 years, so we were honored to welcome them back for a screening of 2016 indie hit Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

Prior to the screening, Logan McDonnell, Downtown Streets Team Project Director – Marin County, took the stage to welcome and thank the team members.

“I am just so proud of everybody. Every time I see you and the reputation that you have been consistently building every day when you are out there and you are working hard, the public sees it, they notice it, they love it and that’s why we have so much support and we can do things like this. I want to say thank you for being you, taking it seriously, doing a great job and changing perceptions.”

After the screening, CFI hosted a lunch for team members in the Mark Fishkin Room.

This screening and reception was made possible through the generous support of Bellam Self Storage & Boxes.