Paramount Movie Classics are back; also, artists choose the films at the Roxie’s Fraenkel Film Festival.
Jul 10, 2026
Updated 12:15 pm PT
The Paramount Theatre is a fully restored Art Deco theater in Oakland, designed by San Francisco architect Timothy Pflueger and opened in 1931. (Courtesy Paramount Theatre)
Two different film series on opposite sides of the Bay are partway through their runs, and both are can’t-miss affairs for different reasons.
At the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, it’s all about the atmosphere. For the first time since 2018, Paramount Movie Classics are back at the beautifully restored 1930s movie palace.
A scene from ‘The Maltese Falcon’ (1941), with Peter Lorre, Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet (clockwise from top left).
Jason Blackwell, general manager of the Paramount, told Oaklandside in May that this year’s relaunch will serve as a test to “gauge audience interest.” Paramount Movie Classics continue through the end of the month, with Mrs. Doubtfire (July 10), The Mark of Zorro (July 17) and The Maltese Falcon (July 24).
Meanwhile, at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco, it’s all about cross-pollination. The Fraenkel Film Festival, running through July 18, screens movies picked by visual artists associated with Fraenkel Gallery.
Now in its third year, the festival so far has featured films like the neo-horror Get Out, chosen by interdisciplinary artist Carrie Mae Weems, and the 1950s film noir Pickup on South Street, chosen by photographer and activist Nan Goldin.
A scene from ‘Solaris’ (1972), with (L–R) Natalya Bondarchuk and Donatas Banionis.
For those familiar with each artists’ work, the program invites deeper viewing through their eyes. What does photographer Lee Friedlander see in Hitchcock’s North By Northwest (July 11)? Why does Grey Gardens (July 18) resonate with artist Sophie Calle?
The upcoming lineup includes films like Solaris, Klute and Mystery Train, worthy of seeing in any context. But for a film like Princess Mononoke (July 10), one can’t help but think of the artist and actress Martine Gutierrez’s remarks that “the ethereal realm is what matters, and every day we are convinced otherwise.”
Paramount Movie Classics run Fridays through July 24 at the Paramount Theatre (2025 Broadway, Oakland); program and details here. The Fraenkel Film Festival runs through Saturday, July 18 at the Roxie Theater (3125 16th Street, San Francisco); program and details here.