Published Aug. 28, 2026at9:03am
Addressing the vast crowd gathered at the Presidio’s Civil War Parade Ground on a blustery July evening, The San Francisco Standard Business Editor Kevin Truong succinctly summarized what makes the Sundown Cinema series so special.
“I’m hoping this becomes a core memory tonight for many of you guys out in the crowd,” Truong said.
It’s true: the magic of being together and watching a movie in a singular outdoor setting is the kind of thing you tend to remember forever. And thanks to The Standard and presenting sponsor Amazon, Sundown Cinema’s triumphant return this summer has been filled with unforgettable moments.
Bringing the best of San Francisco together for free, community screenings held at some of the city’s most idyllic locations, Sundown Cinema has already visited Dolores Park, the Presidio, and the Marina with future dates at the Ferry Building and Crane Cove Park still to come.
For July’s presentation of Pixar’s Inside Out, joy was the prevalent emotion as families flocked to the Presidio Civil War Parade Grounds on a windy but welcoming Friday night. It was the perfect place for children to practice cartwheels and somersaults on the grass as the sun slowly sunk towards showtime.
A portable bubble machine proved wildly popular, infusing whimsy wherever it was left to belch bubbles to everyone’s delight. During his introductory remarks, Truong kept the good times rolling by inviting five kids from the audience to act out the emotions featured in Inside Out.
Impromptu costumes made the moment all the better. Asked to give the crowd her “maddest, angriest face,” a young girl named Hallie nailed her assignment while wearing a red hat and holding a cardboard cutout of a campfire. Sarafina, by contrast, was tasked with representing Sadness. Her efforts — complete with a jutting lower lip and pouty eyes — were perfectly complimented by a blue feather boa and an inflatable rain cloud.
Later, The San Francisco Standard Editor-in-Chief Kevin Delaney detailed what makes The Standard’s coverage stand apart from its competition.
“The Standard was founded to cover San Francisco like the world capital that it is: with real reporting, with humor, and with the city as a character in the narrative,” Delaney said. “We hope you read The Standard already and if you don’t, we invite you to subscribe.”
The evening also aptly encapsulated what Amazon continues to provide to local communities and small businesses alike.
In San Francisco, that includes support of numerous free city programs like Tulip Day at Union Square, the Potrero R&B Festival, and the Downtown Ambassador program. Amazon has also helped bring 87,000 residents back onto downtown streets via its Let’s Glow SF sponsorship and continues its partnership with the SF-Marin Food Bank to deliver 70,000 meals a week to those in need.
Impressively, the Amazon trucks parked onsite at all three events to transpire so far have enjoyed robust food donations for the SF-Marin Food Bank. The totals include 271 pounds donated at the June screening, 223 pounds donated at the July screening, and 204 pounds at August’s screening.
Set against the iconic landscape of the Golden Gate Bridge and surrounding natural skyline, August’s event at Marina Green was a family affair as host Sophia Garrow, The Standard’s Comedy Correspondent, brought her dad Steve along to help introduce Disney’s 1998 twin hijinks caper The Parent Trap.
Addressing a robust audience consisting of families, friends and perhaps even a few first dates, Garrow, encouraged folks to spend time before the screening patronizing one of two unique options at The Standard’s nearby booth: “Ask a Reporter” and “Ask a Dad.” The latter, adorably, featured Garrow’s own father, who would later be called upon to stand before the crowd and help his daughter demonstrate the film’s famous secret handshake.
Additional themed merriment came in the form of a round of trivia — did you know the exteriors for the fictious Stafford Hotel where the twins played by Lindsay Lohan attempt to get their parents to reunite were shot at Treasure Island’s Administration Building? — and a full-throated round of soundtrack karaoke.
Following the final notes of “Here Comes the Sun,” The Standard’s Head of Business Development, Devon Rothwell, invited Amazon employee and SF native Natalie Banke to share her thoughts on why supporting community events like Sundown Cinema is so important.
“It’s so amazing to see Sundown Cinema back,” Banke said. “I used to go to Sundown Cinema before it went away during the pandemic and I just want to give a big, big thank you to SF Standard because they are the reason this is back in full force. I do work at Amazon. As you know, it’s a big company but it’s made up of community members right here in San Francisco like me. Amazon gives us the resources to give back —”
It was at this moment that she was interrupted as a gang of moped riders puttered by.
“This is why we love this city,” Banke finally added. “Where else can you see a moped gang drive along the Marina Green?”
It was, as Truong had hoped, the perfect recipe for new core memories: excitement, beauty, and the gathering of community to have fun together while also giving back. Fortunately, the good times are set to keep rolling with two screenings left on Sundown Cinema’s 2026 schedule.
The first is School of Rock, which screens at the Ferry Building on Sept. 25. Then comes a Halloween-themed season finale with Beetlejuice at Crane Cove Park on Oct. 16. And don’t forget to RSVP and be in attendance at either event to be entered in a raffle for a $1000 Amazon gift card.
For more information, please visit sfstandard.com/sundown-cinema.