San Francisco's newest cinema has about 45 seats, and a 35mm projector
The Portal, a nonprofit art house at Mission and 29th, is a bet on the smallest kind of movie theater there is.
SF Showtimes · November 11, 2026
On the border of the Mission and Bernal Heights, in what used to be a real estate office at 3293 Mission Street, a movie theater has been taking shape. The Portal is a nonprofit art house with roughly 45 seats (the Chronicle counted 49), a small cafe, and a booth that runs DCP, 35mm and 16mm.
It's the work of Nellie Killian, a San Francisco native who programmed for the Criterion Channel, the BFI, the Museum of the Moving Image and Metrograph before coming home. She leased the space three years ago. The plan is eleven or more screenings a week of new independent films, world cinema and repertory, "balancing old and new, high and low, beloved and undersung."
What it took
Small theaters have big electrical bills. About $50,000 of that was earmarked for a PG&E panel upgrade, needed for 35mm projection, and a new HVAC system. In September, the Portal ran a Kickstarter for its last $250,000 in completion funds, alongside grants and sponsors. Atkinson Architecture designed the room.
A good year for small screens
The Portal is the second small art house in the works in San Francisco, after the Clay Theatre revival in Pacific Heights. And the Castro, back since February after a $41 million renovation, has been hosting film festivals and special screenings between its concerts.
The Portal has been finishing construction for a fall opening. The day its schedule goes up, it goes on SF Showtimes too. Fog permitting, we'll see you in the front row!