19th Annual Films At The Gate
🎬 Join ACDC at our 2025 Annual 3-day Kung Fu Film Festival! 📽
Films at the Gate, an event organized and run by ACDC youth, revives the tradition of the Chinatown movie house. The festival enlivens Chinatown, bringing together people of all backgrounds and ages, while also introducing kung fu films to a new generation and restoring a tradition of shared, public experience of Chinese-language films in Chinatown.
Films at the Gate is a FREE event, open to all! Since 2006, Films at the Gate has been a grassroots event attracting over 700 attendees annually to Chinatown’s underutilized spaces. Films at the Gate was founded by Leslie & Sam Davol of Boston Street Lab, Jean Lukitsh, and ACDC.
📍Where: The Chinatown Gate in Boston along the John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road
🗓️ When: Friday, August 22nd - Sunday, August 24th from 5:30 - 9:30 PM
👀 Stay tuned for more 2025 updates this summer!
Coming Soon: Curated Films 🎭
Each year, ACDC’s Youth Programs works with Jean Lukitsh to curate a selection of iconic kung-fu films. Lukitsh is a former resident of Chinatown, and was the projectionist for two of the three cinemas that existed in Boston’s Chinatown in the 70s and 80s.
Friday: Fearless Hyena
A young man whose sickly grandfather has taught him a secret form of Kung Fu, starts to make a living off of his unique fighting style, only to attract the attention of his grandfather's mortal enemy.
Saturday: Mr. Vampire
The planned reburial of a town elder goes awry as the corpse resurrects into a hopping, bloodthirsty vampire, targeting everyone responsible for digging the grave. A Taoist Priest and his two disciples attempt to stop the terror.
Sunday: White Snake
From Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, comes a visually stunning new take on a classic legend. One day a young woman named Blanca is saved by Xuan, a snake catcher from a nearby village. She has lost her memory, and together they go on a journey to discover her real identity, developing deeper feelings for one another along the way. But as they learn more about her past, they uncover a darker plot of supernatural forces vying for power, with the fate of the world hanging in the balance. Conceived as a prequel to one of the most ancient and enduring stories in Chinese history, White Snake presents a sumptuous tale of trickster demons, deadly mythical beasts, assassins, wuxia action, and the promise of eternal love.
Anchoring Chinatown’s History Into the Neighborhood
Films At The Gate revives the spirit of the Chinatown movie theaters that shut down due to the rise in video rental stores in the 1980s. Until the late 1980s, Chinatown had three movie theaters: The Pagoda on Washington St, the Star Cinema on Essex, and the China Cinema on Beach. In their heyday, the theaters showed double-features three times a day, often to packed houses from midday to midnight. Whole families would attend, and children would often play in the aisles. Facing pressure from the growing popularity of home video rentals, the Star cinema closed in 1986, and the others soon followed suit. By introducing this tradition to future generations, the festival anchors the shared experiences of Chinese-language films back into the fabric of Chinatown's community.
Check out the Instagram Reel on the history of the Chinatown movie theaters made by A-VOYCE Alumni and Communications Intern, Harrison Tran!
Support Films at the Gate
Films at the Gate promotes community development for Chinatown residents and businesses by endorsing Chinatown as a site of cultural activity. Every contribution counts, whether you are a kung fu film fan, love supporting the Chinatown community, or want to support the youth who run this annual event.
Promotion at this event can include advertising, social media and event website listings, as well as speaking opportunities with advance notice.
Levels:
🎤 Presenting - $5,000
Opportunity for greeting on stage
Full-color page program ad (7.5”H x 4.5”W)
Logo on screen
Listing in publicity materials and website
𓅯 Crane - $2,500
Full page B/W program ad (4.5”W x 7.5”H)
Logo on screen
Listing in publicity materials and website
🙏🦗Mantis - $1,000
2/3 page B/W program ad (4.5”W x 5”H)
Logo on screen
Listing in publicity materials and website
🐅Tiger $500
1/3 page B/W program ad (4.5”W x 2.5”H)
Listing in publicity materials and website
Program Ad:
Full-page - $300 (4.5”W x 7.5”H)
1/2-page - $200 (4.5”W x 5”H)
1/3-page - $100 (4.5”W x 2.5”H)
If you’re interested in supporting FATG or providing an in-kind donation, please contact Enzo.Nguyen[at]asiancdc.org.
