Drugs in the Tenderloin

Director Robert Zagone will join us in person for a live Q&A at the August 20 screening! AT RUSH! (a rush line will be available for unclaimed seats, on a first-come-first-serve basis.)

Shot in 1966 on the streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, Drugs in the Tenderloin is a visceral time capsule of a community on the edge—where young queer people, sex workers, drug users, and local organizers navigated life in a neighborhood often dismissed or demonized. Originally aired only once on public television in 1967, the film was lost for decades before being rediscovered in 2015 by the Tenderloin Museum. Since then, it has played to sold-out audiences and received renewed acclaim for its raw power and cultural significance.

Through grainy, neon-lit night photography and candid, unscripted interviews, Zagone’s film offers a rare portrait of the Tenderloin during a moment of transformation. Without narration, the film allows its subjects—many of them in their teens and twenties—to speak for themselves, offering a glimpse into their lives, struggles, and solidarity. Beyond its compelling human stories, the film is also a valuable historical record of the built environment of mid-century San Francisco, capturing long-lost storefronts, street corners, and signs—including the only known color footage of several historic neon signs in the Tenderloin.

This special event, which is part of the Tenderloin Museum’s 10th anniversary celebration and programming, offers a rare opportunity to experience a landmark of Bay Area documentary filmmaking on the big screen, in the city where it was born. Drugs in the Tenderloin is not available to stream or purchase commercially. This screening is one of only a few public opportunities to view the film in its original form, in conversation with the filmmaker and local historians.

Co-Presented by The Tenderloin Museum