Tower of films to show Alcatraz takeover

SAN FRANCISCO -- Coit Tower will be turned into a huge outdoor movie screen to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the American Indian Movement's occupation of Alcatraz Island.
Projectors will be used to cast digital images on the 210-foot concrete tower that sits atop Telegraph Hill.
At least five films will be shown, one after another, on the evenings of Nov. 25 and 26. The two-night event is titled "Indigenous Renewal: Alcatraz Occupation Remembrance + Ohlone Presence Celebrated."
KPOO radio station, 89.5 FM, will run a live program accompanying the show, which also can be accessed online at www.coitlive.com. The viewings, scheduled to run from about 6 to 11 p.m. Nov. 25 and starting again at dusk on Thanksgiving Day through 7 a.m. Friday, will be postponed in the event of rain or heavy fog, said David Mark, an organizer.
This is the fourth time that the Art Deco landmark has been used as a projection screen. The filmmakers also had showings in 2004 and 2008 that focused on American Indians. In 2006, the topic was the Great Earthquake and Fire that occurred 100 years before.
"The unique thing about Coit Tower is that it's visible to hundreds of thousands of people," Marks said. Among the best viewing spots, organizers say, will be Fisherman's Wharf, Pier 31, the Coit Tower parking lot and Washington Square.