THE THIRD ANNUAL Noir City: The San Francisco Film Noir Festival (Jan. 14 to 27; go to www.noircity.com for tickets and a full schedule) is dubbed "Darkness Coast to Coast," a nod to the Los Angeles- and New York City-set movies on the program – and the fest's new venue, the Balboa Theater, is welcoming all that darkness with plenty of optimism. Programmers Eddie Muller and Anita Monga contacted Balboa owner Gary Meyer – who's known Monga for three decades – about hosting the series after Monga's controversial dismissal from the Castro Theatre, Noir City's former stomping grounds.

For Meyer, a longtime fixture in the San Francisco film community who cofounded Landmark Theatres, the timing was ideal. "I had been thinking about doing revival and repertory programming since I took over the [Balboa] four years ago," he said in a recent phone interview, adding that he'd put off the idea in favor of making physical improvements to the building, including new carpets, paint, and better wheelchair access.

In August, Meyer obtained an additional projector for the Balboa, a key technological step toward expanding the theater's programming beyond its usual slate of second-run double features. In contrast to most theaters, which use a single projector outfitted with films on giant "platters," the dual-projector system ("the old way," per Meyer) necessitates a projectionist being on hand for reel changes every 20 minutes. Meyer noted that movie studios won't loan prints for platter screenings: "With archival prints, you have to splice [the films] so they'll fit on the platter – and you end up losing frames here and there."

With the proper equipment in place, Meyer was delighted when Muller and Monga said they'd like to bring Noir City to the Balboa. "We don't have the capacity of the Castro," Meyer acknowledged, but he said the fest's daily matinees will help accommodate San Francisco's proven population of noir fanatics. The two-week festival boasts favorites (Sunset Boulevard, Kiss of Death, Force of Evil, Pickup on South Street) and rarities (including, from Martin Scorsese's personal collection, Try and Get Me, Cyril Endfield's 1950 tale of a crime spree gone – what else? – horribly awry).

Balboa rising

Noir City marks just the start of a new direction at the Balboa, a fixture in the Outer Richmond District since 1926. "I'm going back to my roots," Meyer said, naming his mentor, the legendary Mel Novikoff (he preceded Monga as the Castro's programmer), as his chief inspiration. Meyer is "thrilled" with the Balboa's first official calendar (check it out at www.thebalboatheater.com). "I got incredibly lucky," he explained, attributing his programming success to the relationships he's built with other film folks over the years. Meyer hunted for movies that aren't easily available elsewhere, including Bollywood smash Veer-Zaara; killer Hong Kong oughta-be-a-blockbuster Infernal Affairs; Vodka Lemon, an audience favorite at last year's San Francisco International Film Festival; South Korean romance Untold Scandal (Meyer hopes the film, which has earned "great reviews but no business" in other cities, will find an audience here); and – summon that "old way" projection method again – a tribute to Greta Garbo. The weeklong program (Feb. 23 through 29) spans the great screen beauty's career, featuring silent films with live music, plus several why-the-hell-aren't-these-on-DVD classics, like 1933's Queen Christina.

Other highlights on the Balboa's horizon: an Academy Awards viewing party (with attendees encouraged to dress as a nominated movie – get your Sideways wine-bottle ensemble ready!); periodic "open house" events featuring cartoons, short films, previews, and a chance for patrons to ask Meyer questions about the movie biz; a series of double features selected by noted local musicians, authors, and other about-town types (Meyer's mum on specifics just yet); and a Bollywood film festival slated for the spring.

Note to any would-be cinephiles who're put off by the distance between, say, the Mission District and the foggy environs of Balboa and 38th Avenue: Meyer ain't having it. "For so many years in San Francisco, before the multiplex, a movie would open in only one theater, and people would travel to see it," he said – clearly, it wasn't the first time he'd been asked about the Balboa's locational challenges. At any rate, multiple bus lines offer direct service to the Balboa, and (as Meyer pointed out) there are more than 20 locally owned restaurants serving everything from Russian to Egyptian cuisine close by. Still not convinced? "People should take the chance and experience a place they haven't been to," Meyer said – and, 38 Geary be damned, with such intriguing programming in store (seriously, trust me on Infernal Affairs; see it now before the Hollywood remake machine steals its soul) – who can argue with that?

Cheryl Eddy