Tenderloin Museum in San Francisco, is playing Rob Nilsson’s 9@Night Films

Tenderloin Museum in San Francisco, is playing Rob Nilsson’s 9@Night Films

Part #4) "9@Night Films," Tenderloin Action Group / Tenderloin yGroup.

By Lynda Carson - February 2, 2026

Oakland, CA - Yesterday on February 1, 2026, I received an email from my friend, actor, director, and legendary independent maverick filmmaker Rob Nilsson, a local resident of Berkeley, CA.

Rob Nilsson's collection of ”9 @ Night Films” at the Tenderloin Museum.

The film called, NOISE - Film #1 of Rob Nilsson's "9@Night Film” played last Thursday evening, January 29, 2026, at the Tenderloin Museum, at 398 Eddy St. SF, CA 94102, https://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/upcoming-public-programs .

The second produced "9@Night Film," called Used, will be playing at the Tenderloin Museum on Tuesday evening, on February 3, only 2 days from now. Rob Nilsson invites, and hopes that those who are reading this will appear at the Tenderloin Museum to watch the film, and bring some friends along to see the rare film, and meet the legendary filmmaker Rob Nilsson who will be there at the event.

Rob Nilsson had the following to say in his email that I received yesterday, about the recent January 28, 2026, film event at the Tenderloin Museum.

He mentioned that he had not seen the film Noise in so many years, that he was actually scared when he went to see it at the Tenderloin Museum, which is the former site of Newman’s Gym, where Cassius Clay (Mohammed Ali) trained for the 1960 Olympics. He did not know what to expect since he did not see the film Noise, in so many years.

Rob Nilsson’s nine “9@night Films,” playing at the Tenderloin Museum.

Among the other “9@Night Films” of Rob Nilsson’s that will be playing at the Tenderloin Museum?

Notably, Scheme C6 is scheduled to play there on February 12, 2026. I saw the film Scheme C6 in 2001 at its World Premiere in San Rafael around 25 years ago, along with Rob Nilsson, and some members of the Tenderloin Action Group / Tenderloin yGroup, including actor Sean Penn, and his friend Lars Ulrich (drummer of the band Metallica). It was a wonderful, exciting evening.

Scheme C6, a Rob Nilsson “9@Night Film,” with the Tenderloin Action Group / Tenderloin yGroup, had its World Premiere showing during October 12, 2001, at the San Rafael Film Center, downtown San Rafael.

This was shortly after the 9/11 attack that occurred in New York City, and elsewhere in the U.S.

Click here, for more about Rob Nilsson's film Scheme C6.

The film Scheme C6 featured Cory Duval, Monica Cort'es Viharo, MC Mars, Gabriela Maltz Larkin, and some other members of the Tenderloin yGroup, directed by Rob Nilsson. After the film played that evening, there was a question and answer session between the audience, cast, and the director Rob Nilsson.

The secret ingredient of SCHEME C6, was the fact that the main character of the film portrayed as a homeless fellow named Bid, performed by Cory Duval, was actually filmed in it's entirety during a period that Cory Duval was really homeless, and living out of a truck.

As for the film SCHEME C6, Cory Duval, Monica Cort'es Viharo, and MC Mars gave it their all in a stunning portrayal of their characters, to bare their heart and soul, with strong performances given by Ciara Arnette, Gabriela Maltz Larkin, and many others that backed up the main characters as the schemes unfolded in the film, and got underway.

At the time back in 2001, the Tenderloin yGroup, a drama improv acting group of local residents, homeless folks, ex-homeless, volunteer filmmakers, and others gathered for a free workshop Wednesday nights on a weekly basis at the Faithful Fools Street Ministry, in San Francisco. It was a free acting workshop (donations accepted) that allowed people from all walks of life to participate. The workshop, directed by Rob Nilsson, allowed the participants to hone their improv acting skills in the setting of a safe space to open up their emotions. At times, there may have been as many as 30 participants in one evening, entering the circle of expressivity in search of the characters sought after in any given moment. I used to be a member of the Tenderloin Action Group / Tenderloin yGroup years ago. It was very demanding, Nilsson knows what he is looking for, all must participate, and voyeurs are not allowed.

Participants included members from all walks of life including some from the Screen Actors Guild, Industrial Light and Magic, and stage performers that have acted on a live stage, or the drama student seeking more than what a college may offer at the time.

Some members of the Tenderloin Action Group / Tenderloin yGroup back around 2001.

There was so much talent in this group, that I do not know where to begin when trying to perceive who they are. Gabriela Maltz Larkin who has been a key player of the group for at least 10-11 years is the granddaughter of Albert Maltz, the academy award winner for the screenplay of The House I Live In with Frank Sinatra, who was later to become one of the Hollywood 10, and blacklisted by H.U.A.C., back in the dark days of McCarthyism. Albert Maltz while blacklisted used an alias (John B. Sherry) to write the screen play for such films as The Robe with Richard Burton, and for the film Broken Arrow with James Stewart he used a Front by the name of Michael Blankfort, and later got the screen credits back in 1993. Woody Allen directed a wonderful film called the Front which pretty much explains what was going on back then. The artistic blood runs deep in Gabriela’s heritage, and flows into her son Adan the youngest member of the Tenderloin yGroup.

Monica Cor'tes Viharo, is well studied as an actress, and did a riveting character portrayal in the film SCHEME C6, as the sparks flew between Cory and her. During the question and answer period after the film, when questioned about getting into character for the film, her reply was that it was "nice to get naughty.” Her father in law, Robert Viharo, has been in a number of Nilsson’s films, including the film Romero by a different director, and he (Viharo) used to be married to an actress featured in several Elvis Presley films from what I recall. During the question and answer period, Monica revealed that the bar scene in the film was very real to her, and that they were drinking real alcohol while shooting the scenes. She says, that they were nearly drunk by the time they got to the final take.

While talking to MC Mars after the film was over that evening, he told me that it is still a shock to see how he appears and sounds on the big screen. MC Mars, who in the film SCHEME C6 did a serious character portrayal of Gray Briglio (a sailor) who is a straight looking white guy doing rap to get his message across at times, responded during the question and answer period with some more rap to explain his feelings. It was spontaneous and unforeseen says Mars, about the live rap he did for the audience in the theatre. It just happened... Being a poet was the most the formative part of his life exclaims Mars, who is a forty something attractive person of very deep character, who was born in the Bronx. Mars tells me that he was living in a car for a while after first moving to San Francisco, but that he never felt homeless, and that he joined Nilsson's Tenderloin yGroup sometime during 1998-1999. Already friends with 3 people in the group, Mars says that he felt right at home, and as an omen of good things to come, Mars tells me how he tried to flag down a cab for the ride to get to the group that first night. The cabs whizzed by leaving him in the dust, but a big empty Tour Bus, except for the driver, pulled up and told him to hop in, and to pay what he felt was fair for the ride. He knew right then and there, that he was in for some good luck. On a spiritual journey, and a Buddhist for 20 years, MC Mars has rapped his way professionally for 15 years from the east coast to the west coast, and drives a cab for a living. Mars got into character for his role in SCHEME C6 while driving his cab around the streets of San Francisco, as Gray Briglio, and he mentioned how living in a car when first moving to San Francisco, was an experience that allowed the creativity in him to grow. A very talented fellow, MC Mars is also writing a novel he named; Thirty Three Outrageous Cab Stories From San Francisco To New York [A Journey To Self love]. The character Mars played in the film SCHEME C6 was a major role, and may be the stepping stone to an ever deeper realm of his creativity as he explores his path to pursue his ascension to a higher consciousness.

Due to work related stuff, Edwin Johnson, the member who has been with the acting group for the longest, nearly since its inception, failed to appear for the screening of this film, and say's that will never happen again.

Edwin, was living in a cardboard box on the streets of San Francisco when he first joined this acting group 11 years ago while managing a bookstore in San Francisco, and built up enough confidence in himself to become featured in a variety of the 9@Night Films, including CHALK. Edwin says that it was a high point of his life to join Rob Nilsson on a trip to Switzerland when CHALK played at the Locarno Film Festival. Edwin has been featured in 5 films of the Tenderloin yGroup, including the most recent film SCHEME C6, at the time.

As for my friend and filmmaker Rob Nilsson at the time, who has won the Camera d'Or prize at Cannes Film Festival for his film Northern Lights, and a Sundance Film Festival Grand Prize for his film Heat and Sunlight, the collaboration of working with the Tenderloin yGroup is solidly committed, and he believed in what they were doing despite the challenge of a limited budget. In a question I posed to Nilsson regarding the budget of this latest film during the question and answer session after the screening of SCHEME C6 in 2001, Nilsson stated that it always works out to be just enough to make it happen.

At the time, Nilsson recently returned from spending 2 weeks in Jordan after the 9/11 tragedy of New York, has been working on a project for JOHUD, and also spent 3 weeks there during an earlier date helping to promote filmmaking in the country of Jordan. JOHUD is what is known as the Jordanian Hashemite Fund For Human Development, and was established in 1977 as a non-governmental, non- profit organization. JOHUD is recognized as one of Jordan’s leading national advocates in the field of integrated social development, and has a Board of Trustee's which is chaired by Her Royal Highness Princess Basma Bint Talal.

In September 2000, Rob Nilsson shot the film Samt in Jordan, working with a cast of young people assembled by ZENID, a Jordanian institute striving for social development. Samt had its world premiere at the Mill Valley Film Festival in 2004, and the story was cover by Variety, and the article may be read by clicking here.

More about filmmaker Rob Nilsson, the World Premiere of Scheme C6 during 2001 in San Rafael, and the members of the Tenderloin Action Group / Tenderloin yGroup may be found by clicking here.

Further below is an older photo of Rob Nilsson and some members of the Tenderloin Action Group / Tenderloin Group, at a “9@Night Summer Bash” picnic around 1998, near Baker Beach in San Francisco. Among some of those in the photo, they include filmmaker Rob Nilsson, Edwin Johnson, Bridget Burch, Mc Mars, Gabriela Maltz Larkin, Ciara Arnette, and myself Lynda Carson, on the very far right side of photo, looking towards my left.

Lynda Carson may be reached at newzland2 [at] gmail.com

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