Blog
Breaking Bread: Jewish Food Stories and Recipes from our Community
We started this year’s Jewish Film Festival, our 20th, with a thought to make it interactive, around something that binds the whole JBFC Jewish community together, particularly in a year where we’ve all spent a lot of time at home, isolated—but still cooking, as though secretly hoping for the guests to arrive. So we thought: [...]
The Knolls Returns as the Sponsor of Arts in the Afternoon at the JBFC
Pleasantville, NY – September 22, 2021 – The Knolls, a continuing care retirement community located in Valhalla, is once again the sponsor of Arts in the Afternoon at the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC). This ongoing program includes two popular series, World Stage on Screen and Senior Afternoon Cinema. World Stage on Screen brings the [...]
59th New York Film Festival Partners With JBFC To Bring The Festival To New Audiences
New York Film Festival at the JBFC: Sept. 27-29 “It’s been a longtime wish for us to partner with one of the great cultural happenings of the fall—the New York Film Festival from Film At Lincoln Center—and we are thrilled to announce that this year, that wish is coming true!” —Brian Ackerman, JBFC Founding Director [...]
Rep. Mondaire Jones Announces Federal Grant for JBFC's Creative Culture
The JBFC was pleased to welcome Congressman Mondaire Jones (NY-17) to our campus on Tuesday, Aug. 10 to announce the grant we received from the NEA. Here is his announcement from the event: REP. MONDAIRE ANNOUNCES FEDERAL GRANT FOR JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER Jones held a press conference at the Jacob Burns Film Center [...]
JBFC Names New Executive Director
Mary Jo Ziesel, Distinguished Educator in Arts Programming, Chosen to Lead the Country’s Premier Film and Media Education Center Pleasantville, NY – July 16, 2021 – The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to presenting the best of independent, documentary and world cinema; promoting visual literacy; and making film [...]
Facility Updates (including Masked Matinees)
UPDATED January 4, 2023 We’re thrilled to launch our Theater Refurbishment project in February. All three original theaters on the first floor will be enhanced with new seats, increased accessibility and comfort, added legroom, and upgraded flooring. The seating layout in Theaters Two and Three will be altered to ensure optimal viewing. We will also [...]
JBFC Mixtapes, Vol. 22: Sounds of Summer
by JBFC Senior Film Programmer Andrew Jupin JBFC Mixtapes is an initiative from the Burns to highlight the music—from soundtracks to scores—that makes the cinematic experience so special. Vol. 22 comes to us from JBFC Senior Film Programmer Andrew Jupin, who put together a spectacular playlist to celebrate the return of beloved annual JBFC series Sounds of [...]
Two Exciting Announcements for our 20th Anniversary
JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER RENAMING THEATER ONE AFTER FOUNDING LEADER DAVID SWOPE Today’s Announcement Kicks Off Year-Long 20th Anniversary Celebration Which Includes Theater Refurbishment in 2022 Pleasantville, NY—June 21, 2021— Today, the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), a nonprofit five-screen cinema and education center and one of the most successful suburban art houses in the country, [...]
We Are Updating Theater Policies (as of June 18)
Please note, as the circumstances evolve, we are making updates to our policy. The most current information is always featured on the homepage above the film calendar. ————————————- Effective this Friday, June 18, in accordance with updated New York State and CDC guidance, masks will be optional for fully vaccinated individuals. Patrons not yet vaccinated [...]
Please Join our New Project Breaking Bread: Jewish Stories and Recipes from the JBFC Community
As a member of the JBFC community, you know all about the power of story to connect people—it’s at the heart of everything we do. And I’m guessing you’re well acquainted with the power of food to do the same thing. (What a joy it is to eat together now after so many months apart!) [...]
