Special Guests
From the screen to our stage—the Jacob Burns Film Center has welcomed thousands of guests to our theater over the past two decades.

Bong Joon-ho
Back in 2015, long before the success of breakout hit PARASITE, Bong Joon-ho was an International Artist-in-Residence at the JBFC. During his time here, Bong lived and worked on the JBFC campus as he worked on pre-production—including finalizing the script—for 2017’s OKJA. Meanwhile at the theater, the JBFC presented a retrospective series, “The Films of Bong Joon-ho,” from Mar. 19-Apr. 2, 2015. The series included screenings of MEMORIES OF A MURDER, THE HOST, MOTHER, and SNOWPIERCER, each of which was followed by a Q&A with Director Bong himself. Photo by Lynda Shenkman.

Michael Douglas
Legendary actor Michael Douglas joined us Nov. 13, 2019 for the annual Silver Screen Circle Dinner. Following an evening of clips and conversation with JBFC Board President Janet Maslin, Michael Douglas joined Silver Screen Circle members in the JBFC's Jane Peck Gallery for a dinner. Photo by Russell Peborde.

Jonathan Demme
Filmmaker Jonathan Demme's myriad contributions to the Burns were too many to catalogue, but here’s a sliver: he was a mentor to students and staff, served on the Board of Directors, hosted Rarely Seen Cinema for 12 years—amongst many other series, brought international filmmakers and artists to our residency, hosted innumerable public screenings with filmmakers, writers, actors, activists; he was a teacher, a friend, a champion, a critic, and a supporter all with the infectious love that was pure Jonathan. If there was one thing that he believed in, it was the transcendent power of sharing. And whether you were in the audience, or on the staff, or on the board, he was always the same: Jonathan.