Over the 12 years he hosted his beloved Sunday afternoon series at the Burns, Jonathan Demme often dreamed of guests to accompany him on his passionate exploration of film and ideas. He long aspired to having the Nobel laureate in literature Toni Morrison come share conversation and a film of her choosing. She selected Richard Pryor’s 1986 semiautobiographical feature, Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling—a brutal, hilarious, and poignant testimony to Pryor’s comic brilliance. But Morrison’s schedule never aligned with Jonathan’s, and her visit to the JBFC never came to pass. We are sharing this film as part of Jonathan Demme’s Rarely Seen Cinema to celebrate and remember both Morrison and Jonathan during their shared birthday month.

Presented in 35mm