2021 Sundance Film Festival Partnership

An Update from Andrew Jupin, Senior Film Programmer, about our Sundance Film Festival Partnership

Right up until the holidays, the JBFC was set to be one of several art houses nationwide that would be hosting selections from the 2021 Sundance Film Festival on our screens. We had the dates set, a slate of films we were going to be able to screen at the theater, and a working list of events that would be happening throughout that celebratory week. We held out as long as we could, with the hope that we would see Westchester and surrounding counties’ infection rates dropping to the point where we’d be able to safely and responsibly open our doors again—indeed, we were playing chicken with this pandemic. As you’ve probably guessed, especially after the holiday travel infection rate explosions, we will not be opening our doors in time for all this to come together. But we’re not cooked yet!

On top of the film selections—which were all totally decided by Sundance—we in Programming were tasked with internally creating extra events, what Sundance is billing as Beyond Film Programming. These are events that each satellite site is personally planning with help from their individual communities. We’re pleased to announce that these Beyond Film Programming events, all virtual, of course, will still be happening at the end of this month!

At the moment, we’re putting the finishing touches on five events that will go forward the week of the festival, all conceived and curated by the JBFC Programming team. These events include films and conversations with friends and artists from our community, including filmmaker and activist Astra Taylor, filmmaker Brooklyn Demme, and several of our Creative Culture filmmaking fellows who have had their work screened at Sundance in years past.

So stay tuned to our e-bulletin, website, and social media for announcements. We may not be able to welcome you back in person with brand-new films from Sundance, but we’re not letting that get in the way of celebrating our community’s dual passion for cinema and activism. More soon!