"The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) began in 1998 when a group of individuals interested in creating a cultural arts center in Westchester County purchased the old Rome Theater in Pleasantville, New York. The Rome Theater, a beautiful Spanish mission-style, historic landmark building built in 1925, was one of the first movie theaters in Westchester County. Opened during the golden age of cinema, the New York Times called it "The Show Place of Westchester County." It was an active cinema, showing films until 1987, when it closed its doors due to competition with neighboring multiplexes. The group, led by founder Stephen Apkon, secured the building and an adjacent lot, formed a nonprofit organization (originally known as The Friends of the Rome Theater), and launched a $5 million capital campaign to build the Film Center. Early on, the campaign received a $1.5 million grant from the Jacob Burns Foundation. The Film Center received its name in honor of this leadership gift.

"The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) is a nonprofit educational and cultural institution dedicated to presenting the best of independent, documentary, and world cinema; promoting 21st century literacy; and making film a vibrant part of the community. Housing a state-of-the-art theater complex, a 27,000 square-foot Media Arts Lab, and a residence for international filmmakers, the JBFC campus provides opportunities for people of all ages to discover, explore, and learn through the power of film, media and 21st-century technology.

"The Jacob Burns Film Center Theater is on the site of the former Rome Theater at 364 Manville Road in Pleasantville, NY. The original 1925 theater was renovated and expanded in 2001 to create an 18,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility with three theaters."

Press blue button for a schedule of movies for kids and more about the Jacob Burns Film Center.

Location: Pleasantville

Categories
Movies | Movie Theaters | Cinema