Jacob Burns Film Center

The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) is a nonprofit cultural arts and cinema center in Pleasantville, New York. It occupies the former Rome Theater, a Spanish Mission-style movie palace originally constructed in 1925. The venue presents independent, documentary, and selected mainstream films, while also operating as a community institution with filmmaker conversations, critic discussions, special events, educational programs, and media-arts initiatives. The center is closely associated with the redevelopment of Pleasantville’s downtown area. Its programming gives the venue a role broader than that of a conventional commercial multiplex: screenings are often paired with discussions involving filmmakers, critics, or other figures connected with the film industry. The organization also hosts Pace University’s annual documentary premiere, featuring work produced by students in the university’s documentary program. The building’s history is central to the JBFC identity. Known originally as the Rome Theater after owner Granville Rome, it was among the earliest purpose-built movie theaters in Westchester County. Its period features included leather seating, decorative friezes, velvet curtains, and an original Photolayer pipe organ. After operating as a cinema for decades, the Rome Theater closed in 1987 and was subsequently converted into office space. In 1998, Stephen Apkon and the nonprofit Friends of the Rome Theater acquired the former theater and an adjoining parcel with the aim of restoring the property and creating a new cultural venue. A multiyear design and construction project converted the site into the Jacob Burns Film Center. The center opened in June 2001 with three theaters seating 249, 135, and 72 people, respectively. The institution was named for Jacob Burns, a lawyer and businessman whose family foundation provided major support for the renovation. JBFC expanded beyond film exhibition in 2008 with the opening of a Media Arts Lab. The facility supported digital-literacy and media-education programs for young people and community participants. The center’s educational work has also included international digital-literacy activity, including programs involving prisons in Venezuela. Under Sean Weiner, the Media Arts Lab launched the Creative Culture fellowship in 2016, providing a platform for emerging filmmakers and media creators. The brand’s positioning combines curated cinema, historic-place preservation, civic revitalization, and participatory media education. Its principal audience is regional, particularly residents of Westchester County and the broader New York metropolitan area, although its cultural programming and filmmaker events extend its relevance beyond the immediate town. The organization remains an active nonprofit venue centered on film presentation, conversation, and creative learning.

The Jacob Burns Film Center developed from an effort to preserve and reactivate Pleasantville’s former Rome Theater. The theater was built in 1925 for Granville Rome and reflected the movie-palace design language of its period, including leather seats, ornamental friezes, velvet curtains, and a Photolayer pipe organ. It became an important local cinema and is described as the first movie theater in Westchester County. After closing in 1987, the property was converted for office use. In 1998, Stephen Apkon and Friends of the Rome Theater acquired the approximately 11,000-square-foot former theater together with an adjacent parcel. The project sought to return the building to cultural use while creating a contemporary film institution. Over the following three years, restoration, design, and construction work transformed the property into a multitheater nonprofit center. Financial support included a $1.5 million contribution from the family foundation associated with Jacob Burns, whose name was adopted by the institution. The project’s total reported construction and design expenditure was $4 million, following the acquisition, according to the cited Wikipedia account. The center opened in June 2001. Its initial configuration included three screening rooms with capacities of 249, 135, and 72 seats, occupying approximately 18,500 square feet. Rather than operating solely as a repertory or commercial cinema, JBFC built its identity around independent and documentary films, selected mainstream releases, and events that connected screenings with public discussion. Guests have included filmmakers, critics, and other figures from the film industry. The center has also been credited by The New York Times with contributing to the revitalization of Pleasantville’s downtown district. A major institutional expansion occurred in 2008 with the opening of the Media Arts Lab. The $15 million facility broadened JBFC’s mission into digital literacy and hands-on media education. The center’s educational activities extended to the surrounding community and, according to the cited account, included work with prisoners and teachers in Venezuela. This development positioned JBFC as both a cinema and an educational media organization. In 2016, the Media Arts Lab, under Sean Weiner’s leadership, introduced the Creative Culture fellowship. The fellowship was intended to support emerging filmmakers and became a launching point for up-and-coming creators. Alongside this work, JBFC continued its public film program and institutional partnerships, including the annual documentary premiere associated with Pace University, where a documentary created by students is presented. The organization’s history therefore combines adaptive reuse, nonprofit cultural development, curated film exhibition, audience engagement, and media education. Its operating model is regional and community-facing, with a historic theater campus in Pleasantville serving as the foundation for screenings, conversations, special events, and creative-learning programs.

• 2016

  Creative Culture fellowship begins

  [1]Jacob Burns Film Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Media Arts Lab launched the Creative Culture fellowship to support emerging filmmakers and media creators.

• 2008

  Media Arts Lab opens

  [1]Jacob Burns Film Centeren.wikipedia.org

  JBFC expanded into digital-media education and literacy with the opening of its Media Arts Lab.

• 2001

  Jacob Burns Film Center opens

  [1]Jacob Burns Film Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The restored venue opened in June with three screening rooms and a program centered on independent and documentary cinema.

• 1998

  Former Rome Theater acquired for redevelopment

  [1]Jacob Burns Film Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Stephen Apkon and Friends of the Rome Theater acquired the former theater and adjoining land to create a nonprofit film and cultural center.

• 1987

  Original theater closes

  [1]Jacob Burns Film Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Rome Theater ended its cinema operation and was later used as an office building.

• 1925

  Rome Theater opens

  [1]Jacob Burns Film Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Spanish Mission-style Rome Theater was built in Pleasantville for owner Granville Rome and became an early movie venue in Westchester County.

A nonprofit, community-oriented film center that combines curated independent and documentary cinema with filmmaker engagement, historic theater preservation, digital-media education, and cultural revitalization.

• Film exhibition · 2001

  Independent film program

  JBFC presents independent feature films and other non-mainstream releases in a curated theater setting. The program is designed for audiences seeking cinema beyond the standard multiplex schedule and is often integrated with talks, introductions, or post-screening events.

• Film exhibition · 2001

  Documentary film program

  Documentary cinema is a central part of the center’s identity. JBFC screens documentary works and connects them with public discussion, educational activity, and partnerships such as Pace University’s annual documentary premiere.

• Media education · 2008

  Media Arts Lab

  Opened in 2008, the Media Arts Lab extended JBFC’s mission into digital literacy and practical media arts. It supports educational and creative programs for participants in the surrounding community and has also been associated with international digital-literacy initiatives.

• Filmmaker development · 2016

  Creative Culture fellowship

  Introduced by the Media Arts Lab in 2016, the Creative Culture fellowship provides a development platform for emerging filmmakers and other media creators. The program has been described as a launching pad for up-and-coming filmmakers.

• 2008

  Expansion into digital-media educationStrategy

  Background

  JBFC sought to extend its role beyond cinema exhibition and address digital literacy through a dedicated media-arts facility.

  Action taken

  The center opened the Media Arts Lab and developed digital-literacy programming for local and international participants.

  Aftermath

  The organization broadened its institutional identity to include media education, creative development, and digital-literacy initiatives.

  Source

• 1998

  Redevelopment of the former Rome TheaterStrategy

  Background

  The former Rome Theater had ceased operating as a cinema and was being used as office space. A nonprofit redevelopment effort sought to preserve the historic property while returning it to cultural use.

  Action taken

  Stephen Apkon and Friends of the Rome Theater acquired the theater and adjacent land and began developing a nonprofit film center.

  Aftermath

  The Jacob Burns Film Center opened in 2001 as a multitheater venue combining film exhibition, public events, and community cultural programming.

  Source

1. 1Jacob Burns Film Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Jacob Burns Film Center official websiteburnsfilmcenter.org