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Behind the Scenes Scoop with Andrew Jupin at The Jacob Burns Film Center

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Bo Burnham and Andrew Jupin in Eighth Grade
PHOTO BY ED CODY

Creating A Local & Cultural Mecca for Film Lovers of All Ages

Back in the day when I lived in the city and was child-free, I had plenty of options to see independent or foreign films. I could traipse downtown to the Angelika Film Center to catch the latest Merchant Ivory film or head crosstown to Lincoln Plaza Cinemas to immerse myself in the latest Pedro Almodovar release. There were a few other art houses and independent movie theaters that I could go to but the Angelika and Lincoln Plaza still stand out vividly in my mind.

Fast forward to a decade later and as a suburban mom with kids, I am lucky enough to live mere miles from the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), a five-screen cinema offering a full range of programming from films, events, community screenings, visiting artists and special guests. I like to think of it as an art house theater with 92 Street Y caliber lectures and classes all rolled into one. And although I don’t get to go there as often as I like, I have been known to sneak in an early movie while the kids are in school or plan a date night to catch an indie film with my husband. I’ve even taken my kids to Family Saturdays at the Media Arts Lab just a stone’s throw away where they’ve made amazing hands-on projects.

Programming Reigns Supreme

“The breadth of programming is what makes us so unique,” explains Andrew Jupin, a Senior Programmer at the JBFC who started working there in 2006 as a projectionist. The movie theater landscape has changed significantly in Westchester in recent years with the Saw Mill Multiplex in Hawthorne shutting down and an anticipated closing of the Greenburgh Multiplex in Elmsford later this year. In addition, new players such as ultra-luxe iPic in Dobbs Ferry and a recently renovated Bedford Playhouse have been attracting moviegoers.

But Jupin argues that seeing movies at these places is an “anonymous experience.” And he’s right. It is not uncommon to see people milling about in the JBFC lobby post-screening discussing a film they just saw. As a programmer, Jupin also works on planning director Q & As and curating films that engage moviegoers throughout Westchester. Each year more than 200,000 people visit the JBFC to see more than 400 films from over 40 countries. Since it opened in 2001, three million people have walked through the doors of this Spanish mission-style theater to see cutting-edge cinema.

Carefully Curated Series

One of Jupin’s responsibilities is programming an ongoing series called Retro Revival sponsored by Wine Enthusiast. It is now in its third year and Jupin is passionate about selecting the films that become part of the series. We discuss a recent showing of I Am Cuba and Jupin’s excitement about the movie which he dubs a “lost treasure” is palatable. “This movie from the former USSR was virtually unseen here.” Martin Scorcese and Francis Ford Coppola were champions of the film and Milestone Films had to fight legal battles to get it shown here.” Jupin loves introducing something like this to an audience. “They [the moviegoers] trust us and our selections.” Jupin likes to choose tried and true classics like It’s a Wonderful Life to offerings that are for “adventurous hardcore cinephiles.”

And Jupin is well-qualified to make those selections. He’s an adjunct professor at the School of Film and Media Studies at Purchase College and also teaches at Westchester Community College. In his spare time, he also hosts a popular weekly podcast called We Hate Movies with several friends where they discuss terrible movies. He’s seen hundreds of “trashy films” and likes the dichotomy of working at JBFC where he gets to “bring worthwhile films to an audience.”

Jupin laments that sell out crowds for a screening are often viewed as a barometer of success. “I’ve been to film screenings where there are ten people but those ten people are blown away and they want to see more films by that director or on a certain subject and they then tell their friends.” Jupin, along with other programmers at the theater, finds it incredibly rewarding when they can open their audience to new ideas or new films not seen in a mainstream moviehouse.

Two other ongoing series at the Burns include Global Watch: Crisis and Social Action and Remix: The Black Experience in Film, Media and Art. “The films in these series are often not the most easiest to watch,” Jupin says but they hold true to board member and curator Jonathan Demme’s vision of the JBFC “as a force for social change disguised as a movie theater.”

Thought-Provoking Q & As and Lectures

As part of his programming responsibilities, Jupin also conducts Q & As with filmmakers, actors or other movie industry veterans. This past year he particularly enjoyed meeting first time director Bo Burnham of Eighth Grade and Alex Winter, the director of the documentary film, The Panama Papers. “The Q & As were so different. Burnham was a former comedian and the discussion was funny and light-hearted. With Winter, we spoke about journalism ethics.”

An Economic Engine for 10570 and Beyond

Having worked in Pleasantville for more than a decade, Jupin loves the tight-knit community aspect of the neighborhood. The Inwood resident enjoys the restaurants, book store and small local shops nearby. The JBFC has strong relationships with several local businesses offering discounts to JBFC members through a program called Reel Partners. This past summer, the JBFC released a study The Economic Close-Up showcasing how it is a cultural magnet and economic driver in the region. As we look out the windows of the Media Arts Lab, there are several multi-unit condos being built within walking distance of the JBFC. In 2018, 80 units of transit-oriented housing were under construction in Pleasantville and six new restaurants had opened within the past year.

Senso Retro Revival

An Exciting Future

It is an exciting time for the JBFC with a recent Regional Economic Development Council initiative from Governor Cuomo providing $506,500 to the JBFC for capital improvements. The theater requires a lot of upkeep and they hope to use some of the funds for new seating and other things that will continue to make coming to the JBFC a top-notch experience. “A flat screen TV or a film being screened on Netflix still can’t compare with seeing a film on the big screen.” Throw in the fact that the JBFC is a true cultural and community hub and you’ll know why this five-screen theater continues to be one of the most successful suburban art houses in the country.

Jacob Burns Staff

Edie Demas, Executive Director

Edie joined the JBFC as executive director in May 2014. Previously, she worked with the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Los Angeles and was Director of Education at New York’s New Victory Theater, where under her direction, its education programs were honored with the Americans for the Arts award for Arts Education. She also spent several years in Ireland, where she worked as an education officer with Graffiti Theatre Company, founded UnReel, an international film festival for young people, developed scripts for children’s film and television, and served as an Associate Artist for Education and Outreach at The Abbey Theatre. Edie holds an MA and PhD from NYU’s Program in Educational Theatre.

Dominick Balletta, Managing Director

Dominick joined the JBFC in May 2008, following seven years as General Manager of NYC’s Film Forum. Since 2011, he has served as an advisor to the DeVos Institute of Arts Management. As a producer his credits include Another Telepathic Thing and I’m Carolyn Parker, both directed by Jonathan Demme, and Moisés Kaufman’s 33 Variations, starring Jane Fonda (Tony Award nomination). He has served as a grant panelist for NEA, NYSCA, ArtsWestchester, and CEC/ArtsLink.

Brian Ackerman, Director of Programming

Brian joined the JBFC as the Founding Programming Director in 2001, which followed several years in an advisory capacity assisting the planning and development of the theaters. He designed the programming template that presents over 400 films annually to include special events, new releases, documentary, foreign-language, retrospective films, as well as thematic series, under one roof. He has worked for over 30 years in the New York cinema arts scene–building, programming, and operating art houses. He also serves on juries at film festivals including SXSW and Full Frame.

Judy Exton, Director of Development

Judy joined the JBFC as Director of Development in December 2001. Prior to this, she raised money for a number of nonprofits, including New York City Ballet, Caramoor, and Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Judy holds a B.A. in Communications from The College of Wooster.

Emily Keating, Director of Education

Emily has overseen the JBFC education programs since their inception in 2001. She has consulted for non-profit film centers on the development of their school programs, and has presented at many national education and literacy conferences. She is an adjunct faculty member at Pace University’s School of Education.

Sean Weiner, Director of Creative Culture

Sean received his M.F.A. from Hunter College in Integrated Media Arts and a B.A. in Cinema Studies from SUNY Purchase, where he is now a faculty member. At the JBFC, Sean is the director of Creative Culture, an initiative connecting emerging makers to creative careers through fellowship opportunities and residency programs.

Westchester Jewish Film Festival

Mark your calendars for one of the most popular film series featured at JBFC- the 18th Westchester Jewish Film Festival. The festival from April 2-17 features 42 entertaining, thought-provoking, and engaging film from documentaries to narratives. Plus, the festival will continue its tradition of bringing some of Israel’s fantastic television programming – 12 episodes of the hit comedy series The New Black (Shababniks) and all five episodes of the dystopian drama Autonomies.

The New Black (Shababniks)

This year for the first time, the festival will kick off with not one but two unique programs. One theater will showcase the New York premiere of award-winning Israeli filmmaker Yair Lev’s You Only Die Twice, a suspenseful documentary thriller with splashes of humor at just the right moments. At the same time, in another theater, we’ll screen the first four episodes of The New Black (Shababniks).

Goldas Balcony

Continuing to feature stunning new films from around the world, we’re also showing Shoah: Four Sisters by the late Claude Lanzmann, which reveals stunning footage not used in his epic 1985 masterpiece Shoah. The festival centerpiece is Golda’s Balcony, the Film, a cinematic event about Golda Meir’s extraordinary life and legacy, featuring a stellar performance by Tovah Feldshuh, who will appear at a post-screening discussion on April 6.

All this, plus a very special tribute to the Carl Reiner!

“This is our most popular series and several shows sell out, so book early,” advises Jupin.

Opening Night with RECEPTION

April 2

6:30 p.m. You Only Die Twice

7:00 p.m. The New Black (Shababniks)

‘Soul Witness’ Epic Documentary of Holocaust Testimonies: November 1 at the Bedford Playhouse

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SOUL WITNESS, THE BROOKLINE HOLOCAUST WITNESS PROJECT

After several sold-out Greater Boston area screenings, a documentary featuring Holocaust testimonies over 25 years old, comes to the Bedford Playhouse on Thursday, November 1, 2018

Soul Witness Survivors Bear Witness

More than 80 hours of witness interviews, conducted by Lawrence L. Langer, one of the world’s foremost authorities on Holocaust testimonies were locked in a metal closet for decades and have never been seen by the general public. Now they have been finally thrust into the spotlight with the documentary film Soul Witness, The Brookline Holocaust Witness Project. In 2017, The film sold-out the 432 seat Coolidge Corner Theatre’s main playhouse within a few days of the release of its trailer and has sold out several screenings in the Great Boston area since.

A special screening of the film will be shown at the Bedford Playhouse on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 7 p.m. The Bedford Playhouse, Home of the Clive Davis Art Center, is a recently renovated state-of-the-art film, arts and cultural center.

The documentary features a collection of interviews of Holocaust survivors, conducted in the early 1990s. Witnesses describe their lives before the war, growing intolerance; their lives during the war and the affect their experiences still had on them at the time of the interviews. Some of these witnesses survived death camps, some hid, others fought in resistance movements and many saved the lives of others.

Mark Skvirsky, Vice President and Chief Programming Office, Facing History and Ourselves on the film, “This film is important both for the stories that survivors share, but also for the way their voices are presented. The structure and tone of the film “humanizes” these individuals who might otherwise be perceived simply as victims.”

Following the film, there will be a question and answer period with the film’s writer, director and producer R. Harvey Bravman.

Director R. Harvey Bravman on the film, “These interviews contain some of the most epic and noble words I’ve ever heard. The stories and lessons from those who survived this unimaginable tragedy and who bravely shared their experiences 25 years ago provide an important message for our society. In many cases they talk directly about issues of intolerance, racism and genocide, as well as their immigrant and refugee experience.”

It is intended for a general audience with an advisory for children under 13.

Supporters of the film include the Facing History and Ourselves and the Fortunoff Video Archive for Holocaust Testimonies

Soul Witness Ticket Link

More information on the film can be found at https://soulwitness.org.

 

Jacob Burns Center Creative Culture Fellowship Program: An Incubator for Emerging Filmmakers

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Creative Culture Director Sean Weiner with filmmakers Emily Ann Hoffman, Kerry LeVielle, Leah Galant and Reginald Altidor at the premiere of the 2018 Creative Culture films shown at the Jacob Burns Film Center. PHOTO BY LYNDA SHENKMAN

A 97-year-old Holocaust survivor belts out death metal lyrics as the camera traces her every grimace and growl.

A young red-haired woman, arms riddled with bug bites, slyly challenges her tiny tormentor.

A Haitian-American teen finds nowhere to hide when he is forced to confront a parent about hugely uncomfortable truths.

These are among the moments captured on screen by eight emerging filmmakers, all participants in the Jacob Burns Film Center’s (JBFC) Creative Culture Fellowship program that premiered its 2018 roster of films on April 5. Launched in 2016 to, ostensibly, fill “a gap in support of filmmakers in the Hudson Valley,” it offers an abundance of support and resources to a new generation of Spielbergs, Spike Lees and Sofia Coppolas.

The Selection Process

Applicants to Creative Culture submit a reel with three work samples, an artists’ statement and a short film proposal. Once accepted, each fellow receives mentorship, studio space, production equipment and networking opportunities plus a stipend to fund, wholly or in part, a short film; the program helps each fellow secure independent funding for a second work.

This year, the genres range from magical realism to mixed media to poetic documentary to a claymation ballet. As Creative Culture Director Sean Weiner notes, the intent is to “select filmmakers making wildly different types” of films. He adds, “By selecting the strongest projects we end up with a diverse group.”

Sean Weiner: Creative Culture Director

Weiner is, in fact, the secret sauce behind the program’s success. Beyond his official designation as director and mentor, an unofficial dubbing could be, as fellow Emily Ann Hoffman says, “super-human.”

Weiner’s own journey began with a penchant for acting and visual arts that evolved into filmmaking, an art form that “scratched both itches.” A Cinema Studies graduate of SUNY Purchase with an MFA from Hunter College, he has taught documentary filmmaking to incarcerated persons through the Westchester Department of Corrections and helped that population discover that they are more than “what everybody says they are.”

At the Burns, Weiner formerly ran the high school program, Creators Co-op, and a one-on-one fellowship program.

Accolades All Around for Weiner and the Program

Leah Galant, a fellow, credits Weiner who “harnesses our vision and helps us execute it” and the artists who bring “talent, passion and drive.”

Reginald Altidor, a fellow, says, “Sean is the type of person every filmmaker needs by their side – to motivate them, to push them, to make them think from a different perspective to achieve different reactions from your audience which you wouldn’t have been able to attain on your own.”

What’s next for Creative Culture? Weiner hopes to have a database of talent in the film community including cinematographers, musicians, sound designers, and other film crew members become more interactive and connected.

The successes are mounting. Films produced through the program have gotten into 37 festivals including the prestigious Sundance and SXSW (South by Southwest). Several fellows are already working on feature-length films.

What does the future hold for the emerging filmmakers? Envelope please…

Portrait of the Artists

Emily Ann Hoffman of Bedford has had her films accepted at several festivals internationally and nationwide.

Emily Ann Hoffman, creator of “Bug Bites,” Bedford. Hoffman studied illustration at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) where she discovered animation which “sparked film for me.” It allowed her “to tell a story,” and add humor to the mix.

While at RISD, she created The Emily and Ariel Show with another Creative Culture fellow, Ariel Noltimier Strauss, which was accepted into several festivals including LA, New Orleans, and Tricky Women (in Austria). The experience “helped me understand the indie film world.”

Her first Creative Culture film, a claymation film, Nevada, got into the highly competitive Sundance 2018. Funding her second film, “Bug Bites,” helped her understand the process of securing money through crowdfunding and grants. A Sundance Ignite Fellow in 2017, she is currently a screenwriting mentee with Sundance’s Feature Film program.

Leah Galant of Cortlandt Manor introduced her film at the Creative Culture premiere in April.

Leah Galant, creator of “Death Metal Grandma,” Cortlandt Manor. Galant was named one of Variety’s “110 Students to Watch in Film and Media,” while majoring in documentary film production at Ithaca College.

She was looking for a job as an usher at the JBFC when she learned about Creative Culture. “This was a project I really wanted to do – it was a perfect time in my life for this to happen,” she says.

Galant was a Sundance Ignite Fellow in 2017 and another of her short films, “Kitty and Ellen,” also about Holocaust survivors, screened at DOC NYC 2017. “Death Metal Grandma” premiered at the 2018 SXSW Film Festival and will screen at Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Festival.

Reginald Altidor of New Rochelle introduced his film at the Creative Culture premiere in April.

Reginald (“Reggie”) Altidor, “Do Not Disturb,” New Rochelle. Altidor started writing stories at eight and filmed comedy skits inspired by Dave Chappelle while in middle school. “It was the baby steps of filming,” he says.

A class in filmmaking at Westchester Community College matured his interest; he received a B.A. in film production from Brooklyn College.

Altidor praises Creative Culture for working with persons from “different backgrounds coming together for a common goal.” As each film was different it took away the competitiveness that sometimes occurs in film school. “We worked collectively, in a group,” he says.

Altidor’s first Creative Culture film was “The Jux.” He currently has three short films in post-production and is working on a feature film and freelances as a writer, director and actor.

“Before The Flood” – Community Screening

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A call to action on climate change! Thursday, May 3 @ 7:00 – 9:00pm, Chappaqua Performing Arts Center (480 Bedford Road, Chappaqua). Community screening and discussion of the internationally acclaimed eco-documentary Before The Flood. The film, presented by National Geographic and filmmaker Fisher Stevens, follows Leonardo DiCaprio as he explores the effects of climate change around the globe with world leaders, and provides an in-depth look at the complex issues from all sides. Learn how individuals, communities, and countries can combat climate change through sustainable measures like waste reduction, renewable energy, and conservation. The screening and discussion are free and open to the public with seating on a first come basis. This event is being hosted by:  the New Castle Sustainability Advisory Board, t​he Horace Greeley High School Environmental Club S.T.O.P., Friends of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center, the New Castle Arts & Culture Committee, and the Chappaqua Central School District. For more information, please contact: sab@mynewcastle.org #BeforeTheFlood

 

Les Enfants de la Chance: An April 10 Reception and Film at SUNY Purchase

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Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center Reception and Film: Les Enfants de la Chance

The Holocaust & Human Rights Education Center, The Jewish Studies Program of Purchase College SUNY, Samuel G. Fredman Family Program in Holocaust Education, and the Driscoll Professorship in Jewish-Catholic Studies at Iona College present Les Efants de la Chance.  This film is about a boy and eight other children living with hospital staff in France during World War II to prevent their deportation to a concentration camp.

The movie in in French with English subtitles.

The program begins with a reception at 6:30 p.m.  Christian Bailey, Assistant Professor of History, at Purchase College SUNY will speak at the reception.  Most of his courses explore modern European history with a global perspective.  Dr. Baily is particularly interested in understanding Europe from a neglected viewpoint of outsiders: the minorities, the colonized, and the immigrants.

The film and reception will be held on Tuesday, April 10, at SUNY Purchase Humanities Theatre, located in the Humanities Building, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY  10577

This reception and film is free and open to all.  Seats are limited to the first 200 RSVPs.

For more information, please call Millie Jasper (914)696-0738 or mjasper@hhrecny.org

https://hhrecny.z2systems.com/np/clients/hhrecny/event.jsp?event=78