Jacob Burns Film Center Receives Grant From Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

JACOB BURNS FILM CENTER RECEIVES $15,000 GRANT FROM ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES

Funds Will Be Used for Filmmaker Fellowships & Residencies

Pleasantville, NY – July 31, 2013 – The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) received a $15,000 grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to expand fellowship and residency opportunities for emerging and established filmmakers working in all genres. The grant helps JBFC support aspiring filmmakers with unique opportunities to enroll in JBFC education courses and work on their own projects with mentoring from professional media makers. Funds will also help JBFC continue to host international filmmakers in residence who come to the JBFC campus to live, work, and share films with our audience and students.

Through this grant, fellows and filmmakers in residence will have access to the Media Arts Lab, a state of the art education facility located down the street from the JBFC cinema complex. The Lab houses a 60-seat screening room, sound stage with green-screen capability, 16 editing suites, animation and recording studios, and classrooms. Next door to the Media Arts Lab is the JBFC Residence for visiting film artists. To date, JBFC has welcomed filmmakers in residence from Burkina Faso, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Israel, Iran, Spain, Romania, Thailand, China, and Italy, as well as a number of film professionals from around the United States.

“We are thrilled to receive funding and recognition from The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Their significant commitment to the support of emerging filmmakers is very exciting to us,” said Brian Ackerman, JBFC’s Programming Director.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures. Their education grants provides support to nonprofit organizations that help aspiring filmmakers gain the skills and knowledge they need to make theatrical motion pictures.

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 visual literacy, and making film a vibrant part of the community. The JBFC campus in Pleasantville, N.Y. (40 miles north of Manhattan) includes a three-screen theater complex, the Media Arts Lab, and a residence for visiting artists. Since 2001 over 2 million people have seen over 4,500 films from more than 40 countries, and more than 100,000 students have engaged in JBFC’s innovative education programs. To learn more about the Jacob Burns Film Center and Media Arts Lab, visit www.burnsfilmcenter.org.

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Contact: Lori Zakalik (lzakalik@burnsfilmcenter.org) 914.773.7663, ext. 434Abby Popper (apopper@burnsfilmcenter.org) 914.773.7663, ext. 424