JBFC Partners with Westchester Community Foundation to Produce “Community Matters”

The Westchester Community Foundation (WCF) was founded more than 30 years ago to improve the quality of life and fill the unmet needs of county residents. And over that span of time, those needs have evolved.

According to Catherine Marsh, the Foundation’s executive director, “As the fabric and rhythm of the county has changed, WCF has kept pace. We believe that we have to look to the county’s future, and this future includes issues such as health, the environment, education, housing and energy.”

Added Marsh, “And what better way to develop a dialogue and engage community members in these topics than with film? Documentary film, to be exact, followed by dialogue, discussion and debate."

And what better partner than the to showcase those films?

The two organizations have collaborated to produce “Community Matters,” a series of six film events combined with a reception and panel discussion. Funded by WCF, these events strive to showcase causes the Foundation supports.

Beginning on May 31, JBFC will host the first of such events—the film The Last Mountain directed by Bill Haney and produced by Clara Bingham. The panel will include Haney, Bingham and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., chief prosecuting attorney for the Hudson Riverkeeper and senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, who also has a role in the film.

The Last Mountain tells of the plight of a small town in West Virginia as the residents try to battle with coal mining companies whose practice it is to literally dynamite off the tops of mountains in order to extract coal. This practice severely pollutes the air and water, threatens the health of all living and working there while reaping huge profits for “Big Coal."

Added Marsh, “This film hits home as air pollution is a local concern. Electricity produced by coal is a huge contributor to local air pollution. The American Lung Association’s Annual State of the Air Report was just released and once again Westchester flunked.”

Said Jacob Burns Executive Director Stephen Apkon, "For the past 10 years, we have shown hundreds of films each year and many of the most memorable nights have involved a community of people engaged in meaningful dialogue–inspired by the experience of seeing a film together."

He added, "Film has a unique ability to not only entertain, but to challenge, to inspire, to inform and to educate. Community Matters is a natural outgrowth of the kinds of programming we offer on a regular basis, but allows us to focus on issues that relate strongly to the Westchester community.  The conversations will begin with the films, continue on stage with wonderful guests and panel discussions in dialogue with our audience, and will spill out into the sidewalks and restaurants and cafes of our community. We are THRILLED to be in partnership with the Westchester Community Foundation in presenting this exciting and meaningful series."