Jacob Burns Film Center Adding Two Theatres

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Mon, 08/11/2014 - 10:20 -- Nick Dager

The Jacob Burns Film Center is adding two theatres.Construction has begun to add two new theatres to the Jacob Burns Film Center. The new theatres, which will be on the third floor of the cinema complex, will provide JBFC with 80 additional seats. The construction is contained within the existing footprint of the building and should be completed by January 2015. The JBFC Theatre will remain open during construction.

In addition to the new theatres, the JBFC will reconfigure the Jane Peck Gallery into a café and community gathering space for members and the public. The final piece of this creative expansion will be to replace all of the original seats in the three existing theatres. Both of these projects should be completed by fall 2015.

“The new theatres will provide a greater opportunity to present vital new films from around the world, as well as innovative programs curated by JBFC staff, international fellows, emerging artists, and partnering organizations,” said JBFC programming director Brian Ackerman. “We also look forward to creating a physical space that will encourage dialogue and connection.”

“We need a facility that can enable us to fully execute our mission,” said JBFC board chair Hugh Price. “Many people embrace this important next step, as we have already raised 60 percent towards our fundraising goal to meet the cost of the project. We now look to our community, as we need broad financial support to successfully complete every essential component of this campaign.”

“This is a natural evolution in the life of the JBFC and a direct response to an insatiable demand from members, filmmakers, students, and teachers,” said JBFC executive director Edie Demas. “It is also a shining example of a community coming together to learn, grow, and relish in the shared experience.”

Nat Hoyt, the original lead architect for the conversion of the old Rome Theatre into the three-screen JBFC Theatre, in 2001, will be working with the team who built the JBFC’s Media Arts Lab in 2009, KG&D Architects of Mt. Kisco. Yorke Construction Corporation of Manhattan is the building contractor.

The Jacob Burns Film Center is a nonprofit cultural arts organization dedicated to: presenting the best of independent, documentary, and world cinema; promoting 21st century literacy, and making film a vibrant part of the community. Located on a 47,500 sq. foot, three-building campus in the center of Pleasantville, the JBFC is just 30 miles outside of New York City. Since the opening in 2001, over 2,000,000 people have seen over 5,400 films from more than 40 countries The campus includes the 27,000 sq. foot Media Arts Lab, the JBFC’s state-of-the-art education center, a creative and educational community for storytellers in the digital age, offering one-time workshops, intensive courses, and weekend programs for children and adults of all ages.

The Jacob Burns Film Center www.burnsfilmcenter.org