JBFC Lab

The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) opened in June 2001 in a landmark 1925 building, originally one of the first movie theaters in Westchester County. The JBFC quickly became the preeminent cultural arts organization in the region, offering the best of independent and world cinema on three screens along with a wealth of lively discussions with filmmakers, actors, authors, and other guests.

While committed to presenting the best of independent, documentary, and world cinema, the Jacob Burns Film Center is equally focused on contributing to the international movement to raise a generation of students equipped and inspired to analyze, assess, and communicate using visual and aural media. Using these essential tools of the 21st century, over 60,000 students (ages 8–24) have participated in our original groundbreaking programs, including SEE ∙ HEAR ∙ FEEL ∙ FILM, ANIMATION: MINDS IN MOTION, CINEMANIA, CLASSROOM TO SCREENING ROOM, UNSCRIPTED, WORLD CREW, and DIGITAL STORYTELLING. Educators have also been deeply involved through professional development and curriculum-writing workshops. The demand for these programs and the support of our community has brought us to this pivotal moment: the opening of the Media Arts Lab, just down the street from the Film Center.

The only establishment of its kind in the country, the JBFC’s Media Arts Lab is a lifelong learning community that nurtures intellectual curiosity and creative exploration. Students at the Lab include community members with a creative interest in film, education professionals seeking teaching tools, filmmakers learning new skills, people of all ages creating media, and families connecting through the power of story. We’ll offer classes for beginning and advanced students during the day, after school, in the evenings, and on weekends.

Storytelling is the focus and guiding principle of every Lab program, reaching across all media and throughout all aspects of filmmaking. All our classes share a singular purpose: to help people bring new stories into the world. Engaging in projects grounded in 21st-century audiovisual media, participants will learn to make and understand movies of all kinds while practicing communication, collaboration, problem solving, project management, and risk taking. Each student’s experience will be unique, depending on his/her interests, imagination, and goals. All instructors at the Lab are working professionals and will serve as colleagues, guides, and mentors. Class size is limited to allow for maximal individual attention.