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Aspiring Animators at the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester Enjoy the Jacob Burns Film Center's Minds in Motion Program

Mount Kisco, NY (September 25, 2009) – Aspiring young animators at the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester recently tried their hand at film creation with Jacob Burns Film Center's animator-in-residency program, Minds in Motion! Eighteen Club members, ages 9-12, learned to collaboratively write, storyboard, direct, and produce their own original stop-motion animated film. The three films created were unveiled at a red-carpet premiere on September 24 at the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) in Pleasantville.

The Minds in Motion! curriculum provided the young animators with a dynamic, project-based learning experience by integrating elements of science, technology, math, language arts, and the arts. Club members spent twelve, two-hour sessions creatively brainstorming their story, creating a storyboard, making paper cut-outs, calculating frame rates, recording sound, and animating their films in small collaborative groups. Each participant also received a Production Book explaining the organization and creative process of animation.

This is the fifth year that the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester has participated in Minds in Motion!, a program funded and run by JBFC. Past films created in the program have been distributed online and screened at film festivals all over the world. Clumsy Bob, a stop-motion animated film created in 2007 by Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester members, can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/o79sud and on our website by clicking here.

The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester is located at 351 Main Street, Mt. Kisco, NY and can be reached at (914) 666-8069 or by visiting www.bgcnw.com. To contact the Club's Teen Center, located at 317 Main Street in Mt. Kisco, please call (914) 733-0033.

About the Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester
The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester was established in 1939 as a place for "boys to get off the streets." It is a non-profit organization dedicated to inspiring and enabling young people, especially those who need it most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Located in Mt. Kisco, NY, the 36,000-square-foot facility features an eight-lane pool, Child Care Center, gymnasium, games room, and two computer labs, and an additional 1,600-foot Teen Center facility. The Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester serves 2,500 youths, boys and girls ages 6 months to 18 years, from more than 60 Northern Westchester communities. The Club has been ranked among the outstanding Clubs in the national network of Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

About the Jacob Burns Film Center
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 21st century literacy; and making film a vibrant part of the community. Housing a state-of-the-art theater complex, a 27,000 square-foot Media Arts Lab, and a residence for international filmmakers, the JBFC campus provides opportunities for people of all ages to discover, explore, and learn through the power of film, media and 21st-century technology. Nearly 60,000 students in grades 3-12 and college have participated in their education programs, more than 50% of them from underserved communities throughout the tri-state area. Their participation, including transportation, is funded entirely by the JBFC, thanks in part to support from individuals, foundations, and corporations. For more information, visit: www.burnsfilmcenter.org.

Press Contacts: Kelly Lee, Co-Communications, 914-666-0066, kelly@cocommunications.com

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Boys & Girls Club of Northern Westchester
351 Main Street, Mt. Kisco, New York 10549 (914) 666-8069