Jacob Burns Film Center to Honor David Barber, Susan Todd and Andrew Young at Annual Gala on Tuesday, September 24

The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), a nonprofit cultural arts center and one of the most successful suburban film houses in the country, announced today that its 18th annual gala, Celebrating Trailblazers, will honor three talented pioneers on Tuesday, Sept. 24 with dinner designed and catered by Blue Hill.

Emmy Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Susan Todd and Andrew Young will receive the JBFC Vision Award and David Barber, Co-founder of Blue Hill and former JBFC Board Member, will receive the David Swope Leadership Award. Co-Chairs for this year's gala include Janet Benton & David Schunter and Kate & Peter Kend. Previous JBFC Gala honorees include Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Jonathan Demme, Julie Taymor, and Dori Berinstein.

David Barber was a JBFC board member for nine years before he retired in 2018; his tenure exemplified excellent service and support to the JBFC. The David Swope Leadership Award, named after one of the JBFC's founding leaders who passed away in 2018, will be presented to David Barber in recognition of his board service alongside close friend David Swope for several years. Barber is a founding partner and board member of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a unique non-profit that focuses on the delicious intersections of agro ecology and gastronomy for the purpose of nourishing people sustainably. He is also co-founder and owner of the award-winning Blue Hill restaurants, named after THE FAMILY farm that continues to operate in the Southern Berkshires.

Susan Todd and Andrew Young have been vital and engaged members of the JBFC family since 2001. The two founded Archipelago Films in 1991 with a mission to inform, inspire, and ignite through visual storytelling. Backyard Wilderness, their first 3D Giant Screen/IMAX film, continues to screen in theaters, museums, Science centers, and film festivals around the world. Combining cutting-edge techniques with the latest visual effects, Backyard Wilderness reveals the flora, fauna, and wildlife that live just outside the doors of a typical suburban home in rare and breathtaking intimacy. The JBFC had the pleasure of screening Backyard Wilderness this year during its annual Focus on Nature series.

"David, Susan and Andy share JBFC's trailblazing approach to community engagement," said JBFC Executive Director, Edie Demas. "We are excited to honor such influential visionaries and leaders who are at the core of the JBFC mission."

Proceeds from the annual gala fuels JBFC's unique film, media education, and artist support programs.

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