Special Event on Autism at Jacob Burns Film Center

Pleasantville, NY – January 27, 2014 – The Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC) in Pleasantville will host a special one night screening of Dad’s in Heaven with Nixon on Wednesday, February 12 at 7:00 pm followed by a Q&A and reception. The film is a true story of triumph and tragedy across three generations. Filmmaker Tom Murray’s brother Chris suffered brain damage at birth and was subsequently diagnosed as autistic. As their mother unites the family to maximize Chris’ potential, his father, a charismatic entrepreneur with issues of his own, refuses to participate.

A Q&A will follow the screening with Catherine Lord, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Ilene Lainer, Executive Director, New York Collaborates for Autism, and moderated by Sheryl Frishman, Esq., co-president of Pleasantville SEPTA. Afterwards, join us for a reception upstairs in the Jane Peck Gallery.

Tickets are $7 (members), $12 (nonmembers) and can be purchased online or at the JBFC box office which opens at noon on weekdays and 11:00 am on weekends. Tickets are also available through SEPTA’s website.

The Pleasantville Special Education PTA (SEPTA) is a district-wide Parent Teacher Association organized for the specific purpose of providing information and support to parents and caregivers of children with special needs, including those with 504 plans or IEP’s, receiving RTI or general building level support. Our mission is to create a true sense of community for all families of children with disabilities, from EI and CPSE through high school to age 21. SEPTA sponsors speakers, parent gatherings, library resources, and educational programs in an effort to create a true parent support, community network.

New York Collaborates for Autism (NYCA) is a non-profit organization founded in 2003 dedicated to creating innovative replicable programs that address the needs of individuals and families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) right now. NYCA accelerates change in the way autism services are provided by identifying national leaders to help shape state-of-the-art programs, partnering with leading community-based organizations, providing technical expertise, assisting in early stage management and raising seed money for these initiatives. NYCA develops comprehensive, evidence-based community services and resources that are nationally recognized.  NYCA is responsible for the creation of the NYCA Charter School, Hunter College Autism Research, Practice and Policy Center, BOOST! after school programs, Project SEARCH Collaborates for Autism and the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, a collaboration with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and its affiliated medical schools of Columbia and Weill Cornell.  NYCA sees the possibilities for people with ASD and creates the path to achieve them.

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.