Can We Talk About the Berkshire International Film Festival?
On April 15 at Haven in Lenox the 5th annual Berkshire International Film Festival (June 3 - 6) announced its 2010 lineup. BIFF will still be headquartered in Great Barrington, but it's expanding to Pittsfield with screenings at the Beacon Cinema and the Little Cinema at the Berkshire Museum, too. Founder Kelley Vickery thanked her board and advisory council for supporting her vision to produce a film festival that would be to movies what Tanglewood is to music and Jacob's Pillow is to dance. She announced that the opening night movie at the Mahaiwe would be Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work, a documentary about the 75-year-old trailblazing comedienne who cracked the glass ceiling as the first woman to have her own late night talk show (and who has a weekend house in New Preston, CT). She also announced that the Berkshire Bank would award a $5,000 Next Great Filmmaker Award and that anyone can vote after screening the films on the Berkshire Bank website. Vickery thanked her party-planning committee that has secured the old firehouse in Great Barrington for BIFF's opening night festivities.
Actress and knitwear designer Karen Allen with BIFF founder Kelley Vickery.
Barbara Newman and Diane Pearlman, executive director of the Berkshire Film and Media Commission; Cultural Pittsfield's Megan Whilden with filmmaker Alejandro de Onís, a member of BIFF's advisory committee.
Hancock Shaker Village marketing director Laura Wolf with photographer Kevin Sprague; Norton Owen, director of preservation at Jacob's Pillow, with Pillow board member Hunter Runnette.
Orion Magazine executive editor Hal Clifford, who directed the short film Stone River, with Kim Houston and Jason Houston, who is the cinematographer for Stone River.
Housatonic gallery owner Lauren Clark with artist Cynthia Wick; Bev & Dave Hosokawa with Emily Cohen, co-chair of BIFF BFF and the opening night party.
Vicki Bonnington with Stonover Farm's Tom Werman and Matt Mandel of Volunteers in Medicine.
Sarah Paul, producer of the short film Speck's Last, with BIFF executive assistant Lauren Ferin; Berkshire Bank's Matthew Pedrotti with Berkshire Living's Amanda Rae Busch.
Sisters Amy Butterworth of IS 183 Art School of the Berkshires and caterer Katie Baldwin; WAMC's Dr. Alan Chartock with Michael Ballon of Castle Street Cafe.
BIFF board member Kevin Sprague demonstrates how he used his own hands to make the film festival's logo; Haven owner Shelly Williams proffers smoked salmon with pearls of "faux caviar" she made from olives.
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