Berkshire International Film Festival

Now 91, Marge Champion drove over from Stockbridge to attend a matinee screening of the documentary film, Keep Dancing, that features her with Donald Saddler. She was an original board member of Williamstown Theatre Festival as well as Jacob's Pillow. It was delightful. Which was not the case that evening at Mass MoCA when the Vincent Price cult classic was accompanied by a live rock score by Marco Benevento. The music obliterated rather than enhanced the film.

In 1969, while a sophomore at Williams College Steve Lawson worked that summer for the then young Williamstown Theatre Festival. From a base in Williamstown he divides his time in New York and LA keeping up on theatre and film. He is the Executive Director of the Williamstown Film Festival which will have its 12th season from October 15 through 24. Over two weekends the festival will screen 33 films.

The founders of the first Berkshire Forum Tina Chase and Mary Collins George intend to move forward with planning next year. Despite a thin attendance for the three days of lectures, panels and performances they report nearly breaking even. A daunting range and depth of information and insights was provided. It evoked expanding and redefining the branding of the Berkshires. A highlight among many was the dialogue with Boston Globe editor Martin Baron.

A three-day conference promising inspiring ideas and stimulating dialogue led by a remarkable network of business owners, economists, social innovators, technology visionaries, cultural enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and thought leadersâ€"bound by a devotion to region worth preserving and an interest in shaping its cultural and economic future.

The Jury for Berkshire International Film Festival had 8 films in competition; 4 films in the feature documentary category and 4 in the narrative feature category. In the documentary category were AHEAD OF TIME, CLIMATE REFUGEES, FAMILY AFFAIR, and THE OATH. ATLETU, GAIA, MAD SAD & BAD, and MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX were in competition for best feature.

Based on the classic 1936 Yiddish film musical comedy Yidl Mitn Fidl starring the irrepressible Molly Picon, this new English-language adaptation was written by screenwriter and author Stephen Glantz and will be directed by Susan Merson.

Pittsfield Museum’s Little Cinema celebrates 60 years of cinematic excellence . One of the longest-running film festivals in New England, Little Cinema presents first-run foreign and independent films. Little Cinema presents films nightly at 8 p.m. plus a weekly Monday matinee at 2 p.m. Kicking off this historic season is an appropriately historic film, Vincere, (128 minutes, rated R), running from Sunday, May 30 to Thursday, June 3.

A documentary on comic Joan Rivers launches the Berkshire International Film Festival on June 6 preceded by a short documentary on Marge Champion celebratng her 90th birthday. This year the festival is expanding from Great Barrington to Pittsfield with a schedule of more than 75 features, documentaries and shorts. Actress Patricia Clarkson will be honored.