Red Lion Inn

The 7th Annual season of The Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) will celebrate this year with the latest in independent feature, documentary, short and family films. The festival runs from May 31 – June 3, 2012 in Great Barrington and June 1 – June 3rd in Pittsfield, MA and will be showcasing over 70 films in independent filmmaking.

The evening begins at 7 p.m. with a reception in the Beard House’s charming Greenhouse Gallery as guests enjoy an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. A seated tasting menu begins around 8 p.m. The James Beard House is located at 167 West 12th Street. The price is $130 per person for James Beard Foundation members and $170 per person for the general public.

The Berkshire International Film Festival announced the winners of the annual BIFF Juried Prize Award and the BIFF Audience Award. In the Juried documentary category, the winner was CRIME AFTER CRIME directed by Yoav Potash, the powerful documentary film on the legal battle to free Debbie Peagler, a woman imprisoned for over a quarter century due to her connection to the murder of the man who abused her.

Berkshire Creative of Berkshire County, MA, and the New England Foundation for the Arts of Boston, MA, will host the Creative Communities Exchange, a major regional event highlighting successful creative economy work on May 19 and 20, 2011, at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA.

The annual Berkshire International Film Festival will run from June 2 through 5. The film festival will feature some 70 US and international independent feature films, documentaries, and shorts.

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.

The Fifth Annual Richie duPont Award Benefit will take place at 8 pm Saturday, May 22, at Firefly on Church Street in Lenox. What began in 2006 as a memorial to Richie duPont, a promising young actor lost in his prime, will be a celebration of his life at a party to raise funds for awards for budding local thespians to attend Berkshire Theatre Festival’s summer and school vacation acting camps.

In just an eye blink we morphed from the last gasp of winter, two inches of snow on April 27, to a blast of Spring. The social season is heating up. On Wednesday night we attended Nancy Jane Fitzpatrick's Facebook party at Porches. Including a rare glimpse of Porches owner John S. Wadsworth, Jr. Thursday was ultra busy. We started with Mayor Dick Alcombright's spaghetti supper at the V.F.W. We moved on to several openings on Main Street. Ending with Martha Flood's new studio and shop on Eagle Street.

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.

On April 23 Shakespeare & Company will host a birthday bash for William Shakespeare. The Bard will not attend. The evening will commence with a performance of Julius Caesar. A party will follow with cake and music. All for just $15 and $10 for students. What fun.

Since 1987, State Representative, Dan Bosley, Democrat- North Adams, has been a great supporter of the arts organizations in the Berkshires. Last night, at the cozy Inn at Richmond, he asked a room of blue chip arts leaders for their support in a race for Berkshire Sheriff. He is opposed by Pittsfield Police Detective Thomas Bowler.

There were 339 paid admissions in the not quite full 406 seat Founders Theater for the recent Arlo Guthrie benefit staged by Shakespeare & Company. The evening brought in $23,000 for the Lenox based company facing a debt of $10 million.

A Berkshire legend, singer songwriter, Arlo Guthrie, will perform a special benefit concert for Shakespeare & Company in Lenox. The performance followed by a dessert reception will occur on December 5. He will perform an acoustic set in the Founders Theatre. Arlo will perform at Symphony Hall in June and with the Pops this summer at Tanglewood.

The Berkshires will be booked solid for the Fourth of July weekend. On Friday night Keith Lockhart will lead the Pops in its 125th anniversary concert. On Saturday and Sunday the legendary song writers James Taylor and Carole King will bring their world tour to Tanglewood.

When Mass MoCA opened a decade ago artists migrated to North Adams attracted by large, cheap loft spaces. For the second season that growing arts community is trying to revitalize the business district through a city wide project known as DownStreet. Artists hope that their commitment and sweat equity will start to pay off.

During a mixer that Nancy Jane Fitzpartick held in the Lion's Den of the historic Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge there was the chance to put a face in the place. The event was about Facebook networking in all of its complexity.

The beginning of winter is marked by theatre, music and dance throughout the world, but perhaps nowhere is it more heartfelt than here in the Berkshires. This Thanksgiving let us give thanks to our arts community and then get out and enjoy their offerings. Your guide awaits.

This is the third, self published book by artist/ entrepreneur, Eric Rudd. The superb images in this picture book were photographed by Kelly Lee who worked for ABC News and The News Hour with Jim Lehrer in D.C. before he settled in the Berkshires.