Berkshire International Film Festival

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. - The Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) today announced the selection of films that will screen from May 14 thru May 17, 2009, in Great Barrington, MA. The film festival will feature over 70 US and international award-winning independent feature films, documentaries, and shorts as well as panel discussions, Q & A sessions with filmmakers, special screenings of the finalists from the Berkshire Student Film Festival, and a special afternoon discussion with the famed NYU film professor, Richard Brown. The Festival will represent films from thirteen countries and host over two dozen filmmakers.

Venues for all of the weekend-long events and screenings will be the Triplex Cinema, the historic Mahaiwe Theatre and a free kids film morning at the Mason Library, all in downtown Great Barrington, MA.

“In this year of great political transformation, we have chosen to bookend the festival with two films that document the full spectrum of activism that has inspired change in our country over of the last 40 years”, said BIFF director Kelley Vickery.

Opening the Festival will be the grand jury nominated film from Sundance William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe. Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore the life of their father, the late radical civil rights lawyer. In the 1960s and 70s, Kunstler fought for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr., and represented activists protesting the Vietnam War. When the inmates took over Attica prison, or Native Americans stood up to the federal government at Wounded Knee, they asked Kunstler to be their lawyer. Arthouse Pictures will release the film later this year. Sarah and Emily Kunstler and others will be in attendance. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

The Closing Night Film presentation is The Yes Men Fix the World directed by Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno which premiered at Sundance in January and won the audience award at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival in February. Yes Men, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno are two guys who just can't take "no" for an answer. They have an unusual hobby: posing as top executives of corporations they hate. Armed with nothing but thrift-store suits, they lie their way into business conferences and parody their corporate nemeses in ever more extreme ways - basically doing everything that they can to wake up their audiences to the danger of letting greed run our world.


Feature and documentary films from the US include, Anvil! The Story of Anvil directed by Sacha Gervasi; Burning Plain directed by Guillermo Arriaga; Emmanual Jal: War Child directed by Karim Chrobog; Food, Inc. directed by Robert Kenner; Gigantic directed by Matt Aselton; Motherhood directed by Katherine Dieckmann; Sorry, Thanks directed by Dia Sokol; The Meaning of Life directed by Hugh Brody; Milton Glaser: To Inform and Delight directed by Wendy Keys; Once More with Feeling directed by Jeff Lipsky; Pressure Cooker directed by Jennifer Grausman; Prince of Broadway directed by Sean Baker; Spike by Robert Beaucage; The Answer Man directed by John Hindman; The Garden directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy; The Good Soldier directed by Lexy Lovell and Michael Uhys; The Reckoning directed by Pamela Yates and Paco de Onis; The Twenty directed by Chopper Bernet; The Wrecking Crew directed by Denny Tedesco; Treeless Mountain directed by So Yong Kim; and Who Do You Love? directed by Jerry Zaks.

International feature and documentary films include Alone in Four Walls  (Germany) directed by Alexander Westmeier; Azur and Asmar (France) directed by Michel Ocelot; Burma VJ (Denmark) directed by Anders Ostergaard; Children of Invention (US/Korea) directed by Tze Chun; Correction (Greece) directed by Thanos Anastopoulus; Egon and Donci (Hungary) directed by Adam Magyar; Eldorado (Belgium) directed by Bouli Lanners; In the Loop (UK) directed by Armando Iannucci; Lake Tahoe (Mexico/Spain) directed by Fernando Eimbecke; Summer Hours (France) directed by Oliver Assayas; The Country Teacher (Czech Republic) directed by Bohdan Slama; The Disappeared (Argentina) directed by Juan Mandelbaum; The End of the Line (Denmark) directed by Rupert Murray; The Girl from Monaco (France) directed by Anne Fontaine; The Glass House (US/Iran) directed by Hamid Rahmanian; and Milking the Rhino (Italy) directed by David E. Simpson.

The BIFF has chosen six Berkshire filmmakers to showcase their films including: Impulse to Soar directed by Mati Kiin; The Goodrich Project directed by Rick Derby; Poet and Poverty directed by Sean Dougherty, Tana Ross and Freke Vuijt; Animal Tricks directed by Sanjiban Sellew; Cowboy Yoga directed by Hal Clifford; Bach of the Antarctic directed by Ben Hillman; and Pretty Dead Flowers directed by Justin Liberman.

The festival will also present two short film programs, which will showcase some 28 shorts from seven countries around the world including France, Germany, Spain, Mexico, United Kingdom and Israel.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Friday Front Porch Feature: This Luxury Home Has Plenty of Amenities

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LENOX, Mass. — Are you looking for a big house to enjoy your days with a big movie theater, a sauna, and more? Then this is the house for you.

Built in 2004, this seven-bedroom, and nine-bathroom home is 7,073 square feet on more than an acre. The home comes with an elevator to the lower level to access a theater, sauna, gym, wine cellar, massage room, and its very own soda fountain. 

The home also has a guest house with a saltwater pool. A multi-car garage greets you with heated floors.

The this home is listed for $4,950,000 and is located in the 125-acre, gated Pinecroft compound.

We spoke to Leslie Chesloff, the listing agent with William Pitt Sotheby's.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

Chesloff: This gated Berkshire stone estate truly redefines luxury living in the Berkshires. What sets it apart is the rare combination of resort-style amenities and complete privacy. The property offers Canyon Ranch-level wellness living with a full spa experience at home — including a sauna, massage room, and gym — plus an eight-seat hi-def theater with wine cellar for entertaining. The heated, gunite saltwater pool and spa are complemented by a fully equipped pool house with a guest suite and complete kitchen, perfect for extended family or guests.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

The moment you step inside, you're struck by the quality and craftsmanship — those 300-year-old reclaimed timber floors set an immediate tone of authenticity and warmth. The scale is impressive but never overwhelming; this is a home designed for gracious living, not just show. The natural light, cathedral ceilings, and thoughtful flow between spaces create an inviting atmosphere that balances grandeur with genuine comfort.

How would you describe the feel or atmosphere of this home?

This home feels like a private wellness retreat meets sophisticated family estate. There's a serene, spa-like quality throughout — enhanced by features like the sauna, steam shower, and massage room — but it never feels clinical or cold. The Berkshire stone exterior and reclaimed timber floors ground the home in a sense of place and permanence. It's designed for people who appreciate the finer things but want to actually live well — whether that's screening a film in the eight-seat theater with wine from your own cellar, hosting poolside gatherings, or simply unwinding in your own spa sanctuary.

What kind of buyer would this home be ideal for?

This is perfect for the discerning buyer who values wellness, privacy, and culture in equal measure. I envision someone who spends their days hiking or exploring the Berkshires, then comes home to unwind in the sauna or pool. They might entertain guests in the theater wine room, host multi-generational gatherings with family staying in the pool house guest suite (which has a full kitchen), and appreciate being minutes from Tanglewood, world-class dining, and Berkshire arts.

This could be an executive looking for a primary residence with work-from-home flexibility (there's an office/bedroom suite), a wellness-focused family, or empty nesters who want to host adult children and grandchildren in style and comfort.

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

Picture Saturday morning: you're sipping coffee on the terrace overlooking your heated saltwater pool, planning a day at Tanglewood. Your guests are making breakfast in the pool house kitchen — they have their own private retreat but are steps away when you're ready to gather. Evening arrives, and you screen a favorite film in your eight-seat theater, selecting a perfect bottle from your wine cellar. This isn't just a home; it's a lifestyle that brings resort-level wellness, entertainment, and hospitality to your doorstep — all within a secure, maintenance-free compound where nature meets luxury.

Are there any standout design features or recent renovations?

Absolutely. The home includes an elevator for multilevel accessibility, which is both practical and forward-thinking. The lower level is exceptionally well-conceived — a true entertainment and wellness wing featuring the eight-seat hi-def theater, wine cellar, sauna, gym, massage room, and even a charming soda fountain. The gourmet kitchen has been recently updated, customized wet bar, while outdoor living is elevated with the heated gunite saltwater pool/spa, firepit, and that incredible pool house with guest suite and full kitchen. Also, new HVAC system and heated driveway.

Thoughtful details like cedar closets, steam showers, central vacuum, and backup generator show this home was built to the highest standards.

You can find out more about this house on its listing here.

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.

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