Great Barrington — Filmmakers, actors, actresses, and people from all across the international film industry took part in the Berkshire International Film Festival. This year’s festival, which took place from Thursday, May 29, to Sunday, June 1, featured over 70 filmmakers from around the world and included 27 documentaries, 23 narrative features, and 25 short films, all originating from 22 countries.
BIFF Artistic Director and Founder Kelley Vickery told The Berkshire Edge that the festival’s review board started their work in September 2024 by reviewing over 1,000 movies submitted to the festival, both full length and short films, to determine what to include. “When picking out films for the festival, we always look for a good story,” said Vickery. “It has to be compelling and well edited. We also look for international content and a whole range of subjects. I do think that independent film is alive and well. It’s a scrappy business where you have small teams of people creating a film. You have to be very scrappy when you are an indie filmmaker.”
Vickery attributed the festival’s 19-year endurance to grit: “We are scrappy and we are strong.” “We’re about to head into our 20th year, and we are here to stay,” Vickery said. “This year, we had more filmmakers than we’ve ever had before. We are thrilled to have all of this support from around the world.”
This year’s festival included appearances by shoe designer and activist Kenneth Cole, fashion designer Bob Mackie, and actor Brian Cox.
“I think a festival like BIFF reminds people of all of the diverse voices and the many different points of view when it comes to filmmaking,” said Berkshire County-based actor Robert Hartwell. “When you look at all of the different films that are going to be shown during the festival, I think the message is that there is a space for all of us. These movies are all time capsules for what is happening socially and politically, and I am excited that there are so many films still being made with unabashed, authentic voices.”
“Movies have a way of bringing communities together,” said actor Rio Rasch. “I think having a festival that showcases independent films is a wonderful way of weaving the tapestry that is the film community, whether you are from Austin, Los Angeles, or France. I think everyone’s voice is so unique, and bringing them all together into one space to view and create art is extremely important.”
One of the short films shown at the festival, “Unholy,” written and directed by Daisy Friedman, tells the story of a girl who attends her family’s Passover Seder for the first time since being put on a feeding tube for a chronic illness. “Being an independent filmmaker is amazing and hard,” Friedman said. “I just graduated from college about a week ago, and it’s a grim time to be in the industry. But I think it’s also a really exciting time. We’re going to see some faltering of the mainstream Hollywood studio system, and this will be a really incredible time for indie filmmakers to be coming of age in some ways. Economically, studios aren’t really excited about taking a chance on movies that they don’t know will be profitable unless it’s a big Marvel movie.”
“Independent filmmakers are the people who are reflecting the world in the most honest way,” said Friedman. “I think these are people who have to be the most scrappiest because they are seeing a world through a lens that isn’t colored by rose-colored glasses. I think we are the truth tellers and the voices of a generation that are willing to sort of break the mold and share stories in a way that’s maybe non-conventional and hopefully impactful.”
“Independent filmmaking is hard,” lamented Anne Chertoff, co-producer of “Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.” “The old studio system is gone. We have streaming media, but there’s only so many places that people are going to see a film, so it’s hard to get out there.”
Chertoff said that small film festivals like BIFF are critical to the independent filmmaking community. “It’s great to bring people to socialize and bring people together,” she said. “And a film festival like BIFF gives opportunities for all independent films, including shorts, features, narrative films, and documentaries, a chance to be seen by a wider audience and to find their footing.”
“A multi-billion-dollar film company can’t do what an independent film company does,” said Berkshire County-based artist and BIFF Advisory Board member Pops Peterson. “When you are an independent filmmaker, you can have your own say on your own film. You don’t have to go through all kinds of corporate, multi-million-dollar corporate boards to make a film. You can make your film, make your statement, and find your audience. Some people do it and they make a lot of money, and some people do it and they don’t make any money. But they did their thing, and that’s what matters the most.”
For more information about the Berkshire International Film Festival, visit its website.
