Imagine my delight upon receiving the “BIFF 2025 Full Festival Lineup Announced!” email last week. Because BIFF is a film festival with soul, it speaks clearly to my heart.
In fact, when BIFF’s 2025 festival program came out, I barely had time to process all the amazing information it conveyed: I simultaneously received similar messages about other film fests (e.g., the one on Nantucket and the one in Provincetown, to name a few).
Film festival lineups are like Christmas morning: full of long-anticipated surprises that bring joy to the whole world. I eagerly await them and am never disappointed.
Some of you may recall my New Year’s Day column for The Berkshire Edge, which was titled “Films that sustained me in 2024.” Rounding out the list was “A Man with Sole: The Impact of Kenneth Cole.” And guess what BIFF’s opening night film is this year.
As the festival’s founder and Artistic Director Kelley Vickers notes in the program:
At this moment in history where rights and freedoms are being dismantled, we are thrilled to be opening with a story of true activism and compassion with the documentary film A MAN WITH SOLE: THE IMPACT OF KENNETH COLE. Cole talks of his life as a “compassionate capitalist” and that doing good for others is also good for the bottom line. The film features Alan Cumming, Katie Couric, Deepak Chopra, Doona Karan, and Sam Edelman, among others. Kenneth Cole will be joined by Emmy and Tony award winning director Dori Berinstein for a Q&A following the screening before we go next door to the DJ Sören dance party at Number 10.
I was lucky to see this documentary last November and gave it five stars on Letterboxd. It is an inspired opening-night choice, which I strongly recommend.
Indeed, the entire BIFF program looks marvelous. I would be remiss if I didn’t make a major plug for “André is an Idiot,” too. I think Andre’s legacy will continue to grow after BIFF and other film festivals showcase his life story, too.
As we come to the end of the most toxic first 100 days ever, do yourself a favor and block off May 29 through June 1 to enjoy all that your local film festival has to offer. I applaud the Berkshire International Film Festival for its thoughtfulness, creativity, and cinematic activism.
I also recognize all film festivals as having soul, in case there was any doubt!
