Sarah Todd reports from Great Barrington.Was there any doubt that the stars would align for the Berkshire International Film Festival's eighth year? The celebrated four-day festival drew to a show-stopping close on Sunday, June 2. Frances Ha director Noah Baumbach (left, with BIFF founder Kelley Vickery) and the film's co-writer and star Greta Gerwig swooped into the Mahaiwe for a Q&A on the festival's closing night flick. "It's not a love story, but it feels like a love letter," moderator Gregory Crewdson observed of the portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-young-woman tale. The film creators' response could hardly be heard over the audience's resounding applause. Later, locals mingled with film producers, composers, and cinematographers at the Castle Street Cafe afterparty. Revelers found that picking their favorite festival feature was as difficult as selecting just one hors d'oeuvre from the plates circulating the room. The evening's tagline: "I loved them all."
Gail Shalan and projectionist Ben Parson; producer/director Jay Vinitsky with BIFF's Lauren Ferin and SEVEN salon.spa's Maurice Peterson.
Triplex's Larry Steinberg with Triplex and Beacon founder Richard Stanley; Allium's Johanne Kesten with Berkshire Coop's Michele DiSimone.
Fitness guru Jill Fleming with Berkshire HorseWorks' Hayley Sumner; composer Brian McOmber and producer Alex Lipschultz.
Production designer James Boxer, real estate agent Barbara Schulman, Sotheby's Anita Schilling, and Susie Weeks.
Shakespeare and Company's Elizabeth Aspenlieder with writer Jeremy Goodwin; Lawyer Joel Kalodner and Benchmark Real Estate's Nancy Kalodner.
Triplex General Manager John Valente with Blue Q's Jenny Valente and Blue Q co-founder Seth Nash; Consultant Philip Deely and Simon's Rock theater department head Karen Beaumont.
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Matteline deVries-Dilling, founder of Lite Brite Neon, one of the evening's honoree of this year's Upstate Benefit adresses the gala from the Caboose's caboose.
- Karen Pearson. Courtesy Art Omi.
Olana senior vice president and landscape curatorMark Prezorski, president Sean Sawyer, The evenings honoree Kristin Gamble and New York State Assemblymember Didi Barrett.
- Oxygen House Photo
