BIFF 2.0

Like the Phoenix rising, the Berkshire International Film Festival refuses to be conquered. Largely eclipsed by Covid-19 last year, the festival boldly planned a return to in-person events in 2021, only to be challenged by rising infection rates from the Delta variant of the disease.

Recently, the BIFF Board of Directors concluded that crowded, in-person gatherings were not wise and that BIFF’s tightly-scheduled, non-stop, four-day structure did not allow intensive cleaning, and air handling. Reluctantly, they voted to turn this year’s festival into a virtual event.

“I was bummed, but also grateful that we could switch to a virtual format,” said BIFF founder and artistic director Kelley Vickery. “The good thing is, festivals around the world have had to go to a virtual platform. I appreciate the in-person experience but am also happy we could pivot. We were adopting a hybrid format so we already had a platform and could change quickly.”

While the show will go on, some films originally planned, such as Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free, will not. “We had to cut back a few films because some distribution companies are releasing their films this fall and said ‘no’ to a virtual presentation,” said Vickery. “But we still have the majority of the films and it is a robust slate.”

The independent films originate from around the world and include narratives, shorts and documentaries, according to Vickery. Some will have a very local flavor, such as Hello, Bookstore, an intimate portrait of Matt Tannenbaum, who presided over his landmark bookstore in Lenox for 40 years.

Another, Speak What We Feel, documents the hundreds of children who come together annually to discover Shakespeare’s plays at Shakespeare and Company and a third, Sproutland, a narrative debut from Academy Award®-winning documentarian Cynthia Wade, tells the tale of the widow of a healthy-living guru. The film was inspired by the Berkshire’s own “Sproutman,” Steve Meyerowitz.

Vickery said Storm Lake,” created by independent Emmy and Peabody-winning filmmaker Beth Levison, demonstrates the importance of local journalism, while Writing with Fire, winner of the Audience Award at Sundance, explores the story of female journalists in India. “It’s a really incredible story,” said Vickery.

Vickery said the virtual format offers some benefits. “People can watch all day, every day,” she said. “They are not tied to a time or date—it’s a real free-for-all. I’ve had some people tell me they are actually relieved. They like to be in their own home pod and invite some friends over.”

She observed there is nothing like gathering in a communal setting to watch a movie, but attempts will be made to recreate that sense of a shared event. “We’re having a daily 5 PM cocktail—or mocktail—party for passholders to Zoom in and talk,” she said. “We hope people will say, ‘Let’s all watch this film at 2 o’clock so we can talk about it at happy hour.’ I want people to have a fun community conversations.”

The popular Tea Talks will go on and, in addition, higher-end passholders will be allowed to join the industry talks held during the two-day Filmmaker Summit. “This is an intimate view of filmmaking, a fascinating insight into what is happening,” Vickery said.

Films can be viewed starting September 9th at 1:01AM with all streaming ending at midnight, September 12th. For more information or to purchase passes, please visit the link below.