Thank you!
Your support is sustaining the future of local news in our communities.
film

Survival and conflict on screen at Berkshire International Film Festival

Survival and conflict on screen at Berkshire International Film Festival

Psychologist, Holocaust survivor and specialist in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder, Edith Eger’s book, “The Choice” has now been adapted into a documentary premiering at the Berkshire International Film Festival.

Photo courtesy The Choice Films

A new documentary exploring survival, trauma and resilience will make its world premiere later this month at the Berkshire International Film Festival. “The Choice,” directed by John David Coles, is scheduled to screen at 12:30 p.m. May 30 at The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington.

Inspired by the bestselling memoir of Holocaust survivor and psychologist Edith Eger, the film brings together the stories of several women confronting profound personal loss and trauma. The documentary follows Eger alongside Iris Haim, an Israeli mother whose son was killed by the IDF while escaping Hamas captivity. The film examines how individuals navigate grief while attempting to rebuild their lives.

Coles, whose previous directing work includes television series such as House of Cards, Homeland and The Sinner, will attend the screening.

The festival will also screen “Put Your Soul on Your Hand and Walk,” on Sunday, May 30, at 4:30 p.m. at The Triplex in Great Barrington. Directed by Sepideh Farsi, the documentary is built from video conversations with Palestinian photojournalist Fatma Hassona documenting daily life in Gaza during the ongoing war. The film gained international attention after Hassona was killed in an Israeli airstrike shortly before the documentary’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

Together, the films underscore BIFF’s focus on urgent, emotionally resonant storytelling from around the world.

Now in its 20th year, the Berkshire International Film Festival runs May 28–31 and features more than 75 films, along with appearances by Karen Allen, Amy Goodman and other filmmakers and performers, as well as screenings, filmmaker conversations and special events across Great Barrington and Lenox.

For more information and tickets to the Berkshire International Film Festival, visit biffma.org

Brian Gersten
film

Latest News

Democrats earn big wins in 2026 elections

Democrats earn big wins in 2026 elections

Voters wait in a line that stretch out the door to receive their ballots at the NorthEast-Millerton Library Annex on Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voting machines had recorded a total of more than 700 ballots cast in Millerton by 4:45 p.m.

Photo by Graham Corrigan

Democratic candidates in northeast Dutchess County succeeded along with their counterparts in state and federal elections. Voters turned out to express dissatisfaction with a turbulent economy, the Trump administration and — in the case of Pine Plains's race for Town Supervisor — issues with transparency and police surveillance.

Pine Plains was the only town in northeast Dutchess County with a contested Town Supervisor race. Republican incumbent Brian Walsh, seeking his third reelection, lost to Democratic challenger Trevor Roush. Roush is a sitting Town Board member who was first elected to the board in November 2025.

Keep ReadingShow less
elections

The Millerton News - November 5, 2026

The Millerton News - November 5, 2026

Download directly

Eric Alexander wins County Legislature reelection campaign

Eric Alexander wins County Legislature reelection campaign

County Legislator Eric Alexander leads a meeting of the Dutchess County Legislature's Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, March 4, 2026. Alexander represents the towns of Amenia, Washington, the Village of Millbrook and a portion of the Town of Pleasant Valley

Photo by Aly Morrissey

Democratic candidates made gains and held ground across Northern Dutchess County in elections on Tuesday, Nov. 3.

County Legislator Eric Alexander has retained his seat after winning against Republican challenger Stefanie Hubert. As of 10:15 p.m., Alexander had secured 56.8% of the vote.

Keep ReadingShow less
elections
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

After 30 years, Dave Jones is shifting into lower gear

After 30 years, Dave Jones is shifting into lower gear


Now, 30 years later and in his late 60s, Jones is at the point in his life where he’s ‘figuring out how to land the plane.’

My husband and I first met Dave Jones in 2019, after we’d just moved into our house in Lakeville, a former auto repair garage with 14-foot-high ceilings that had been renovated into a residence. One day, when we woke up to a dead car battery, we called Lakeville Automotive, the nearest repair shop. Jones answered the phone a bit gruffly but then surprised us by showing up in half an hour to jump-start our car. We invited him inside for coffee, and looking around, he said with a grin that for 10 years, back in the day, he’d stored his Mazda Miata right in our living room.

Keep ReadingShow less
our community

A different kind of neighborhood bar

A different kind of neighborhood bar

Ryan Andrade brings his passion for inventive cocktails and neighborhood hospitality to Le Bar in Sharon.

D.H. Callahan

When Ryan Andrade moved back to the Tri-Corner region during the pandemic, he wasn’t looking to create a new kind of neighborhood bar. But by the time he connected with Robert Arbor of Le Gamin in Sharon, his vision was clear. In May, they brought that vision to life at a revitalized Le Bar.

Andrade grew up around Millerton, attending the Webutuck High School before heading to Western New England University, where he studied psychology. He’d been slinging coffee since high school but didn’t catch the cocktail bug until managing a cafe at the SoHo Grand Hotel, which, thanks to an international clientele accustomed to different time zones, had a morning bar service. It was there that Andrade discovered the seemingly infinite possibilities of the cocktail world. While there was only so much one could do with coffee, learning about the potential for cocktails, with their shelves and cabinets of curious ingredients, had Andrade feeling like a kid in a candy shop. It wasn’t long before he was seeking out mentors to teach him the industry secrets required of an innovative mixologist.

Keep ReadingShow less
business

Gretchen M. Studio opens in Salisbury

Gretchen M. Studio opens in Salisbury

Grethen Mol at her new studio in Salisbury.

Natalia Zukerman

The keys are hanging from the lock when Gretchen Mol comes to greet me at her new studio on Academy Street in Salisbury. The door is open, and so, it turns out, is she. Mol has the easy familiarity of someone you’ve known for years. And in a sense, you have.

The actress, known for her roles in “Boardwalk Empire,” “The Notorious Bettie Page” and, most recently, “Tulsa King,” is opening Gretchen M. Studio, a creative space and showroom for her small-batch clothing line, with an open house Friday, Nov. 6, and Saturday, Nov. 7.

Keep ReadingShow less
business
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.