The 18th Annual Berkshire International Film Festival

Actor Freddie Gibbs in “Down With The King,” which was filmed in Berkshire County and screened at BIFF.
Film still by Visit Films
Actor Freddie Gibbs in “Down With The King,” which was filmed in Berkshire County and screened at BIFF.
The 18th Annual Berkshire International Film Festival began on Thursday, May 30, and ended on Sunday, June 2. (BIFF) features films, events, and special guests annually in Great Barrington and Lenox, Massachusetts. The festival gathers industry professionals and fans for a four-day celebration.
This year’s lineup featured documentaries, narrative features, short films, and an animated shorts selection for kids with stories from all over the world and Berkshire-based stories. To handle increased growth, the festival expanded to the Lenox Town Hall.
Founder Kelley Ryan Vickery worked for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts for nearly five years as the press manager and spent the next 10 years overseas where she worked for art museums, as a photographer, and as a gallery owner.
“My then-husband and I were living in Singapore. We came to the Berkshires, saw Jacob’s Pillow, and fell in love with the area. Initially, we had a summer home, but then I decided to settle here. I was going through a divorce and needed a job. I talked to a family friend who started the Denver Film Festival and was inspired. I felt like we have so many amazing things in the Berkshires, but film wasn’t really celebrated, so I thought there was a need. BIFF was born in 2006 and was immediately embraced by Great Barrington and the owner of the Triplex Cinemas. I created my own thing. It’s been a great journey,” she explained.
Over the years the festival has grown and has featured cinematic giants such as Martin Scorsese, actress and Berkshire resident Karen Allen (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”) as well as local filmmakers. When asked what makes the festival unique to the area, Vickery explained, “We’ve featured local filmmakers like Diego Ongaro whose film “Down With The King” was shot here in the Berkshires. You can attend the festival and spend a whole day here. Great Barrington is an amazing, walkable town that has so much to offer.”
A key aspect of the festival is the interaction between filmmakers and their audience. Whether through workshops, moderated conversations, or question-and-answer forums, BIFF sheds light on the art of filmmaking.
“Filmmakers and audiences love each other; it’s really what creates the sense of all of us coming together and exchanging ideas and conversations with stories. People want to know more. They need that Q&A. That’s inherent in what we do,” Vickery said.
Film director Susanna Stryon has twice had films in BIFF. Her documentary short My Father’s Name is the intimate story of one woman’s attempt to uncover the truth about her father’s participation in a lynching and premiered at BIFF this year. About the festival, she said, “BIFF is one of the most fun festivals. Kelley and her team go out of their way to make filmmakers feel comfortable and valued. The Filmmakers Summit for the two days before the festival is an incredible opportunity for filmmakers to get to know each other and discuss industry issues.”
Over the years, BIFF has grown steadily, which has been a pleasant surprise for Vickery.
“Never did I think I’d still be here after 18 years. We started small in 2006, and now we’re Lenox. We’ve bounced back to pre-Covid numbers. More filmmakers come than ever before, and the growth has been incredible. It culminates in these four days, but now we’re year-round with films every month in Lenox, Great Barrington, and Stockbridge,” Vickery said.
To find films, Vickery goes to other festivals like Sundance to scout talent. Filmmakers also submit their work for consideration, which has allowed BIFF to expand its global reach.
“We have distribution partners and deep relationships with different companies. We probably wade through 1000 films and chose 80. We work with all the big film companies in the US but also European Film Festivals. We get a lot of amazing content from international companies,” Vickery said.
“We bring the world to the Berkshires with international films. It’s amazing and a lot of fun,” Vickery added.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.
Downtown Millerton
MILLERTON — Voter turnout in the Village of Millerton dropped sharply in 2025, with just 58 ballots cast in this year’s village election — less than a third of the record turnout seen just two years earlier.
The election on June 17 marked a stark contrast to 2023, when signs littered the intersection of Route 22 and Route 44 and 208 voters headed to the polls to decide a competitive mayoral race between incumbent Jenn Najdek and challenger Kelly Kilmer. That year also featured two contested trustee positions and generated the highest turnout in at least five years.
This year’s ballot looked much different. All three candidates — Mayor Jenn Najdek, Trustee David Sherman, and newcomer Katie Cariello — ran unopposed. With no contested races, just 57 voters turned out, plus one absentee ballot and one spoiled ballot.
Participation in village elections has fluctuated significantly over the past five years, often correlating with whether races were contested.
An uncontested trustee race during the first summer of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 saw unusually low turnout with just 17 ballots cast. The 2022 election, which also featured two unopposed trustee candidates, saw a more typical 135 ballots.
Years with competitive mayoral or trustee races saw spikes in participation. In 2021, 147 voters turned out, followed by a special runoff one week later that drew 157 ballots after a tied trustee race. During that race, three trustees ran for two seats, with David Sherman and Laurie Kerr ultimately elected.
The most recent contested election in 2024 drew 122 voters. Matthew Hartzog, Matthew Soleau and Kelly Kilmer ran, with Hartzog and Soleau elected. While that marked a dip from the previous year, it was still more than double the number who turned out this year.
While elections in small villages like Millerton often see modest turnout, the wide swings from year to year suggest that competitive races — and clearer distinctions between candidates — play a major role in mobilizing voters.
Despite the lack of competition, this year’s election produced a few notable results. Trustee David Sherman led all candidates with 52 votes, including 13 on the Republican line and 39 on the Democratic. Mayor Najdek was re-elected with 47 votes — 41 on the Democratic line and six on the Republican. Newcomer Katie Cariello received 39 votes — 34 Democratic and five Republican. There were also four write-ins for mayor and three for trustee.