The 1st Annual Berkshire Blossom Film Festival At The Colonial
The 1st Annual Berkshire Blossom Film Festival will kick off the summer with short films and videos with powerful and unique messages that inspire hope, educate and raise awareness about local and global social causes and promote community activism.The Berkshire Blossom Film Festival’s objective is to encourage and empower the public to be pro-active and get involved in resolving issues facing our local and global community ultimately creating a society of compassion, cooperation and connection. Films will address a range of social issues related to human rights, environmental preservation, sustainable culture, and spiritual exploration.
Originally, the festival was to be named, ‘The Beauty, Truth and Harmony Film Festival’ when several community members came together two years ago to explore a central Berkshires Film Festival given the cultural resurgence of new arts programs and cultural groups, organizations and activities in Pittsfield, and throughout the Berkshires.
Over one hundred film submissions from youth and adult filmmakers are being reviewed for the Festival’s scheduled screenings at the Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield being held on Friday, June 6, Saturday, June 7 and Sunday, June 8.
Friday, June 6
Friday, June 6th begins with a HIP, Highly Inspired People’s Reception, Mexican Tapas provided by Taqueria Azteca of Great Barrington and Live Latin and Spanish Music by Juan Basilio Sanchez and Trio Hispanico, performing great Gypsy King covers. The Friday evening program includes a premier screening of ISH, a thirty minute documentary, shot, directed and edited by B1 Media Youth Group of Pittsfield. This local student team filmed the two week training by the Amsterdam based hip hop street artists last summer with Pittsfield youth from Taconic and Pittsfield High Schools. ISH was part of the Dutch Arts in the Berkshires program produced by the Colonial Theatre.
Following a festival compilation of socially conscious film and video shorts, Funk Buddha, a New York based modern dancer, aerialist, hip hop and spoken groove performance artist, will provide a live performance focusing on deep ecology, the soul and community activism.
Saturday, June 7
David Grover will provide a special children’s morning performance with animated environmental short films for children and families from 10:30am to 11:40am at the Colonial Theatre. All seats for this morning’s special children’s activity are $5.00.
The Youth Have a Voice category begins at 12:15 with student films about environmental stewardship, creating a culture of peace and teen health and wellness. There will be a panel discussion following the films. There will be a special screening of “Breaking Patterns” aka CANDY directed by local filmmaker, Ryan Kampe, shot last year in the Berkshires and made possible by local production support who donated their time and skills. This afternoon youth category is free.
Saturday’s daytime schedule of film and video shorts, from 1:45pm – 6:00pm, includes the categories Conscious Community, Compass for Compassion, and Truth and Consequences. Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $6.00 for students, veterans and seniors.
Conscious Community will screen films about healing, wellness and building community. Community health and wellness organizations will be represented on a panel for discussion following the film screenings.
The next category, Compass for Compassion, presents short films with an international focus on hunger, human rights and immigration. The panel discussion will include representatives from local organizations, Barka, Bridges, and Manos Unidas, as well as representatives from national and international organizations Food First and the Hunger Project.
Truth and Consequences, our social and political justice category, includes footage and discussion related to the military presence and intervention in the Middle East, media coverage, and its impact and influence on foreign policy. A panel discussion to follow.
The evening program begins at 7pm with the Festival’s special LifeSpirit screening of “Sacred Run, the Lotus and the Feather”, a cross cultural Native American and Japanese prospective on environmental stewardship and a culture of peace. The film’s director, Andrea Sadler, will participate in the panel discussion. Another festival highlight for this evening’s program will be a screening of the thirty minute, “Global Spirit Vietnam - Forgiveness and Healing”. This film documents the work of Dr. Edward Tick and the powerful healing journey of American soldiers returning to Vietnam to reconcile and heal the memories and wounds of war. Dr. Ed Tick, author of “Soul of War” will also be present to participate in the panel discussion after film screenings.
Tickets are $8.00 for adults and $6 for students, veterans and seniors.
On Saturday there will be FREE workshops on all aspects of video production led by local “indie” writers, directors, actors, producers and videographers. These workshops will happen backstage at the Colonial Theatre, and are open to youth and adult filmmakers. First time filmmakers are welcome.
After the evening’s screening and discussion, festival participants are invited to the Masonic Temple for a special CD release festival party with the Jazz Funk Fusion Band, ‘Unfilled Desires’ from 9:30pm to midnight.
Sunday, June 8
Sunday morning’s film categories, Voices for Gaia and Sustainable Culture begin at 11am. Both categories share the importance of information sharing, community building, and green strategies for a healthy and sustainable community. Film shorts and topics for discussion are community supported agricultural projects, renewable energy technologies and building green community applications. Donations accepted.
The afternoon continues with a showcase of the top youth videos produced, directed, written and acted by local students and youth who competed in the twenty-four hour VISIONMAKER short video competition with a $1000.00 cash award. The top award requires a best environmental, one to three minute video short with the most inspirational message on an environmental issue of the student’s choice. A local celebrity panel of judges will make their final decisions on Sunday after screening all the student entries for the public competition. There will be a final audience selection choice from the final five top student youth entries. This final award judging and honoring will conclude the Berkshire Blossom Film Festival for 2008. Donations accepted
The Festival closes with the Family Choice Film screening of “The Ultimate Gift” at 1pm. The Ultimate Gift is a funny and positive feature film with an inspirational message that the whole family can enjoy including grandma. The film explores what happens when you are left several hundred million dollars by a grandfather you never knew and are taken through a step by step process of proving your honesty, patience and compassion for fellow human beings. The Ultimate Gift is full of laughs and life changing lessons and surprises. Tickets are $5.00 for all seats.
General Information
Berkshire green businesses, and not for profit organizations will have information booths in the Colonial Theatre atrium and lobby throughout the festival.
Bridges will provide café style foods and beverages throughout the day. Manos Unidas will provide children’s arts and crafts activities for parents wanting to attend the festival and workshops.
Through the powerful medium of film, community dialogue, networking, sharing of resources, and forming partnerships, The Berkshire Blossom Film Festival, a voice for positive change, hopes to inspire and encourage people to contribute to the improvement of our community and the world by networking shared values and information critical to building a whole and healed community.
Highlighted local organizations include: Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area, Mass Audobon, Berkshire Humane Society, The Center for Ecological Technology (CE.T.), the Barka Foundation, The Women’s Interfaith Institute, Berkshire Grown, Bridges, Manos Unidas, the Elizabeth Freeman Center, Barefoot Books and more.
The 1st Annual Berkshire Blossom Festival sponsors include: The Upper Housatonic River Foundation, Aspinwell/Lenox Shops, Chocolate Springs, Soco’s Creamery, Barefoot Books, CompuWorks, American Speedy Printing Center,Always Young and the Blossom Investment Fund.
The Berkshire Blossom Film Festival is being produced by Healing Winds, Humanity in Concert, and the Berkshire Peace Collaborative in association with the Center for Ecological Technology, and the Colonial Theatre.
Friday June 6:
6:00 – 7:30, Highly Inspired People’s Reception in the Lobby of the Colonial Theatre
$20.00 all inclusive ticket price for Friday night reception, screening of ISH and Funk Buddha performance.
7:30 – 9:30, ISH premier screening and Funk Buddha performance,
Adults: $8.00 Students, veterans, seniors: $6.00
Saturday, June 7
10:30am – 11:40am, David Grover morning performance and animated film shorts for children . $5.00 all tickets.
12:15 – 1:30, Youth Have a Voice film short and panel discussion,
All tickets FREE ADMISSION
1:45 – 6:00, Conscious Community, Compass for Compassion, and Truth and Consequences films and panel discussion.
Adults: $8 Students, veterans and seniors:$6.00
7:00 – 9:30, LifeSpirit, Films about sacred spirituality, “Sacred Run”, “Global Vietnam”. “We are the Ones”, and others, with panel discussion.
Adults:$8.00, $6.00 for students, veterans and seniors
Sunday, June 8
11:00 – 12:45, Voices of Gaia and Sustainable Culture film screenings and panel discussion, donations accepted.
1:00, VISIONMAKER best youth/student environmental video award with audience participation, donations accepted.
2:00, Festival’s Family Choice Film, “The Ultimate Gift”
$5.00 All tickets
Tickets Available at Colonial Theatre, Berkshire Fine Hand Crafts, Soco’s Creamery.
This year’s Blossom Festival sponsors include: The Upper Housatonic River Foundation, Aspinwell/Lenox Shops, Chocolate Springs, Soco’s Creamery, Barefoot Books, Always Young and the Blossom Investment Fund.
For more information, please go to www.blogtheberkshires.com/bravo or call: Colonial Theatre: 413-997-4444, humanityinconcert@earthlink.net, 413-464-0919
