From 'Brothels' To The Berkshires

Staff Reports 01:34PM / Monday April 09, 2012

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Berkshires have been a magnet for those seeking to enjoy the simple things in life, from the Shakers and their aesthetic frugality to the "masters of the universe" who built gilded mansions in its bucolic setting.

While sharing little in common, both groups sought renewal in both spirit and body with the land.

So it's no surprise that documentarian Pamela Boll selected the region for her new film, which will follow the latest seekers of land and spirit: a crop of local farmers working to connect people with the land and the region's growing industry in yoga and wellness.

Berkshire Film & Media Commission reports that the Oscar-winning documentarian will be in the county over the next few months researching the simplification of live and true happiness in "A Small, Good Thing."

Boll, who won an Academy Award in 2004 as co-executive producer of "Born Into Brothels," will be filming in Lenox, Great Barrington and Lee.

She told the film commission her latest film will be about "chucking the big life and pursuing what makes you truly happy."

"We will be filming Tim Durrin working at Kripalu and riding his bike around the area; Mark Gerow teaching a yoga class in Lenox and spending time with his family; Jen and Peter Salinetti at Woven Roots Farm in Lee; Sean Stanton at North Plain and Blue Hill Farm in Great Barrington; and Dominic Palumbo at Moon in the Pond Farm in Sheffield."

Other documentaries she's been involved with include "Who Does She Think She Is?" "Connected," "In a Dream," "Our Summer in Tehran," and "Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors without Borders."

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