'The Killing Fields' Screening and Q&A at Triplex Cinema

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GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington is set to host a special fundraising screening of the 1984 film "The Killing Fields" on June 7. 
 
The event will include a post-screening conversation with actor Sam Waterston and filmmaker Matthew Penn.
 
The Triplex Cinema will present a special fundraising screening of Roland Joffe's film "The Killing Fields" on June 7 at 3:00 p.m. The screening will be followed by a conversation with actor Sam Waterston and filmmaker and theatre director Matthew Penn. The film, a biographical drama set in 1973, is based on the experiences of Cambodian journalist Dith Pran and American New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg during the Khmer Rouge regime. The cast includes John Malkovich, Julian Sands, Craig T. Nelson, Spalding Gray, and Athol Fugard.
 
Tickets for the event are available for $60 at www.thetriplexcinema.org.
 
"The Killing Fields" received seven Academy Award nominations in 1985, including Best Picture, and won three Oscars for Best Supporting Actor (Haing S. Ngor), Best Cinematography, and Best Editing. Haing S. Ngor, in his debut role, also received the Best Actor award at the British Academy Awards (BAFTA), where the film also won Best Film.
 
Matthew Penn, a recent addition to the Triplex Cinema Board of Directors, said: "We are delighted to have Sam Waterston join us at the Triplex for a Q & A after the screening of The Killing Fields on June 7th. Sam was nominated for an Oscar for his work in this extraordinary and still timely film. This will be a rare opportunity to hear Sam talk about The Killing Fields and his experience working with Haing S. Ngor during the making of this Oscar winning film."
 
Sam Waterston's career spans over six decades, with notable performances on stage, screen, and television. His theatrical credits include numerous New York stage productions, including Shakespearean plays and his Tony Award-nominated portrayal of President Abraham Lincoln on Broadway. His filmography includes "The Great Gatsby," Woody Allen's films "Interiors," "Hannah and Her Sisters," and "Crimes and Misdemeanors." He also had important roles in "Heaven's Gate," and "Nixon" among many other films. On television, Waterston played Jack McCoy in "Law and Order" from 1994-2010 and 2022-2024. Waterston is also involved in various activist causes.
 
Matthew Penn is an Emmy Award-nominated director with extensive experience in theatre and television. His television directing credits include "Law and Order," "The Sopranos," and "NYPD Blue." Penn has directed theatre productions for Barrington Stage, Shakespeare & Company, Berkshire Theatre Group, and The Great Barrington Public Theatre.
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W.E.B. Du Bois Statue Unveiling Set Saturday

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — A life-size sculpture of civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois will be unveiled in his hometown this Saturday at 2 p.m. 
 
The bronze sculpture, created by artist Richard Blake, will sit on a curving marble bench at the center of a redesigned plaza at Mason Public Library. The site features renovated steps, added seating, and a sense of welcome. 
 
"This moment represents years of dedication from so many people," said Ari Zorn, co-chair of the W.E.B. Du Bois Sculpture Project. "We are bringing Dr. Du Bois home in a way that invites everyone to sit with him, reflect with him, and carry forward his legacy. This sculpture isn't just a monument — it's a space for justice, remembrance, and stewardship."
 
The unveiling is part of the fourth annual Du Bois Forum, an annual retreat and year-round fellowship dedicated to the Black intellectual and artistic traditions inspired by the writer and historian, held July 18–20 across historic sites in the Berkshires.
 
Born in Great Barrington in 1868, Du Bois was a pioneering sociologist, civil rights leader, author, and co-founder of the NAACP. His 1903 work "The Souls of Black Folk" is a foundational text in American literature and thought. Du Bois graduated from the former Searles High School in 1884, and his early education was supported by members of the local Congregational Church, located next door to the Mason Library.
 
"As we launch into our nation's semiquencentennial, redefining how we memorialize our past and whose stories are told will be critical as we respond to the present and shape our future," said Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston, a partner in the sculpture project,. "We're honored to be a part of this project. We're also excited to have the Du Bois unveiling kick off a series of monument marker plaques commemorating a radically inclusive 250th anniversary of this country through our Everyone 250 coalition."
 
Everyone250 is a initiative to celebrate the nation's birth through "a lens of justice, anti-racism, and belonging" and to amplify voices often left out the narrative. Paris Jeffries is co-chair of the initiative. 
 
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