'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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Berkshire County Getting $4M Toward Housing Improvements

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Housing Secretary Ed Augustus has been a frequent visitor to the Berkshires and says a new rural designation for the Housing Choice Initiative grew out of conversations with small towns.  

GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Millions of federal Community Development Block Grant funds are coming to Berkshire County for housing and economic development. 

On Thursday, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said announced $33.5 million in federal CDBG funds, of which $5.45 million will be coming to the county. 

Great Barrington, in conjunction with Egremont and Stockbridge, has been allocated $1.25 million to rehabilitate approximately 14 housing units. 

"We really recognize the importance of having strong local partners who are doing that hard work every day, educating our kids, keeping our neighborhoods safe, investing in the best of what makes our community special, places we make memories, places that drive the economy," said Driscoll at the Housatonic Community Center.

"These dollars in particular can help do all of that, along with helping cure older housing stock and meet the needs of community members who might find a desire to have a new roof or make a housing unit more accessible, but don't always have the resources to do it. These dollars are really special, and we're really grateful." 

The federal fiscal 2025 CDBG awards, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by the state Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, help small cities and towns undertake projects that benefit low and moderate-income residents.

The more than $33 million will be dispersed to 52 communities across the commonwealth. Hinsdale and Florida will share a total of $950,000 to rehabilitate 11 housing units; Lenox and Sandisfield will share a total of $1,050,000 to rehabilitate 12 housing units, and New Marlborough, Mount Washington, and Otis will see a total of $1,250,000 to rehabilitate 15 housing units. North Adams is getting $950,000 for the second phase of senior center improvements and road repairs.

The funds can be used for projects involving housing rehabilitation, sidewalk and road improvements, planning studies, public facility upgrades, and social services such as food pantries, youth programming, and homelessness prevention. 

Town Manager Liz Hartsgrove said this reflects what is possible when federal, state, and local governments work together, and that the public investment shares significance beyond dollars alone. 

"These programs and projects become instruments of stability, equity, and trust. It allows the government to meet real needs, strengthen neighborhoods, and ensure residents can remain safely and securely in their homes. Places where lives are built, memories are formed, and community identity is shaped for generations to come," she said. 

"Investments like CDBG reduce uncertainties for families, provide reassurance for seniors, and create pathways for households to remain rooted in the communities they contribute to every day. When individuals and families are supported in this way, they are better positioned to thrive, and when people thrive, communities grow stronger, more resilient, and more connected." 

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