The Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) is for filmmakers and film lovers alike to be entertained, educated and inspired. BIFF celebrates independent film and recognizes and pays tribute to accomplished artists on both sides of the camera in the international, national and regional film community. We provide filmmakers, producers, directors, writers and actors an environment to collaborate, present their work, and interact with each other and with film audiences. Our priorities are to showcase the most challenging and topically relevant documentaries each year and provide a platform for Berkshire filmmakers.
We have honored or had special events with Arthur Penn, Kevin Bacon, Philippe Petit, Kathleen Kennedy, Patricia Clarkson, Douglas Trumbull, Marina Abramovic, Gregory Crewdson, Darlene Love, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Yo-Yo Ma, Sheila Nevins, Mariel Hemingway, John Landis, Karen Allen, Bruce Dern, Paul Krugman, Darlene Love, Conrad Anker, John Carroll Lynch, Kent Jones, Charles Randolph, Christopher Plummer, Rachel Weisz and Martin Scorsese.
The BIFF awards Juried Prizes for narrative, documentary, and feature films. The $5,000 prize is sponsored by GWFF. The Next Great Filmmaker Award for best short film carries a $2,500 prize and is sponsored by Berkshire Bank. We also give Audience Award prizes for Documentary, Narrative and Short Films with no financial award.