2019 filmmakers summit attendees

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, Alfre Woodard, Ruth Reichl, Stephen Lang and Martin Scorsese.

NEW CATEGORY!
The Berkshire International Film Festival announces the creation of the nexGEN Film Competition for students across the Commonwealth of MA. The competition aims to discover emerging student filmmakers and provide them a voice. BIFF wants to
highlight their talent in a festival setting and perhaps provide them with mentoring and job opportunities in a tough industry.

BIFF aims to help students get into film programs in college or use their film as their calling card for a career in the industry.
We also aim to give them a platform not only to showcase their talents, but also attend our Filmmaker Summit to meet and network with professionals in the film business.

The competition is open to all student filmmakers currently in high school or college in the Commonwealth of MA.

BIFF will present 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners for both narrative and documentary films. All six films will be presented at the 2024 film festival. The 1st place winners will be invited to attend the festival in person as our guest.

Films requirements for submission:
MUST be a high school or undergraduate college student in the Commonwealth of MA
MUST be shorter than 15 minutes
MUST be completed by March 31, 2024
MUST be produced and directed by a student who is attending a high school, college or university
MUST own or have cleared all rights of the submitted materials, including music

For submission fee waiver, please email info@biffma.org

Awards & Prizes

The BIFF awards Juried Prizes for narrative, documentary, and feature films. The $2,500 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.

Student Film Competition will award top 2 winners with a BIFF Pass to the festival and Filmmaker Summit as our guest.

Rules & Terms

Films must be a Berkshire Premiere (films must not have previously been screened in the Berkshires, with the exception of Berkshire fund-raising film events.)

All films must be submitted via online screener for consideration.

Only one title per entry.

The preferred format for films to be showcased at the BIFF are DCP and Blu-Ray. BIFF can ONLY screen shorts on DCP format.

Selected filmmakers will be notified approximately March 31, 2024.
5 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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Hospitality
Networking
  • John Michael Riva Jr.

    The Berkshire International Film Festival blew me away. BIFF is a great place for shorts, narrative features, and docs. The films selected were nothing but heavy hitters. From Q and A's following the screenings all the way to the events held across the week, this festival packs a punch. I highly recommend submitting to the intimate yet, powerful festival. Safe to say I will be returning for many years to come after such a great experience.

    June 2023
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  • Joel Gershon

    It was an incredibly special experience for "Cirque du Cambodia" to be selected for BIFF and then to go on to win the Audience Award was a dream come true even though it was scheduled at 10 a.m.! The attendees take their films seriously! The events and films were just great in such a lovely setting as the beautiful Berkshires. It was so much fun and everyone was wonderful and nice. Thank you, BIFF!

    June 2022
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  • Nick Canfield

    We had a fantastic time attending BIFF with our feature doc The Reverend. Kelley, Carolyn, and the whole team were excellent communicators, put on a great festival, and have some fantastic venues. Between the filmmaker summit and late nights at the porch of the Red Lion, it's a great place to meet other filmmakers and industry people. Hope to come back next year.

    June 2022
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  • Daniel Aronskind

    I had a delightful time at BIFFMA 2022! My short, IN RUINS, was lucky enough to be included in the Berkshire Shorts package. The filmmaker summit prior to the opening night was an amazing networking opportunity where I not only met fellow filmmakers, but industry experts. All showings and dinner-by-the-bite events were lovely and full of interesting attendees. I will absolutely be back to this amazing festival!!

    June 2022
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  • Mark Cade

    Because of the COVID-19 situation of 2020 the festival had to be postponed until 2021. Still, the people who run the festival were very professional and in touch with me while they were deciding if they should postpone the festival or not. They were very supportive and very kind. It's clear that they really care about us artists.

    June 2020
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