Berkshire Shorts Film Festival debuts in Lee

LEE – On Saturday night, the Spectrum Playhouse was filled with over 100 filmmakers and film enthusiasts.

They were gathered to take in the first Berkshire Shorts Film Festival, the brainchild of Lee native and filmmaker Patrick Toole.

“I was very pleased with the turnout,” Mr. Toole told The Beacon. “It turned out exactly as I hoped.”

Under the sponsorship of Toole Insurance, the Berkshire Film and Media Commission, Yankee Inn and the College Internship Program (CIP), the festival featured 12 short films and music videos, all of which were shot in The Berkshires and surrounding states.

“A lot of the filmmakers showed up,” Mr. Toole said. “The energy was great.”

He started the Berkshire Shorts Film Festival in an attempt to get local filmmakers’ work shown for little or no cost. This was achieved by avoiding charging submission fees for films, a cost that can add up for independent filmmakers.

Mr. Toole plans to repeat his success by having another short film event in February during CIP’s Cabin Fever Festival.

“I’m definitely going to do it again,” he said.

Posted by Catherine M. Krummey on October 18, 2012. Filed under Arts and Entertainment,Community Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry