This summer, Berkshire Museum’s Little Cinema celebrates 60 years of cinematic excellence and adventure.
One of the longest-running film festivals in New England, Little Cinema presents first-run foreign and independent films and continues to buck the trend of digital projection in place of traditional reel film, offering moviegoers the original cinematic experience. Little Cinema presents films nightly at 8 p.m. plus a weekly Monday matinee at 2 p.m.
Currently showing is: The Secret in Their Eyes (127 min, rated R, English Subtitles), running from Friday, June 18 to Thursday, June, 24. Retired Argentinean federal justice agent Benjamin Esposito is writing a novel, using an old closed case as the source material; the brutal rape and murder of Liliana Coloto (Carla Quevedo). In addition to seeing the extreme grief of the victim’s husband Ricardo Morales (Pablo Rago), Benjamin, his assistant Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella), and newly hired department chief Irene Menendez-Hastings (Soledad Villamil) were personally affected by the case as Benjamin and Pablo tracked the killer. Winner of the 2010 Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Little Cinema ticket prices are $6 for members; $8 for not-yet-members. Museum members can purchase a Buff pass: $30 for 5 tickets, good for any 2010 season screening.
Next up is Please Give. Please Give (90 min, rated R), running from Friday, June 25 to Thursday, July, 1. Kate (Catherine Keener), Alex (Oliver Platt) and their teenage daughter, Abby (Sarah Steele) live in New York City and their apartment is starting to get a bit small for all three of them. Kate and Alex own the unit next door and plan to knock down the wall to take over the space. However, Andra (Ann Morgan Guilbert), their tenant, is an elderly woman who doesn’t seem too eager to move out. Hoping to make the best of the situation, Kate tries to strike up a friendship with Andra and her two granddaughters Rebecca (Rebecca Hall) and Mary (Amanda Peet), but nobody is interested in making new friends. Kate and Alex are also struggling to communicate with Abby, who has her own issues regarding self-image. Please Give received its world premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
For six decades, including demographic shifts and renovations of South Street, Little Cinema has remained a beacon to moviegoers throughout the county. Every year thousands of people visit the cinema in the summer months, eschewing rainy days and humid nights for thoughtful and dynamic films from around the world.
One of the most distinguishing facets of Little Cinema is its reel-to-reel projector, spooling 35 mm film. While most theaters have adopted digital projection, Berkshire Museum’s Little Cinema screens conventional film, giving film buffs the original movie experience. This tradition gives moviegoers an old-time, small-theater feel while allowing over 250 ticket holders to enjoy the hottest new films from around the world – some of which are not produced in digital format.
In addition to the regular Little Cinema schedule, Berkshire Museum was pleased to be a part of the Fifth Annual Berkshire International Film Festival; Little Cinema screened six cutting-edge, international feature films as BIFF expands to Pittsfield.
Berkshire Museum’s Little Cinema presents nightly screenings at 8 p.m. and Mondays at 2 p.m. Check our website http://berkshiremuseum.org/calendar/ for movie listings, or to sign up for weekly film announcements via email. Little Cinema ticket prices are $6 for members; $8 for not-yet-members. Museum members can purchase a Buff pass: $30 for 5 tickets, good for any 2010 season screening.
Berkshire Museum is located at 39 South St. on Route 7 in Downtown Pittsfield. For more information, contact the Berkshire Museum at (413) 443-7171, ext. 10.