Film

In a summer when the Clark is featuring the work of two great Spanish artists, its “Spanish Masters of Cinema” film series, June 18 through August 27, will look at the work of six acclaimed Spanish directors. In the long history of Spanish filmmaking, the great director Luis Buñuel was the first to achieve universal recognition, followed by Pedro Almodóvar in the 1980s. More recently Spanish cinema has achieved high marks from critics and filmgoers alike as a result of its creative and technical excellence, notably Guillermo del Toro’s Academy-Award-winning 2006 masterpiece, Pan's Labyrinth, the final film in the six-part series

The Jury for Berkshire International Film Festival had 8 films in competition; 4 films in the feature documentary category and 4 in the narrative feature category. In the documentary category were AHEAD OF TIME, CLIMATE REFUGEES, FAMILY AFFAIR, and THE OATH. ATLETU, GAIA, MAD SAD & BAD, and MY YEAR WITHOUT SEX were in competition for best feature.

Based on the classic 1936 Yiddish film musical comedy Yidl Mitn Fidl starring the irrepressible Molly Picon, this new English-language adaptation was written by screenwriter and author Stephen Glantz and will be directed by Susan Merson.

Pittsfield Museum’s Little Cinema celebrates 60 years of cinematic excellence . One of the longest-running film festivals in New England, Little Cinema presents first-run foreign and independent films. Little Cinema presents films nightly at 8 p.m. plus a weekly Monday matinee at 2 p.m. Kicking off this historic season is an appropriately historic film, Vincere, (128 minutes, rated R), running from Sunday, May 30 to Thursday, June 3.

Mysterious Banksy is a street artist with a global reputation whose clever and often poignant work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to a Palestinian segregation wall on the West Bank. Guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be identified. Exit Through the Gift Shop is the story of how an eccentric French vintage clothes shop owner and amateur film maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist eventually turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results. This film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shephard Fairey, Space Invader, Ron English and many of the world's most infamous graffiti artists at work. But is it real or just a reel?

A documentary on comic Joan Rivers launches the Berkshire International Film Festival on June 6 preceded by a short documentary on Marge Champion celebratng her 90th birthday. This year the festival is expanding from Great Barrington to Pittsfield with a schedule of more than 75 features, documentaries and shorts. Actress Patricia Clarkson will be honored.

I have never had the good fortune to meet nor communicate with Ray Kurzweil. I have been aware of him and an admirer of his work for forty years. If you do not know of him, you certainly know or have benefited from and/or probably have used at least one or more of his creations.

Dr. Barnes hired the best Philadelphia Lawyers he could to protect his collection in Merion, PA from the Philadelphia Main Line toffs and phonies. Yet, somehow the estimated $25 billion collection of Modern and Post-Impressionist masterpieces has been appropriated through politics, power, wealth and subterfuge. This well-crafted documentary by Don Argott shows what, how and where it happened.

Rainy Mondays are perfect for taking in a movie. The non profit Images in Williamstown will screen controversial director Roman's Polanski's latest The Ghost Writer starting on Friday, March 26. There will be a one night screening of Who Does She Think She Is and panel with women artists on Monday, April 5.