Berkshire Women in Film
Potluck Dinner & Film Screening @ B.A.K.
Jayne Atkinson @ B.A. K.

Jayne Atkinson in Psychoanalysis Changed My Life, screening March 26th at B.A.K.
  
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  March 26th Berkshire Women in Film Screening @ B.A.K.
GREAT BARRINGTON, MA


Berkshire Women in Film

POT-LUCK & FILM SCREENING

What:  Berkshire Women in Film Pot-Luck and Film Screening, a mini film festival featuring 2 documentaries by filmmaker Meryl Joseph and 2 shorts starring Jayne Atkinson, both Great Barrington residents.
Where:  Berkshire Art Kitchen, 400 Main Street, Unit A,  Great Barrington, MA
When:  March 26, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Cost:  $14 suggested donation.

The Berkshire Art Kitchen is proud to present Berkshire Women in Film Pot-Luck and Film Screening, a mini film festival and pot-luck dinner on Thursday, March 26th at 6:00 pm.  In celebration of the 1st Annual Berkshire Festival of Women in the Arts, B.A.K.'s Berkshire Women in Film Pot-Luck and Film Screening will feature 2 documentaries by filmmaker Meryl Joseph and 2 shorts starring actor Jayne Atkinson, both residents of Great Barrington, Massachusetts.

Built around the concept of enriching connections within the community, Berkshire Art Kitchen director, Gabrielle Senza has focused on creating events during the month of March that bring people together in an intimate house setting to celebrate "The Power of Women in the Arts", the theme for this year's International Women's Day Conference at Simon's Rock, and the inspiration behind the month-long County-wide festival.  Senza has created a unique venue at the Berkshire Art Kitchen in which to experience contemporary art, house concerts and film screenings; inspiring visitors to engage in lively discussions and make meaningful connections.

The evening will begin with a pot-luck dinner and a few words from Ms. Senza as she shares her connection with the women involved in the films and her inspiration for the Berkshire Art Kitchen's March events.  The collection of short films will run a total of 1 hour 40 minutes.  They include:

PSYCHOANALYSIS CHANGED MY LIFE (USA, 29 min.)
Marianne Loewe (Jayne Atkinson), a recently divorced, rather uptight college professor is undergoing analysis with the elderly Dr. Anya Zurmer, a strict Freudian. About a month into Marianne's analysis, Dr. Zurmer suddenly chooses to abandon the rigid rules of psychoanalysis which have always guided her work. Marianne's relationship to Dr. Zurmer then becomes totally unorthodox and baffling to her and, for a while, to us. "Psychoanalysis Changed My Life" humorously explores the path of this evolving relationship and the intriguing reasons for Dr. Zurmer's sudden change of method - and of heart.
An award-winning short film by Marigold Films, "Psychoanalysis Changed My Life" was written by Maggie Burke Snyder and Ellen Novack and adapted from National Book Award nominee Amy Bloom's exquisite story.

CAST:  Jayne Atkinson, Mary Louise Wilson, Alvin Epstein, Scott Cohen

. . . . . . .

INTO THE MAINSTREAM (USA, 29 min.)

"It is good to love yourself," says Ivonne Mosquera, a gifted nine year-old who happens to be blind.  Ivonne narrates a year of her life in Manhattan with grace, courage, and humor in Meryl Joseph's award-winning documentary, Into The Mainstream.  This film is a poignant look at an exceptional child who manages her disability with support from teachers, family and friends. With grace and a courageous spirit, Ivonne is a role model whose accomplishments validate mainstreaming in education.

 . . . . . .

CITY FARMERS (USA, 29 min.)

Depicting one of the most successful community garden movements ever, City Farmers journeys down New York's meanest streets where inner-city residents transform the ratty rubble of abandoned land into prolific gardens that revitalize broken neighborhoods.   In this collective narrative, the gardeners share stories about life on both sides of the garden fence; from the struggle to remove drug dealers and gangs to the success of the gardens providing food for the community, as well as empowering and educating neighborhood children.  Propelled by composer Jack DeJohnette's dynamic jazz score, City Farmers is an intense investigation of the urban experience.
A film by Meryl Joseph

. . . . . . .

IN PASSING (USA, 10 min.)

A critically wounded organ donor (Laila Robins - The Good Shepard, August), and a transplant patient (TONY Nominee Jayne Atkinson - Syriana, "24") lay side by side, mid-night in a hospital room, each thinking she is alone, facing her own death, when one speaks aloud and they begin to converse, discovering that the survival of one means the death of the other.  When one passes, they help each other to follow the light, one into the afterlife, the other into the world of the living.

Starring Jayne Atkinson and Laila Robins.  Written and Directed by Courtney Williams

. . . . . . .

Suggested Donation is $14. 
Proceeds from this event benefit the Red Collaborative Walk Unafraid Public Art & Awareness Project.

Filmmaker Meryl Joseph will be joining us to talk about her films.  Jayne Atkinson is performing on Broadway
in Blithe Spirit, so will not be able to be with us in person for this event.
 
* * * Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage and a favorite dish to share with all at the Berkshire Art Kitchen. * * *
Reservation are suggested as space is limited.  Call (413)717-0031 or email: berkshireartkitchen@gmail.com to reserve.


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Gallery hours are by appointment and most weekdays 11 - 2.  Call 413.717.0031  

The Berkshire Art Kitchen is committed to promoting unique opportunities for creativity, connection and change.  Believing in the power of each individual's capacity to make a difference in the world, BAK donates a portion of after-tax profits to organizations that improve social and environmental conditions around the world.

Already recognized as the "go to" place in Great Barrington for contemporary art, crafts, jewelry, artist's books and music,
the Berkshire Art Kitchen also offers valuable resources  to connect to the larger world with one-on-one web
consulting, eMarketing, social networking and professional development workshops and individualized
training sessions for artists, musicians and small business owners alike. 

Visit the Berkshire Art Kitchen website to see the BAK Schedule of Events
we've cooked up for the Berkshire Festival of Women in the Arts

For a complete listing of events throughout the county, visit The Women's Times Festival Website.

Special thanks go out to BAK's sponsors for helping to make these events possible!
Please show your appreciation to:  Dr. Ron's CarFinder   TriYogaBerkshires   BizFit CrossFit & Mahaiwe Tent

We are especially grateful to Keith Emerling who has so graciously managed our film screenings this month and will be running
the films on Thursday.  Watch the B.A.K. website for a special workshop Keith will be offering with intellectual property
attorney Paul Rapp in June on protecting intellectual property online.  More details will pop up soon.



Berkshire Art Kitchen    400 Main Street    Great Barrington, MA 01230
t: 413-717-0031 | e: berkshireartkitchen@gmail.com | w:  berkshireartkitchen.com