Praise for WFF's 10th Anniversary Season

With 40 films and as many artists in residence - a new record - WFF's 10th anniversary season showcased a remarkable spectrum of talent to high praise from audiences. Among features alone, the schedule boasted two world premieres (Moving Mike, Adopt a Sailor), an East Coast premiere (Bunker Hill), four New England premieres (Save Me, Dear Zachary, Gotta Dance, Bart Got a Room), a Berkshire premiere (Theater of War), and warmly-received screenings of Frozen River and Phoebe in Wonderland. Also popular: both All-Shorts slots and the breakfast and lunch seminars - the former about shooting in the heartland; the latter an in-depth conversation with independent film legend John Sloss.

Following up last year's success, the Benefit dinner at Cafe Latino was enlivened by the surprise appearance of four-time WFF alumna Patricia Clarkson. In fact, this landmark season was notable for a slew of artists returning to the Berkshires: Clarkson, her Phoebe in Wonderland director Daniel Barnz, Adopt a Sailor director Chuck Evered, Frozen River director Courtney Hunt, Gotta Dance director Dori Berinstein, Bunker Hill actress Laura Kirk, and shorts filmmakers Will Frears, Paul Gutrecht, and Mark Cummins. But newcomers had an equally good time. Sick Sex director Justin Nowell hailed WFF as "a terrific, spitrited festival - who else packs a house for a 10 a.m. screening of shorts?" Bunker Hill actor Blake Robbins "had a blast - without question I'll be coming back. I can't think of any better compliment." And Michael O'Donnell, the first-time director of Moving Mike, said simply: "The Williamstown Film Festival was the most supportive and inspiring place to begin my career."

For a third time, WFF presented the Christopher and Dana Reeve Award for top short of the Festival by audience vote. The prize went to Steph Green's deeply moving New Boy - shot in Ireland, it was the first Reeve Award winner from abroad and the first directed by a woman. Close behind were runners-up Joe Wein's charming Goldfish, Bill Block's incisive The Drummer, and Chris Lavis' and Maciek Szcerbowski's haunting Madame Tutli-Putli.

Photos above: Save Me, Gotta Dance, New Boy