If you happen by Walter J. Koladza Airport on Friday, July 21, you may encounter a pig flying a WWI-era seaplane. That's because an upstart film event group called Boondocks Film Society is asking audiences in Berkshire, Litchfield, and Dutchess counties to join them, once again, on a journey into the unexpected - where cult film meets local food and drink, artists reinterpret classic cinematography, and film soundtracks are brought to life by local musicians.
In the maintenance hangar of Great Barrington's regional airport, in view of a sea of single-engine prop planes, Boondocks Film Society will screen Hayao Miyazaki's 1992 animated classic Porco Rosso, a production of Japan's renowned animation giant Studio Ghibli.
"We love this flm, and some weeks back, we set out to find a venue that would capture the imagination," says Jeff Palfini, one of the group's founders. "Showing this film at Great Barrington's throwback grass airfield is ideal, and also allows us to bring in some great local elements."
The Boondocks Film Society was created to host events that transcend a typical film screening. The group's organizers theme local creative elements to each film and to show these films in some of the area's most interesting and unexpected venues.
The July 21 screening of Porco Rosso, for instance, will include Big Elm Brewing's Fat Boy Double IPA, an Aviation cocktail made with Berkshire Mountain Distillers Greylock Gin and poke bowls from Shiro. As with every Boondocks event, attendees will walk away with a free custom event posters designed by a local artist.
"We see these film events as a way for creative-minded people to get together, take in an interesting film event, and share their new projects with people who might appreciate them." Palfini says. "We hope we'll begin to see familiar faces every time out, and that more and more creative people will want to get involved."
The screening will take place at the Walter J. Koladza Airport, located at 70 Egremont Plain Road., Admission is $12.
To find out more about Boondocks Film Society and its upcoming events, or to get tickets to Porco Rosso at the Great Barrington Airport, visit boondocksfilmsociety.org