BIFF and WBCR Co-Present Anti-Corporate Pranksters, the Yes Men,
live and in-person at the Mahaiwe to Benefit WBCR-LP 97.7
Great Barrington, Mass.– Berkshire Community Radio and Berkshire International Film Festival will co-present a special screening of The Yes Men Fix the World, followed by a Q&A with anti-corporate pranksters, The Yes Men (Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno) on Friday, November, 20 at 7:30pm at the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center. The event is a fundraiser for WBCR-LP, 97.7 FM, the volunteer-based, noncommercial, community radio station in the town of Great Barrington, Mass. Tickets are $15 and $10 for full-time students with ID. A limited number of priority seating $50 tickets are available as well, which will include a post-screening party with the Yes Men at the radio station. The party will be broadcast live in true freewheeling community radio style. To purchase tickets, visit www.mahaiwe.org or phone the Mahaiwe box office at 413.528.0100.
The Yes Men have been called “the Jonathan Swift of the Jackass Generation” by author Naomi Klein. They pose as corporate bigwigs, infiltrate the world of big business, and scandalize unsuspecting audiences in ways that shame the world’s biggest corporate criminals. Although fronted by Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno, their membership includes hundreds of agents who prefer to remain anonymous – until duty calls. The group first gained international notoriety a decade ago by impersonating World Trade Organization spokesmen on international TV and at business conferences. In 2004, United Artists released a feature documentary about their hijinks (The Yes Men directed by Chris Smith, Sarah Price, and Dan Olman), which became an instant cult hit, received numerous festival awards, and was distributed theatrically and on television around the globe. BIFF audiences were treated to the film last May as the official closing night film of the 2009 Festival. The sold-out screening took home the Audience Award for Best Documentary Film which it had also received at the prestigious Berlin Film Festival a few months earlier. The Yes Men Fix the World had its world premiere at Sundance where it was nominated for the coveted Grand Jury Prize.
Founded in 2004, WBCR-LP, 97.7 FM is a volunteer-operated and listener-supported noncommercial community broadcast and Internet radio station in the town of Great Barrington, Mass. Each week, WBCR-LP broadcasts over 90 locally-produced or sponsored radio programs; with programmers ranging from elementary school students to retirees; with topics including local community issues, astrology, skate-boarding, women's issues, and water preservation and protection; and with live and recorded music ranging from classical to Italian folk to death-metal. In addition, dozens of community volunteers perform the myriad of tasks required to maintain the studios and keep the station running. For more information about the station, see www.berkshireradio.org.
The Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center is located at 14 Castle Street in Great Barrington, Mass. Box Office Hours: Wednesday through Saturday from noon to 6pm and 3 hours before show times. Tickets can also be purchased online at www.mahaiwe.org or via phone at 413.528.0100. For further information, contact Gina Hyams, PR Consultant
413.464.2851 ginahyams@gmail.com or the BIFF office 413-528-8030 or www.biffma.org.