Diane Pearlman

Board of Directors

Diane recently produced the award-winning short film, A Tree A Rock A Cloud, based on the short story by Carson McCullers, written and directed by actor, Karen Allen, as well as the short film, You Have A Voice for the Massachusetts Women’s Political Caucus/Berkshire Section about young women, leadership and civic engagement. Her current slate of feature projects includes the refugee story, Weeping Under This Same Moon, by Jana Laiz, a screen adaptation of Edith Wharton’s novel, Summer, by feature film art director/ production designer, Carl Sprague, and Mumbet: A Free Woman, the true story of Elizabeth “Mumbet’ Freeman, the first slave in Massachusetts to take her owner to court and win her freedom.

Diane has directed and produced projects locally for 1Berkshire, Berkshire United Way, McCann Technical School, Age Friendly Berkshires & the ROPE Program (Rites of Passage and Empowerment Program for young women of color in Pittsfield). She is currently partnering with Great Barrington Public Theater to direct/produce a series of original short films about nature by local Berkshire playwrights.

Diane served as Production Manager for the creation of a web-based health initiative for Canyon Ranch in Lenox, MA. She has also produced several industrial animation projects for Ben Hillman & Company of Sheffield, MA as well as the animated sequence for Spike Lee’s film, She Hate Me, directed by Hillman.

Diane was Executive Producer and General Manager of Mass.Illusion, a visual effects movie studio located in Lenox, Massachusetts and Alameda, California. From 1993 to 1998, she oversaw up to 200 employees and a through put of $8-$10 million per year on such films as The Matrix (Academy Award 2000, Best Visual Effects), What Dreams May Come (Academy Award 1999, Best Visual Effects), Starship Troopers, Evita, Eraser, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Judge Dredd, The Scarlet Letter, and Event Horizon.

In addition to her award-winning visual effects, Diane served as Supervising Producer for the production of three specialty films attractions for Circus Circus’ hotel, LUXOR LAS VEGAS. The $50M project was produced at The Trumbull Company, Lenox, MA. During that time, she produced the award winning behind-the-scenes documentary, “The Making of Luxor” for Director Scott Morris.

Prior to that, Diane worked for R/Greenberg Associates in New York City where she produced countless commercials and feature film title sequences.

Diane holds a degree from Vassar College and attended Princeton University and NYU Film School. She is Chairman of the Board of Berkshire Pulse, a performing arts center in Housatonic, MA. She also serves on the Board of Directors of the 1Berkshire Foundation. She is an active member of New York Women in Film and Television, The Massachusetts Production Coalition, New England Women in Film and The Visual Effects Society. Diane lives in Great Barrington, MA with her husband and two sons.

Berkshire Pulse