PLATTSBURGH — The Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival, set to take place through the 2022-23 school year, is returning for its fourth year.

Beyond the Peaks is an opportunity for youth voices throughout the region to be elevated through filmmaking and digital storytelling. Open to high school students in New York, Vermont and Quebec, Canada, the festival invites students to create their own video stories while offering educational opportunities to help them learn the ins and outs of filmmaking and storytelling.

It is free to participate in the program, and the top three winners will receive a cash prize and video supplies. Video submissions will be due this coming April, and a culminating Red Carpet Showcase will take place in May 2023.

The Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival began in 2019, launched by AdkAction with the Tupper Lake Central School District, aiming to expand opportunities for local youth interested in digital storytelling. The festival was named for the Adirondack area students reaching “Beyond the Peaks.”

AdkAction sought out Mountain Lake PBS to take on the festival and help it grow in 2022.

“Digital storytelling and filmmaking are so important to modern communication, and these artforms are underrepresented in rural regions. We are very excited to bring Beyond the Peaks to our community in its fourth year,” said Jennifer Kowalczyk, director of engagement and marketing at Mountain Lake PBS.

“When AdkAction first launched the student film festival, the goal was to create a platform for creative expression and amplify the voices of area youth,” said Sawyer Cresap, executive director of AdkAction. “We’re thrilled to see Mountain Lake PBS take this project to the next level by providing more hands-on learning opportunities in filmmaking and television production, and greater exposure for films made by local students.”

The Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival is supported by the Adirondack Foundation and the Lake Placid Institute for the Arts and Humanities.

For more information, visit mountainlake.org/beyondthepeaks.