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Lake Placid filled with films, filmmakers this weekend

Eric Granger, board member of Adirondack Film and director of the Your Shorts Are Showing short film competition, introduces 10 of the short films to a crowd of about 40 people at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts on Thursday afternoon. (Enterprise photo — Andy Flynn)

LAKE PLACID — The Lake Placid Film Festival, which began on Thursday, continues for three more days of film screenings, special events and seminars through Sunday afternoon. Various venues around the village will play host, including the High Peaks Resort (festival headquarters), Palace Theatre and Lake Placid Center for the Arts.

“We’re trying to have a program that challenges you to make decisions and choices,” said Lake Placid Film Festival Director Gary Smith of the schedule.

The festival kicked off Thursday afternoon at the LPCA with a showing of 10 of the 30 films selected in the 4th annual Your Shorts Are Showing short film competition.

“Welcome to all the short filmmakers,” said Eric Granger, board member of Adirondack Film and director of the Your Shorts Are Showing short film competition to a crowd of about 40 people at the LPCA. “Later this evening we have the Trailer Party at the High Peaks Resort, where we will be showing the trailers for all the feature films that we’ll have over the next three or four days.”

The first day was capped off with a showing of the iconic 1977 film “Slap Shot” at the Palace Theatre, where a guest appearance, with a Q&A session, was made by Steve Carlson, who portrays hockey player Steve Hanson in the movie. “Slap Shot” starred Paul Newman and was directed by George Roy Hill.

The Palace Theatre on Main Street will screen many of the movies shown this weekend during the annual Lake Placid Film Festival. (Enterprise photo — Andy Flynn)

Below is the schedule for Friday and Saturday. Learn more about the festival at www.adirondackfilm.org.

Friday

¯ 9-11 a.m., LPCA — Films: 2022 Your Shorts Are Showing, Session 2. See 10 of the 30 films selected in the 4th annual Your Shorts Are Showing short film competition. The films will be: “Breeding Heart” (directed by Michael Hendel); “Recoil” (Dylan Meyer); “Escuela de Corte — Last Time We Play Hooky” (Richard Allen); “Gunpoint” (Bill Marsilii); “Only Now, Journey Into the Adirondacks” (Cheyne Lempe, Kevin Ulibarri); “Psycho Killer” (Matthew Vincini); “The Darkroom” (Daniel Wellings, Patrick Maciel); “I Am Odd” (Mike Connaris); “Curiosity” (James Sunshine); “A Distance” (Remoy Philip); and “A Love Song At The End Of The Time” (Miao Yike).

¯ 11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Innovation Hub at Northwood School on Main Street — Seminar: Bring Your Series Idea to Life (Part 1). Featuring Philip Gilpin Jr., CEO/executive director of the Catalyst Story Institute, this special session walks through the creative process of taking an idea from initial inspiration to a presentable pitch. Learn the ways to shape the vast worlds living within your imagination and work on developing your own idea into reality. This is often the most difficult and frustrating part of the creative process because it feels so undefined and impossible to get right.

¯ 1:30 – 3 p.m., Innovation Hub at Northwood School on Main Street — Seminar: Bring Your Series Idea to Life (Part 2). Featuring Philip Gilpin Jr., CEO/executive director of the Catalyst Story Institute, this special session walks through the creative process of taking an idea from initial inspiration to a presentable pitch. Learn the ways to shape the vast worlds living within your imagination and work on developing your own idea into reality. This is often the most difficult and frustrating part of the creative process because it feels so undefined and impossible to get right.

¯ 3:30-5:30 p.m., Innovation Hub at Northwood School on Main Street — Seminar: Collaboration and Concept: Filmmaking for Rural Communities. Through this seminar filmmaker and founder of Dawning Film Productions Megan MacDonald will join filmmaker Morgan Elliott to discuss the challenges of producing a film in a rural area. Attendees will learn how to use local and international resources to get the most out of their films: from adapting a script to fit project parameters, to utilizing local artists and funding sources, to getting the most out of your finished film through unique venues and screening opportunities. This workshop is all about thinking outside the box, using the available resources and forging a path through film production. There is no wrong way to make a film.

¯ 3:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Drinkwater,” directed by Stephen S. Campanelli. Running 117 minutes, this is a coming-of-age story in the John Hughes tradition. Mike Drinkwater is lost. His father, Hank, is hardly the role model Mike deserves. A young woman moves to town, and their friendship gives them the courage to overcome their challenges.

¯ 4 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “The Forger,” directed by Maggie Peren. Running 116 minutes, with subtitles, this film is based on a true story about 21-year-old Samson “Cioma” Schonhaus, a Jewish graphic artist who forged documents to help others escape the Nazis. Schonhaus won’t let anyone take away his zest for life, especially not the Nazis. He wants to discover life, but has the misfortune of living as a Jewish person in Berlin in the 1940s. Since the best hiding spots are in plain sight, Cioma decides to go out into the light to escape deportation. Using the identity of a marine officer he created for himself, he throws himself into the city’s nightlife and even finds a fragile hope for love during the darkest moments of the war. Throughout the day, he forges IDs with just a brush, some ink and a steady hand — and saves the lives of many others. His talent puts him in more and more danger, though, and at some point Cioma’s only hope to survive is a last forged ID — with his own name on it.

¯ 4 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Fly Low Jack and the Game,” directed by Marion Gleason. Preservationist Mike Champlin will be a guest speaker for this film. He will begin by presenting the 30-minute digitally restored film and framing the history of this remarkable piece of cinema, which is one of the first films shot on 16MM and directed by one of the first female film directors. Following the screening, he will be available for a Q&A. The film is about a World War I flying ace who received funding for a polar expedition by duping his rich uncle into thinking he’s a star athlete, which he isn’t. Filmed in 1927 by the Rochester Community Players, this three-reel comedy was written and directed by Marion Gleason, a pioneer in the amateur cinema genre.

¯ 4 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams,” directed by Luca Guadagnino. Running 120 minutes, this film is about Salvatore Ferragamo, who grew up poor in Bonito, Italy, and began his career as a shoemaker before he was barely a teenager. Immigrating to America in 1915 at the age of 16, his work would soon help invent the glamour of Hollywood’s silent era as he created shoes for iconic films such as “The Ten Commandments” and “The Thief of Bagdad” and for stars including Gloria Swanson, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, many of whom became his friends. Overcoming a Depression-era setback, Ferragamo rebounded and would define mid-century elegance for performers including Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Rita Hayworth and Ingrid Bergman. This film is a portrait of a man whose vision, passion, and craftsmanship made him “shoemaker to the stars,” an architect of Hollywood magic and an enduring cultural, fashion, and artistic influence.

¯ 4:30 p.m., Placid Planet Bicycles — Event: “Esperanto” Ride & Dine. Join Barkeater Trails Alliance and Placid Planet Bicycles for some pre-film festivities. At 4:30 p.m., there will be a Group Ride, hosted by film sponsors Barkeater Trails Alliance and Placid Planet Bicycles. The ride leaves from the Placid Planet shop on Saranac Avenue. At 5:30 p.m., there will be a Post-Ride, Pre-Movie Grilling at Placid Planet Bicycles. At 6:30 p.m., there will be a Barkeater Trails Alliance Meet & Greet in the lobby of the LPCA.

¯ 7:30 p.m., LPCA — Film: “Esperanto,” directed by Jeremy Grant. Running 50 minutes, this film is TGR’s latest action-packed mountain bike film. With a multinational roster of athletes, the film showcases the worldwide appeal of mountain biking while living up to the film’s name. “Esperanto” is a universal second language created by a Polish-Jewish doctor in 1887 intended to find a way to ultimately end war and bring people together. Translated into English, Esperanto means “one who hopes.”

¯ 6 p.m., High Peaks Resort — Event: Lake Placid Laughs Dinner Show and Benefit. Acclaimed comedian and festival panelist Hollie Harper will emcee the Dinner Show and Benefit in the ballroom. She will be joined by two other standup talents from New York City. The event opens with cocktail hour, followed by a dinner menu punctuated by comedy between courses. Tickets are $75 per person for dinner, along with wine and beer, compliments of Winebow Fine Wines and Spirits.

¯ 6 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Turn Every Page: The Adventures of Robert Caro and Robert Gottlieb,” directed by Lizzie Gottlieb. Running 112 minutes, this film explores the 50-year relationship between two literary legends, writer Robert Caro and his longtime editor Robert Gottlieb. Now 86, Caro is working to complete the final volume of his masterwork, “The Years of Lyndon Johnson.” Gottlieb, 91, waits to edit it. The task of finishing their life’s work looms before them. With humor and insight, this unique double portrait reveals the work habits, peculiarities and professional joys of these two ferocious intellects at the culmination of a journey that has consumed both their lives and impacted generations of politicians, activists, writers and readers.

¯ 7:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Memories of My Father,” directed by Fernando Trueba. Running 136 minutes, with subtitles, this film is based on his son’s acclaimed memoir, “El Olvido Que Seremos” (“Memories Of My Father”), which dramatizes the life of Hector Abad Gomez, a prominent doctor and human rights activist during the polarized and violent Medellin of the 1970s. A loving family man, Hector was equally devoted to the well-being of Colombia’s underprivileged children.

¯ 8:30 p.m., LPCA — Film: “Nelly & Nadine,” directed by Magnus Gertten. Running 92 minutes, with subtitles, this is the unlikely love story between two women falling in love on Christmas Eve, 1944, in the Ravensbruck concentration camp. For many years their relationship was kept a secret. Over a period of one year, Magnus Gertten accompanies granddaughter Sylvie on her cautious search, following the traces of the untold stories that are found in the various sources. It is a moving film about a deep and loving lesbian relationship and the necessity of individual and collective remembrance.

¯ 9-11 p.m., The Breakfast Club, etc. — Friday Night Film Trivia. This is one of the festival’s most popular mixers. Attendees will play in teams of four to test their cinema knowledge while getting to know each other.

Saturday

¯ 9 a.m., Grand Adirondack Hotel — Seminar: Film Production in the Adirondacks. Sponsored by the Adirondack Film Commission, join panelists Eric Granger, Michael Hansen and Jerry Stoeffhaas to discuss scouting, permitting and the breathtaking sites in the Adirondacks. Whether it is Great Camps, small deserted cabins, waterfalls, misty ponds, or the “Big Water” of Lake Champlain, the presenters will share their their secrets, experiences and techniques. Electricians, extras, sound crews, video technicians and make-up artists are available to assist. Tax credits available for filming in the Adirondack Park will be discussed.

¯ 9-11 a.m., LPCA — Films: 2022 Your Shorts Are Showing, Session 3. See 10 of the 30 films selected in the 4th annual Your Shorts Are Showing short film competition. The films will be: “Daddy’s Eyes” (directed by Drew Rosenberg); “pseudea” (Ani Stein); “The Story of Mama Butterfly” (Yuqian Cao); “Dear June” (Adrian Pacini); “Swimming Through” (Samantha Sanders); “3” (Peter Ney); “Cupid Jr.” (Adam Yuster); “Open House: (Rayisa Kondracki); and “F**K” (Joseph Rossi, David Magini).

¯ 10-11:30 a.m., High Peaks Resort — Seminar: Tools of the Terrifying Trade: DIY Terror. This event will be moderated by Shelagh Rowan-Legg, executive director of the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies. Many a budding filmmaker has gathered their friends, picked up a camera, and with script pages clutched in their hands, thrown themselves into making a film. And many of them have chosen the horror genre to tell their story. Horror lends itself the indie filmmaking spirit, and with the variety of equipment readily available, the possibilities are endless. What does it mean to make your own horror film: how do you find a story, get a cast and crew, how do you find locations, and what supplies do you need? Filmmakers Daniel Byers, Lucky Cerruti and Matt Sorenson will discuss the advantages of horror for micro-budget filmmaker, and what the filmmaker needs to know and do to make it happen.

¯ 10 a.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “The Forger” (second screening). See the description above.

¯ 10:30 a.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Fly Low Jack and the Game” (second screening). See the description above.

¯ 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., LPCA — Seminar: Cinematographers’ Dialogue. This seminar will provide engaging topics to discuss, including a Q&A interaction with the audience. The panelists — Valentina Caniglia, Frank Prinzi and Fred Murphy — will provide film excerpts to illustrate their conversation, which can be anything from de-constructing a scene, an exploration of the DP/Director relationship, post-production applications or how to apply the appropriate visual grammar when addressing the idea, mood and emotion of a scene. Dejan Georgevich will be the moderator.

¯ 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., High Peaks Resort — Seminar: How the TV Industry Really Works. Join Philip Gilpin Jr., CEO/executive director Catalyst Story Institute, for a comprehensive guide to the creative, business and audience cycles of the TV industry. Discover the step-by-step process from creative ideation through business representation (agents and managers) to distribution. Take a look into why the film arts are vastly different from the TV arts and determine where your preference lies as you explore the links between the many different creative roles. This workshop is the foundation for everything else you’ll do in the TV industry.

¯ 11:30 a.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “One Fine Morning,” directed by Mia Hansen-Love. Running 112 minutes, with subtitles, this film is about Sandra (Lea Seydoux), a widowed young mother raising her daughter on her own, while also caring for her sick father (Pascal Greggory). She’s dealing with the loss of the relationship she once had with her father, while she and her mother and sister fight to get him the care he requires. At the same time, Sandra reconnects with Clement (Melvil Poupaud), a friend she hasn’t seen in a while and, although he’s married, their friendship soon blossoms into a passionate affair.

¯ 11:30 a.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Drinkwater” (second screening). See the description above.

¯ 12:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Living in Delusionville,” directed by Constant van Hoeven (Mr. Kaleidoscope). Running 70 minutes, this is the story of artist Ron English, who plays by his own rules, creating dynamic art across the world that demands dialog and provokes action. From humble Midwestern beginnings, processing the commercial imagery of pop culture into a darker, funnier universe he calls Delusionville, English has pranked and pummeled his way into prominence, influencing generations of artists and laying the groundwork for the explosion of Street Art. The documentary explores the impact of corporate messaging through art and its necessary antidote: noncommercial thought-provoking public art. Constant van Hoeven (Mr. Kaleidoscope) will hold a Q&A following the screening.

¯ 12:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Memories of My Father” (second screening). See the description above.

¯ 1:30-3 p.m., High Peaks Resort — Seminar: Casting, From the Filmmakers’ Perspective. Join Jodi Purdy-Quinlan, of Jodi Purdy Casting, and Bob Luke, of Bob Luke Studios, to learn the fundamentals of engaging a casting director. As a filmmaker, learn what you should be looking for, what traits stand out, and how you should best coach your acting team after they have been selected. Learn what actors are looking for, and how to form a motivated, focused and energized acting coterie for your next film.

¯ 2-3:30 p.m., LPCA — Film: “Shades Inside the Blueline,” directed by Michael Hansen. Running 56 minutes, this documentary examines attitudes about race in New York’s Adirondack region and the historic and current cultural impact wrought by these attitudes. The Adirondack Park is a sprawling, rural region populated with largely homogeneous communities that are not often forced to examine their beliefs and perspectives around race. The film shares personal stories from BIPOC interviewees explaining the racism they’ve experienced in the Adirondacks, and posits plans to help the region ultimately become more inclusive. The director will be in attendance for a Q&A with the audience.

¯ 2 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Esperanto” (second screening). See the description above.

¯ 2:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Slap Shot” (second screening). A guest appearance, with a Q&A session, will be made by Steve Carlson, who portrays hockey player Steve Hanson in the movie.

¯ 3 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Return to Seoul,” directed by Davy Chou. Running 115 minutes, with subtitles, this is a story about a 25-year-old French woman who returns to Korea — the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple — for the very first time. She decides to track down her biological parents, but her journey takes a surprising turn.

¯ 3:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Eyes of Fire,” directed by Avery Crounse. Running 90 minutes, and rated R, this is the story about a preacher who is accused of adultery, and he and his followers are chased out of town. They become stranded in an isolated forest, which is haunted by the spirits of long dead Native Americans. Scholar Peg Aloi will introduce the film, discussing the roots and distinctions of the folk horror genre and exploring how this film’s story and tone create a uniquely American folk horror narrative. Co-sponsored by the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies, there will be a Q&A following the film.

¯ 3:30-5 p.m., High Peaks Resort — Seminar: So You Want to Make A Documentary? The Challenges and Rewards of Documentary Storytelling. Join filmmakers Chris Conto, Paul Frederick and Sarah Patton for this Interactive session. They will share their varied backgrounds and experiences and discuss and answer the audiences questions on how to research a subject, find a story, raise money and distribute documentary films.

¯ 3:30-5 p.m., High Peaks Resort — Seminar: Brave New Worlds: Women in Sci-Fi. Katie Chambers will moderate this session with panelists Julie Neira Campoverde, Emily Kaye, Eunice Levis and Anna White. Modern science fiction is about a whole lot more than little green men. From “Star Trek” to “Arrival,” science fiction world-building allows artists to explore political and cultural issues, and build idealized, equitable societies. This event is hosted by New York Women in Film & Television and Upstate Women in Film & Television.

¯ 4 p.m., LPCA — Film: “The Flag Makers,” directed by Cynthia Wade and Sharon Liese, and “Age of Humans,” directed by Rick Goden. Running 49 minutes, “The Flag Makers” is set in Oak Creek, Wisconsin — home of the largest American flag factory in the United States, where five million flags are sewed and shipped annually. These flags — which stand at our government buildings, courthouses, schools, veterans’ cemeteries and fly in parades around the nation — are stitched by refugees and immigrants from Iraq, Afghanistan, Burma, Congo, Serbia, Mexico, Pakistan and Mongolia. This short weaves the moving and surprising personal stories of these factory employees, whose patriotism and ties to their Midwestern community redefine what it is to be American. “The Age of Humans” explores a new chapter of Earth’s history, where humans have become so numerous, our lives so globally connected that we’ve become our own force of nature. Guest speaker Curt Stager, a professor at Paul Smith’s College, will present a look at how humans are shaping life and the environment on Earth.

¯ 5:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Next Exit,” directed by Mali Elfman. Running 106 minutes, this is the story of a research scientist, Rose, who makes national news proving she can track people into the afterlife. She sees a way out, and Teddy sees his chance to finally make it. These two strangers, both harboring dark secrets, race to join the doctor’s contentious study and leave this life behind. While Rose is haunted by a ghostly presence that she can’t outrun, Teddy is forced to confront his past. As these two misfits humorously quarrel their way across the country, they meet people along the way who force them to reckon with what is really driving them.

¯ 5:30 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Turn Every Page” (second screening). See the description above.

¯ 6 p.m., LPCA — Film: “Eradication,” directed by Daniel Byers. Running 87 minutes, “Eradication” was filmed in Lake Placid. When an unknown disease wipes out most of the world’s population, a man with unique blood is isolated for study. Fearing for his wife’s safety, he breaks his quarantine — into a world overrun by monstrous Infected and a shadowy agency hunting them down. The director will be in attendance for a Q&A with the audience.

¯ 8 p.m., High Peaks Resort — 2022 Your Shorts Awards & After Party.

¯ 8 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “Holy Spider,” directed by Ali Abbasi. Running 116 minutes, with subtitles, this film was inspired by true events. A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called “Spider Killer,” who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners. This film is the winner of the Best Actress Award (Zar Amir Ebrahimi) at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival.

¯ 8 p.m., Palace Theatre — Film: “The Automat,” directed by Lisa Hurwitz. Running 79 minutes, this film tells the 100-year story of iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the inspiration for Starbucks, where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. From the perspective of former customers — entertainer Mel Brooks, Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Secretary of State Colin Powell, the Horns, the Hardarts, and key employees — the audience watches a business climb to its peak success and then grapple with fast food in a forever changed America. Paul Hardart will be a guest speaker at the screening.

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