The festival will take place Oct. 21-24, and cinematic programming will happen year-round, appealing to filmmakers, aficionados and casual viewers alike.

With the many challenges faced by the entertainment industry last year, including the cancellation of events like the festival, Adirondack Film has reimagined programming, events and partnerships so they can continue planning cinematic events.

The 20th annual Lake Placid Film Festival will include a special tribute dinner with Raoul Peck, director, writer and producer of Oscar-nominated documentary, “I Am Not Your Negro,” and the recent HBO docu-series, “Exterminate All the Brutes” on Friday, Oct. 22. This event will feature a discussion between Peck and Jeffrey Brown, a senior correspondent on “PBS NewsHour.”

An array of regional premieres of independent, local and short films will include the 2021 “Your Shorts are Showing” short film program and 2020 shorts finalists, including the 2020 winner, “The King and the Pawn,” an animated film directed by Caleb Blue.

An opening night cocktail reception on Thursday, Oct. 21 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Lake Placid Film Festival, featuring a preview of each feature length film showing at the Festival

There will be ndustry events, including panels and education seminars.

There will also be Q&As with filmmakers after select movies.

“The recent history of film in Lake Placid began with Kathleen Carroll, the New York Daily News chief film critic, who grew up in the area. Her passion for film and the region led her to found Adirondack Film and the Lake Placid Film Festival,” Adirondack Film Chairman Gary Smith said in a statement. “She has been a champion of us as she earned great respect in the field through her honest, insightful reviews and has shared her good judgement in discovering unique films and film events. We’ve also had visits from Martin Scorsese, Jon Favreau, Guillermo del Toro, Elvis Mitchell and Kyra Sedgwick, and we’re so proud that we’ve fostered a conversation and hub of film appreciation in the Adirondack region over the past 20 years. We look forward to many more years of sharing a passion for film with the community.”

Beyond the festival, the organization will continue advancing the art and appreciation of film and filmmaking in the Adirondack region with events such as the spring streaming of the Select Filmmakers’ Series, monthly films during the winter and spring at the Lake Placid Center of the Arts, and special summer presentations in many of the Adirondack region’s historic theaters.

Throughout the past fall and winter seasons, Adirondack Film hosted the Featured Filmmaker Series that allowed viewers to safely watch critically acclaimed short films virtually, including live moderated interviews with the filmmakers and industry professionals.

For more information, visit www.adirondackfilm.org (click “Film Festival”) for the latest on the festival schedule, year-round programming, and to learn more about Adirondack Film.

For 20 years, The Lake Placid Film Festival has served as a hub for filmmakers and film lovers in Upstate New York and beyond. Located in the heart of the Adirondack Park, the scenery is stunning and the artistry found and featured at the festival has been extraordinary. Throughout the years, the festival has hosted Academy Award-winning directors including Guillermo Del Toro, John Sayles, Milos Forman, Norman Jewison and Martin Scorsese. Actors including Jon Favreau, Steve Buscemi, Willem Dafoe and many more have also made their way to the festival, solidifying LPFF’s place in the world of film.