“You don’t have to be a film student,” said Juliana Flores-Ortiz, a Student Summit alumna. “You just need to be passionate about film.”

Except for the price of travel to Lake Placid, the program pays for everything from meals to lodging to festival passes. The screening process is standard: A selection committee reviews the applications and chooses eight to 12 students to join the program. However, that’s where the typicality ends. As director of the Student Summit program, Noah Ramer explained that the Lake Placid Film Festival is comprised of phenomenal people who are trying to build something special, an effort not least of all exemplified by the program’s mandate to redress underrepresentation.

“At this point in our economy, it’s hard for students to go to film festivals,” Ramer said. “The program attempts to help anyone interested in film, but we do look at underrepresented populations in our region so that they can graduate from school and jump right into the workforce. We want to make sure we’re representing everyone in our community and not leaving anyone out.”

A recent film studies graduate, Ramer remembered his experience with the high cost of film festivals.

“I come from a low-middle class family,” he said. “I couldn’t afford anything. Thankfully my professors funded me to attend the Venice Film Festival in Italy, and it really opened my eyes to how accessible things can be for students.”

A day in the life of a student in the Student Summit program is smooth and well-planned. Students start with a breakfast with one of the festival panelists. After breakfast, students attend panels in the morning, break for lunch, see a few films in the afternoon, break for dinner, then have a big networking event in the evening. There are theme nights like trivia night and bonfire night, but the breakfast with the panelists is the crowning glory and what really sets the Student Summit apart from similar programs.

“Every day the students start off with a breakfast with a panel specialist,” Ramer said. “We are a very conversational, casual environment, but no one other than the students in the Student Summit program get an exclusive room with these folks for 45 minutes to just pick their brains. Everyone who has come to be part of the summit say it’s the best part of the festival. The students and the filmmakers say it’s their favorite part.”

Natalia Lewis, another program alumna, agreed that the breakfast with a film industry expert was an unforgettable experience.

“The breakfast was by far one of the most valuable parts of the program,” Lewis said. “You got to connect one-on-one with everyone presenting. You could ask more personal questions. You could network in a comfortable environment. And it’s a good opportunity to tell them about you. You had the opportunity to learn about everyone’s story, and you received first-hand advice.”

As Flores-Ortiz put it, “It really cemented the feeling that it’s not a rat-race, that it’s not always that cutthroat competition that you feel so sharply in New York City. It was such a refreshing, warm experience.”

Despite having attended many international film festivals, Ramer explained that he stays with the Lake Placid Film Festival because it is special.

“The environment here is interpersonal,” he described. “There is a true passion and caring that comes from everyone, from Gary Smith (chair of the Lake Placid Film Festival) to the volunteer who volunteers for one day. It’s honestly why I haven’t gone anywhere.”

Both Lewis and Flores-Ortiz couldn’t agree more. As Flores-Ortiz reminisced, “The physical experience of being in the Adirondacks was special. I take the Amtrak train to get to Lake Placid, and it’s just beautiful taking the train up Hudson in the fall. It’s a physical, transitional experience. It’s a refreshing experience in every way, and it feels more like a community, a family, than an ordinary gathering of people.”

“The Student Summit was more than just about work and film,” Lewis said. “It was about building confidence and finding community. Every single person there is rooting for you to be successful. It’s just such a good, inspiring environment to be in. I gained so much confidence in myself.”

If you are interested in learning more about the Lake Placid Film Festival and the Student Summit program, check out the Lake Placid Film Festival website at www.adirondackfilm.org and the Student Summit program at https://tinyurl.com/n9kd3nwj.