Lake Placid Film Festival
This past Saturday, November 9, the Film Club ventured to Lake Placid to attend the 2024 Lake Placid Film Festival. Feeling the frigid cold air after getting my event pass around 9:30 a.m. couldn’t prevent my excitement for the day.
After getting breakfast at Origin Coffee, I made my way to the theater. The first film I was able to watch, “Ghost Cat Anzu” is an animated film directed by Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita. The titular character is very reminiscent of the familiar cartoon character Garfield, who is also a talking cat. I found the animation to be visually pleasing and colorful. The story was as cute as it was emotional. One thing I admired about the film was that it was accessible for all ages, not necessarily directed only for children. I’m sure that people who grew up watching Studio Ghibli films will especially find this film entertaining. Other students who watched the film also had nothing but good things to say about it.
Lake Placid itself is a gorgeous place with so much to do. In the time in between films, it was a pleasure to explore the main street and all the shops and scenery, as well as the Olympic center. I couldn’t think of a better place in the Adirondacks to hold the film festival. Another student who attended the festival, Opor Promkaewtor ’27 said the “Palace Cinema is truly a great host for the Lake Placid Film Festival! The variety of films was exceptional for independent cinema lovers. I had a blast exploring films from different countries.”
The second film I viewed was Kaniehtiio Horn’s directorial debut, “Seeds,” which she also wrote and starred in. The plot follows a Mohawk social media influencer who returns home to house-sit for her cousin, pulling her away from the city life she has grown used to. When an external threat puts her life and her family’s legacy in jeopardy, she must take matters into her own hands and fight for what matters most to her. I enjoyed this film’s dark comedic and suspenseful moments, as well as the great acting from most of the actors and actresses. However, I felt that its short runtime was a disservice to the film. More development to the climax would have made the conclusion more complete and satisfying. I will say it has one of the most tremendous ending shots in film of the year.
Other students opted to see Los Frikis, a Spanish film directed by Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz. Promkaewtor described it as “a great punk film that unfolds a coming-of-age story with a backdrop of Cuba in the 1990s!” I wish I could have seen every film, but I had to make some decisions due to conflicting times.
Finally, the theater showed “Miracle (2004),” as it is its 20th anniversary this year. The film follows the 1980 U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team journey to the gold medal that took place in Lake Placid. U.S. hockey gold medalist Buzz Schneider, who was on the hockey team, attended the screening. Despite the chilling weather throughout the day, I would say that the trip was a success, and the festival was an enjoyable experience. Definitely something to check out in the future. Also, join the Film Club!