The Lake Placid Film Forum has announced that
its second edition, held in the eponymous picturesque lakeside village in
upstate New York, is ready to go with a full slate of films and a cast of
attendees likely to rival Cannes this year.
The event this year will again focus on two areas: one
is to explore through forums, film and panels the question 'Do
Filmmakers Have Social Responsibility?'
Panel participants and those confirmed to hold master
classes include New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell; Raoul Peck;
Kimberly Pierce; Allison Anders; Lisa Cholodenko; Russell Banks; John Irving;
Phillip Lopate; Michael Barker; Whit Stillman; Alison Maclean; William Kennedy;
Stephen Schiff; Eamon Bowles; Chris Noth; Robert Downey Sr; and Albert Maysles.
The opening film on 6 June is Ed Burns' Sidewalks
of New York, in which six fictional Manhattan residents talk about their
attitudes toward sex and marriage.
Also included in the Forum's feature section is Sundance
favourite Amy's Orgasm; Peter Sheridan's cinematic version of the Brendan
Behan classic, Borstal Boy; Hedwig and the Angry Inch; How
to Kill Your Neighbor's Dogs; Things Behind the Sun; and the swashbuckling
adventure film Young Blades.
As well as the features programme, there are also documentary and shorts
sections. One highlight of the four-day event will be the bestowal of the
Career Achievement Award on director Norman
Jewison.
