About the only thing that organizers of the Lake Placid Film Forum could have done better in their inaugural outing was to have arranged for better weather. Admittedly, that was just a bit beyond their grasp. Well within their grasp, however, was setting up an impressive array of panels, panelists and screenings that bode well for the future of an event that pointedly calls itself a "forum" rather than a "festival." The well-attended panel discussions certainly bolstered that self-perception.

"We wanted it to be a place where filmmakers and other interested people could come and discuss their work," explained Kathleen Carole, the event's Artistic Director and former film critic for The Daily News in New York City. "A 'forum' in the real sense of the word."

The four-day event reached its apogee on Saturday when forum-goers filled All available seating for a panel discussion on bringing novels to the screen. The panel was moderated by Ed Pomerantz, a Columbia University professor and Emmy Award-winning writer. But it was those he was moderating that really combined to send an electrical charge through the gathered throng. Russell Banks, Michael Ondaatje, Paul Schrader and Milos Foreman joined Pomerantz on the dais as they opined, contradicted, jousted and praised one another before a hugely appreciative crowd of filmmakers, writers and local residents. If that was the main course of the day, then the afternoon panel which saw Christian Science Monitor film critic David Sterrit moderate a discussion between actor Cliff Robertson and actor/writer/director Buck Henry was dessert. The evening tribute to Milos Forman, which doubled as a fundraiser for Fledgling Films, director Jay Craven's Vermont-based program for teaching filmmaking to local teenagers, was the cherry on top. After a morning screening the previous day of Foreman's 1965 crowd-pleaser, Loves of a Blonde, it was more than just a bit of a thrill to hear Vladimir Pucholt -- the young, male lead of the film, now a physician living in Canada - recount the early days of his relationship with the director.

Oddly enough, it was only on Saturday that the clouds parted to reveal the striking beauty of the surroundings to otherwise fogged-in film lovers. Could it be…?

Various other panels took place over the four days, many of which concentrated on the influence of new technology on the screenwriting process. Most illuminating of these, perhaps, was the one that featured Banks (as one of the organizers of the forum, Banks worked overtime, appearing in virtually every panel relevant to writers), director Richard Rush, digitalidiot.com's Jason Tugman and VP of promotions at BroadcastDVD.com Jeryll Adler. Tellingly, perhaps, Banks and Rush sat at the table unencumbered by anything aside from their opinions. Digital filmmaker Tugman, however, interspersed his comments with work (apparently) on the laptop computer that sat open before him throughout the session. Adler kept her hands on a puppy that did not leave her lap the entire weekend. Security blanket, anyone? Identity crisis, perhaps? Not surprisingly, the eloquent and wizened Banks and Rush engaged the audience's sympathies, leaving the well-spoken tech heads in the familiar position of intoning, 'you just don't get it,' to what they appear to consider -- implicitly, at least -- Luddite onlookers.

While the panels were stimulating, films screened were somewhat less so as the schedule was dominated by films already well-known on the festival circuit. Nevertheless, with an emphasis on selling tickets to regional residents who are not likely to be film festival junkies, the Forum's program succeeded in drawing a significant number of viewers to most films. Although the Film Forum was not, in the real sense, a competitive festival, the audience-voted Silver Deer Awards went to Saving Grace (UK) for Best Feature; an Honorable Mention went to Backroads (Canada); Poles Apart (US), for Best Documentary; and Tulip, for Best Short.

There are, indeed, historical underpinnings for a festival of this type in Lake Placid, one of the many jewels of the rugged Adirondack Mountains. According to Executive Director, Naj Wikoff, a nearby sanatorium played home to many a TB sufferer, many of whom were members of the New York film community, in the early part of this century. As they recuperated from their illness, Wikoff says, they also contemplated the dramatic scenery, composing films in their heads as they rested in the famous Adirondack chairs that are fixtures in the area. Those thoughts turned to reality once they returned to their workaday lives, most famously in the silent icon, Perils of Pauline, that was shot in the region in 1914.

In addition to its role in cinema history, Lake Placid and the surrounding area have been home to writers for decades. The Film Forum's concentration on screenwriting and technology, Wykoff (a local sculptor) contends, flows from that history. In a more contemporary vein, Wykoff compared the Forum to a microbrewery where "taste, quality and regional identity" are integral. With only a few glitches scattered across the four days, organizers have laid the foundation for an event that has the capacity, on the surface, at least, to rival Sundance, a situation that organizers hope to avoid. Although a handful of business types were in attendance - including Shooting Gallery president, Eamon Bowles; Sony Classics co-president, Michael Barker; and Goatsingers executive, Peggy Gormley; among others - the goal is to make Lake Placid a true forum for filmmakers and others involved in the creative side of the industry.

Now, if they could only do something about those clouds.

Moving Pictures Contributor
Jeffrey Sipe