Dive into the world of filmmaking, learn from industry pros, and gear up for this year’s student film competition with free virtual or in-person workshops from Mountain Lake PBS.

🎬 Kickoff your filmmaking journey!
🎤 Learn audio/video skills from the pros!
📝 Insider tips on entering the competition!
A great opportunity for any classroom or homeschool setting, year-round workshops support teen media-makers with flexible scheduling and a range of topics. Whether students dream of directing, editing, or being behind the camera, they’ll sharpen their skills and take their filmmaking to the next level. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn, create, and get inspired!
Filmmaking 101 Workshop Series Sessions
☑️ Pick your session type:
- Filmmaking 101 overview
- Pre-production – planning and writing your plot and characters.
- Production and post – techniques and strategies to make your film shine.
- Professional and peer review – look at works-in-progress with a professional media maker and other film fest participants.
- Submission how-tos – get step-by-step guidance to finalize your submission on Launchpad.
⏱ Choose the length:
- 45 min – 1 hour intro session
- 2 hour session with specific subject examples and group activities
Ready to get started? All workshops by Mountain Lake PBS are FREE of charge, and offer CTLE credit. Contact our team at education@mountainlake.org, or by phone at 518-563-9770, to set up a workshop today!
Learn More About the Competition

Open to teens aged 14-18 across New York, Vermont, and Quebec, the Beyond the Peaks Film Fest offers young creators the chance to tell their stories for a shot at the $1,000 top prize. Aspiring filmmakers can enter as part of a classroom project or independently. Our free, online submission platform is Edlaw 2-d compliant, and gives teachers the ability to assign tasks and monitor students’ progress.
For more classroom-ready resources, tools, and tips, check out our Storytelling and Filmmaking collection on PBS LearningMedia and the festival homepage for genre-specific category insights. Keep up-to-date on all our filmmaking resources for students and teachers, program deadlines, and more by subscribing to the Beyond the Peaks mailing list.
Enter the “Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival”!

To get started, create a student or teacher account on Launchpad. Explore tutorials, resources, and step-by-step instructions on how to successfully submit your completed film entries!
Documentary | Narrative | Thriller | 60-Second Challenge | Open entry
Submissions are due May 13th with winners announced at an end-of-school year Red Carpet Showcase. The top three winners will receive a cash prize and video supplies!
Sign up for Beyond the Peaks!
Register your account today to get started and receive email updates about the festival.



