30 feature films, award-winning documentaries, and dozens of short films were all presented, honored, and discussed at this year’s 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Lake Placid Film Festival. Seminars & panel discussions were held too, with the centerpiece of this year’s festival being a tribute to filmmaker and director Raoul Peck, whose work includes the highly acclaimed documentary, “I am not your Negro”, that aired nationally on PBS three years ago, and his newly released HBO series “Exterminate all the Brutes”.
Jeffrey Brown, the Chief Arts Correspondent for the PBS NewsHour joined Raoul Peck on stage for a conversation about his career, his work, and his life. “I am Not Your Negro” is based on the writings of author James Baldwin. The film was shown at the Palace Theatre during the festival, with both Peck and Brown hosting a Q&A with audience members. The organizers of the film festival were happy to welcome Raoul Peck back to Lake Placid. He was one of the directors and filmmakers honored during the very first year of the film festival back in 2000.
For PBS NewsHour correspondent Jeffrey Brown, this was his first visit to Lake Placid in years, and a chance to interview Raoul Peck for a second time. He did a story on Peck back in 2017, when “I Am Not Your Negro” was nominated for an Academy Award.