AdkAction’s annual Beyond the Peaks Student Film Festival is a celebration of student creativity and talent that gives youth a chance to win prizes and have their voices heard in their community. This year, the festival truly went “beyond the peaks” by accepting submissions from talented high school filmmakers across New York State.

A panel of judges — including current and retired educators, film and video professionals, festival organizers and sponsors — used scoring rubrics to rate films in six categories:  Drama, Animation, Comedy, Documentary, Public Service Announcement (PSA), and Trailer.

The festival culminated in an online awards ceremony  that interspersed pre-recorded segments with live acceptance speeches from student filmmakers. The top film in each category was awarded a trophy, with the overall highest rated film receiving an additional award of $1,000. A special prize of $250 was also bestowed on a film that was inspired by an AdkAction project.

Watch the Awards Ceremony recording here: 

Visit our Beyond the Peaks Cinema page to enjoy full length films of the top three entries in each category.

Special thanks to Lake Placid Institute for supporting this event!