Jury's pick is sometimes a get out clause for judges, to award a second 'Movie of the Year' or simply to cover our backs. But this year, we saw a whole influx of intriguing, more conceptual projects that don't fit into the other categories too well. Plenty of movies were discussed, from Dylan Siggers' Free In Your Body, to the Bunch's Sensus (before it didn't drop before the end of year). But our winner made our Movie of the Year shortlist, despite not being a typical ski movie.

Mike King's ski film, "The Lake Effect," takes the Jury's Pick for the NewSchoolers Awards 2024, speaking to our judges with its unique take on skiing in the Great Lakes region.

Released late in the movie season, perhaps it didn't get all the attention it deserved, But the film stands out with both its storytelling and brilliant cinematography, showcasing both the beauty and challenges of Midwest skiing. It captures the resilience and pure stoke of the local skiing community.

The film weaves in personal stories from King, and sees him navigating unique 'big mountain' terrain in the midwest that definitely had the judges asking why, yet left us super impressed too. And he went back to hit the tractor tow in double wedge booter that he grew up on. Check out the movie in it's full glory here, it's well work the watch.

https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/1086126/JURY-PICK-16X9-mp4