LAKE PLACID -- Lorie Conway's Irish grandparents first touched American soil at Ellis Island in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.

"I found their entry on ellisisland.org," said the author/producer of the film "Forgotten Ellis Island," which screens at 7:30 p.m. at Lake Placid Center for the Arts. "My grandfather came through with next to nothing as a 17-year-old. Within 10 years, he was married, owned a home. He worked like a dog, living the American dream."

Conway's project focuses on the 22-building hospital facility on Ellis, abandoned for five decades, a decaying monument to the waves of immigrants that landed on the island. Her interest was piqued 10 years ago, when she first saw photos of the hospital.

"It just compelled me," she said in a phone interview from Boston. "The hospital had contributed to our immigration history, but nobody had done anything about it" on film or in book form.

The very next day, she contacted the National Park Service that has jurisdiction over Ellis Island. And with three grants from the National Endowment of the Arts and the assistance of a team of research scholars, she blew the dust off images and documents that no one had viewed for decades and compiled the hospital's history in both documentary and book form.

The film, narrated by Elliott Gould and produced by Conway's company, Boston Film & Video Production, premiered at Ellis Island in late October. She is now traveling with it from screening to screening, including the Lake Placid showing, which is hosted by Adirondack Medical Center. And she looks forward to its television premiere in late 2008 as a Prime Time National Special.

Friday, a reception will follow the film, and Conway will autograph copies of her book.

Ten years is a long time. But in the interim, interest has built in reclaiming the hospital, with the creation of Save Ellis Island Foundation. Plans are, said Conway, to create a public health museum there and an immigration institute conference center.

"I kept thinking this was taking me forever," she said. "Now it feels like the best time in the world to be bringing it out."

Admission to "Forgotten Ellis Island" is $25. Call 523-2512 for more information.