ELY — It's only fitting that the northern edge of the Northland, site of so many spectacular films and photos, is finally getting a chance to see a generous selection of the independent movies made here and elsewhere.
"We knew that there is a lot of talent in the state, and a lot of activity happening in the independent film industry," said Jacob White. "The opportunity to see a lot of that work doesn't usually present itself in Ely. You'd have to go down to Duluth or down to the Twin Cities or some other place to see independent film."
White is director of the newly minted End of the Road Film Festival, running Thursday through Sunday at Ely's Historic State Theater and the Greenstone Cinema. Over 35 filmmakers will be on hand as 75-plus feature and short films play to eager audiences.
"We've got over 200 passes going out, which is amazing," said White, referring to the all-inclusive festival passes; tickets to individual features and short film blocks will also be sold. "Couldn't have even hoped for such a good turnout."
The film festival is being presented in association with the annual Ely Winter Festival, which kicked off last week and runs through Sunday. "There's just a buzz and an energy in the air," said White. "That's always the case with the Winter Festival."
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"I love the idea that Ely has a film festival. There's a lot of creative talent up there, and it's just expanding the interest in film across the state," said Riki McManus, chief production officer at the Upper Midwest Film Office. "They've got some great filmmakers coming. I think it's going to be a really nice festival, and combining it with their Winter Fest up there is a great idea."
White grew up in Tennessee, first came to the Northland for a Boundary Waters expedition when he was a teenager, and moved here full time in 2018. He said that through his video production company, White Pine Productions, "I produce content for small businesses and nonprofits that I partner with, to help them tell their story and get it out there to their audiences."
The idea of an Ely film festival has been in the air for the past several years. The Historic State Theater, which dates to 1936, was purchased by Alley A Realty in 2014 and subsequently renovated.
"People were talking and just imagining all of the different types of things that could come to Ely. Live music, theater, maybe a film festival," said White. "I had been hearing that idea floated around for some years now, and really was inspired by a lot of the momentum in the film industry in northeastern Minnesota to apply for our first grant to do our own film festival."
Legendary polar explorer Will Steger will participate in a question-and-answer session after one of the festival's opening night features, "After Antarctica." Tasha Van Zandt's documentary tells the story of Steger's remarkable career and his concern over climate change. An afterparty will follow, at the Boathouse Brewpub and Restaurant.
Friday is designated Indigenous Students Day at the festival. "We have a series of films playing that are by made by Native filmmakers," said White. "'Spirit of the Peaks' is a film that comes from a skier out west and his relationship with skiing and his identity and how his Indigeneity ties into his experience as a skier. It's very inspirational."
Over 100 students from several area schools will attend that 10 a.m. screening, said White. Some will stay for additional programming including a block of Indigenous shorts and the feature "Bring Her Home," about missing and murdered Indigenous relatives. That feature will be followed by a panel discussion, performances of healing songs and a "community learn and discussion" at Ely Folk School.
Other musical performances at the festival will include a Saturday night show by local favorites Rich Mattson and the Northstars and a Friday acoustic set from a duo called The Bergamot. The members of that New York City band are also the filmmakers behind "State of the Unity."
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"They made this really beautiful documentary about their journey by car across the United States in 2016, when there was so much hate and division going around," said White. The film expresses "their message of unity and how important it is to be able to hold different worldviews and to connect with folks that are different than ourselves."
Another highlight, said White, will be Saturday's matinee screening of a movie called "Musher." Understating matters somewhat, White said that "we have a very active musher community in Ely and the surrounding area." The film focuses on four women mushers preparing for the CopperDog race in Michigan.
Other programming at the festival will include a Saturday morning presentation by McManus and her UMFO colleague Shari Marshik.
"We're going to present on what it's like to film in Minnesota," said McManus. "I think this is going to be great for us, because we haven't met many of the filmmakers that are going to be presenting there. Not all of them know the story of why it is a very good time to take advantage of the incentives that we have in our region."
"It's a great time of year to visit Ely," said White. "We're excited to start a new event and hopefully attract a new demographic of people to Ely, for arts programming, who then might see what other cool things are happening and be interested to come back next year."
For a complete schedule and ticket information, see elyfilmfest.com.
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