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Starting on Wednesday, March 12 and running through Sunday, March 16, Ely’s Historic State Theater will host the third annual Ely Film Festival (EFF), showcasing a lineup of 31 film screenings, including full-length feature films and short film blocks.
The festival focuses on many Minnesota-made films as well as contributions from Indigenous filmmakers, including the feature films Singing Back the Buffalo, DeColonizing Our Youth, Electric Indian, and the age-appropriate shorts block
Dibaajimowin. This year, on Friday, March 14, EFF will include the third annual Indigenous Students Day program, inviting over 100 students and educators from more than six area schools to participate.
Tessa Blake, director of the festival’s standout film Boundary Waters–a coming- of-age feature drama filmed in Ely, MN, will be attending the showing of the film on Saturday, March 15, 2025, and will be the keynote speaker for the 2025 Ely Film Festival awards ceremony on Sunday, March 16, 2025 at the Grand Ely Lodge. Festival organizers have received RSVP’s from 45+ filmmakers who plan to visit Ely, many for their first visit to attend Ely Film Festival.
Due to local, regional, and state-wide film production tax incentives, Ely has become an increasingly attractive destination for film projects, attracting spending from a growing industry outside of its traditionally peak seasons. Recent productions, such as Boundary Waters, Bigfoot Woods, and a horror film that’s being shot in Ely this February 2025, highlight the small town’s success in welcoming film productions from outside the area.
“It’s been an honor to facilitate such a powerful cultural event in Ely in the dead of winter,” says Jacob White, Artistic Director of Ely’s Historic State Theater. “I love seeing the cross-pollination of various groups represented . We’d like to invite anyone who’s thinking of attending to come on out and join the party!”
View the full festival schedule and buy tickets by visiting the Ely Historic State Theater’s website.
