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Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 3:20 AM

Ely Echo Editorial: Ely makes the big screen at the State

We’ve been waiting two years and this week the filmed-in Ely movie “Boundary Waters” made it to the big screen at Ely’s Historic State Theater.

The movie depicts a young boy coming of age as he deals with family trauma and how it impacts his life.

For those who go and think the movie is in some way related to the title or to the location, they may be in for a surprise. The film could’ve been shot anywhere, but we’re happy it was shot here.

The economic impact of the filming provided a shot in the arm for Ely’s business community a couple of springs back. There were also numerous local folks hired to work on the project and many familiar faces and places can be found on the big screen.

Some of the more familiar scenes included Whiteside Park, Ely schools, City Hall, the Ely Post Office, Zaverl’s Bar, east Harvey Street, Semers Park and Ely-Bloomenson Community Hospital. In addition, there were numerous scenes of the beautiful place we call home.

After the movie, there was a short question- and-answer session with folks who work to bring movie productions to northeast Minnesota. We thank all who have been involved in making this happen including elected officials who have put in competitive incentive programs for moviemakers.

There was a full house on Wednesday night as “Boundary Waters” finally premiered in Ely and there is expected to be a similar result tonight when the film is played again.

The Ely Echo has been a sponsor of the Ely Film Festival since its inception and we’re proud to see the event highlight a film with so many Ely ties.

We would agree that the film title should be changed to something more reflective of the film itself.

There was a Bigfoot movie filmed here recently and another film as well. We’re looking forward to more familiar sites on the big screen.


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