Ely Film Festival MN

Ely Film Festival MN Ely Film Festival, 2026. Wednesday, March 11 - Sunday, March 15. Stay tuned

Calling all Ely Film Festival Enthusiasts! Join the Ely Film Fest this weekend for a screening of Winter Hymns, the newe...
06/01/2026

Calling all Ely Film Festival Enthusiasts!

Join the Ely Film Fest this weekend for a screening of Winter Hymns, the newest film from EFF alumni Nathan Deming. Nathan was last in Ely when his film, February, headlined Friday night of the 2025 Ely Film Festival.

Help us welcome Nathan back to Ely this weekend!

🎬✨ And the winners of the Ely Film Festival are… ✨🎬What an incredible week of storytelling, creativity, and community. W...
03/20/2026

🎬✨ And the winners of the Ely Film Festival are… ✨🎬

What an incredible week of storytelling, creativity, and community. We’re thrilled to announce this year’s award-winning films:

🏆 Audience Choice Feature Film: Remaining Native — Directed by Paige Bethmann
🏆 Audience Choice Short Film: The Life We Have — Directed by Sam Price-Waldman

⭐ Best Feature Film: Nika and Madison — Directed by Eva Thomas
⭐ Best Documentary Film: Observer — Directed by Ian Cheney (Award accepted by Dallas Hudson)
⭐ Best Short Film: The Mourning After — Directed by Michael Winningham
⭐ Best Director: Jonathon Thunder for Ish Meets a Mermaid
⭐ Best Cinematography: Land of Canaan — Directed by Maggie Lemere
⭐ Best Minnesota Film: Medicine Ball — Directed by Leya Hale
⭐ Independent Spirit Award: Adventure School — Directed by Brett Ross

Thank you to all of the filmmakers who shared their work and to our everyone who showed up, voted, and filled Ely's Historic State Theater with energy and conversation. 🎥❤️

🎉📽🏆 Announcing the 2026 Ely Film Festival awards! 🎉📽🏆Thank you to the Grand Ely Lodge for hosting our Awards Ceremony an...
03/17/2026

🎉📽🏆 Announcing the 2026 Ely Film Festival awards! 🎉📽🏆

Thank you to the Grand Ely Lodge for hosting our Awards Ceremony and thank you to Upper Midwest Film Office and Tofte Lake Center for presenting during the program.

⭐️Best Feature Film: Nika and Madison directed by Eva Thomas

⭐️Best Documentary Film: Observer directed by Ian Cheney and award accepted by Dallas Hudson

⭐️Best Short Film: The Mourning After directed by Michael Winningham

⭐️Best Director: Jonathon Thunder for the short film Ish Meets a Mermaid

⭐️Best Cinematography: Land of Canaan directed by Maggie Lemere

⭐️Best Minnesota Film: Medicine Ball directed by Leya Hale

⭐️The Independent Spirit Award: Adventure School directed by Brett Ross

Congratulations to all our award-winning films! We will be announcing the Audience Choice Feature & Short Film Awards this weekend after all the audience voting comes in.

Only 359 days until the 2027 Ely Film Festival! Have you started your countdown? Honestly though, we hope you're not cou...
03/16/2026

Only 359 days until the 2027 Ely Film Festival! Have you started your countdown?

Honestly though, we hope you're not counting down yet - we hope you're spending this week continuing to nourish, interrogate and explore the human stories and feelings that we all shared this last week.

Photos, video, and reflection from us coming soon... Stay tuned!

Photo by Chris Ellerbroek

We had a packed theater for Friday's Neighborly Shorts block, sponsored by the Ely Folk School, featuring films from acr...
03/14/2026

We had a packed theater for Friday's Neighborly Shorts block, sponsored by the Ely Folk School, featuring films from across Minnesota, the Iron Range, and Ely.

It was heartwarming to see so many familiar and inspiring stories and faces showcased on the big screen.

Thank you to our Q+A panel for reminding us that all of us have stories worth sharing and that almost everyone has a camera in their pocket. We hope you'll consider sharing a story for our local shorts block at the 2027 Ely Film Festival.

We are officially switching our history walking tour to a seated, downtown Ely PRESENTATION in the Greenstone Cinema (lo...
03/13/2026

We are officially switching our history walking tour to a seated, downtown Ely PRESENTATION in the Greenstone Cinema (located inside of Ely's Historic State Theater). This presentation is being provided by Jess Edberg of the Dorothy Molter Museum, who also severs as the host of the monthly History Happy Hour. It's sure to be entertaining and educational -- worth trudging through the snow.

Day One of the 2026 Ely Film Festival was a beautiful reminder of the importance of sharing independent stories! From ou...
03/12/2026

Day One of the 2026 Ely Film Festival was a beautiful reminder of the importance of sharing independent stories!

From our first show at 3pm to our fourth and last show of the day at 7 pm, 391 tickets were sold! Talk about a good Wednesday!

Tickets are still available tonight for our Opening Ceremony and feature film - Nika and Madison!

See you at the movies!

The films don’t stop when the credits roll.Keep the conversations going at the official Ely Film Festival after parties,...
03/11/2026

The films don’t stop when the credits roll.

Keep the conversations going at the official Ely Film Festival after parties, hosted by some of Ely’s favorite spots, all just steps from the theater.

Join filmmakers, festivalgoers, and fellow story lovers each night after screenings for a chance to connect, celebrate, and keep the energy going downtown.

2026 Ely Film Festival After Parties
• Wednesday, March 11 | 8:00–10:00 PM at Insula Restaurant
• Thursday, March 12 | 9:00–11:00 PM at The Boathouse Brewpub & Restaurant
• Friday, March 13 | 9:00–11:00 PM at Frisky Otter Pub & Eatery
• Saturday, March 14 | 9:00–11:00 PM at Crazy Rabbit

Whether you’re here for one screening or the full five-day festival, this is where the Ely Film Festival community comes alive after dark.

March 11–15, 2026
80+ films. Five days. One unforgettable Northwoods experience.

Get your tickets and passes at elyfilmfest.org

Thank you to our after party hosts for helping make the festival feel like home in Ely.

Artist Sarah Vogl at

At the Ely Film Festival, Sunday is packed with powerful storytelling from start to finish.From the Award Ceremony at Gr...
03/11/2026

At the Ely Film Festival, Sunday is packed with powerful storytelling from start to finish.

From the Award Ceremony at Grand Ely Lodge to a full day of films at the State Theater, Greenstone, and Auxiliary venues, there’s still time to catch some of the festival’s most moving work before we close out the weekend.

Sunday, March 15 Highlights:
• 9:00–10:30 AM Award Ceremony at Grand Ely Lodge (invite only)
• 11:00 AM Her/Mine
• 11:30 AM Life Online Shorts + filmmaker Q&A
• 1:30 PM Battersea + filmmaker Q&A
• 2:00 PM Family Dynamics Shorts + filmmaker Q&A
• 4:00 PM Maah Daah Hey: Together

Come celebrate bold filmmaking, fresh voices, and stories that stay with you.

Get out, see a film, and close the festival with us.

03/05/2026

Less than a week until stories come to life up north.

From March 11–15, the Ely Film Festival returns to Ely’s Historic State Theater with 80+ films across five days of screenings, conversations, and celebration of cinema.

For filmmakers, Ely is something special.
Your work meets an audience that listens, asks questions, and stays for the conversation.

For audiences, it is five days of discovery. Independent films, documentaries, and short film programs from around the world, all experienced together in Ely’s restored Art Deco State Theater.

During the festival you will experience:

• Feature films, documentaries, and curated short programs
• Filmmaker Q&As and conversations
• Panels, parties and festival gatherings
• A theater full of people who care about stories

Individual tickets and festival passes are available now.

How to buy:
• Visit elyfilmfest.org
• Click the Ely Film Festival tab
• Browse the films and select View More → Buy Tickets

Seats are limited by theater capacity.
Once a screening is full, it is full.

March 11–15, 2026
Ely’s Historic State Theater
Ely, Minnesota

Artist: Sarah Vogl
Instagram:

Address

238 E Sheridan Street
Ely, MN
55731

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