Please join us at the Northern Lights Independent and Indigenous Film Festival scheduled for April 4-7, 2007 in Bemidji, MN. We plan on bringing some first rate Indigenous and Independent films to the north country in our second year of the film festival.

Organizational sponsors of the 2007 Film Festival are American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota-Greater Minnesota Racial Justice Project, Bemidji Area Indian Center, Indigenous Environmental Network-Bemidji national office, White Earth Land Recovery Project, with tremendous volunteer support from the surrounding Native and non-Native community and students of Bemidji State University.

For years, film festivals all over the globe have inspired, educated, entertained and informed the communities that have hosted them and all who have attended. Bringing the community together in artistic and celebratory ways, film festivals interweave topics of art, history, adventure, music and social issues to bring new and enhanced perspectives to the community it serves. Film festivals not only connect the local community that creates them, they also invite outside visitors to come and enjoy the festivities, who in turn contribute greatly to the revenue of the festival’s host city or town. Fargo and Duluth both host film festivals, and Bemidji is an ideal place for an Independent and Indigenous Film Festival.

Recognizing these social and economic benefits, we are excited to create an annual film festival for the city of Bemidji. With a population of 12,000 and plenty of restaurants, hotels and lakes to attract summer tourists, we believe Bemidji can be a prime site for an annual film festival. Indeed, smaller towns have hosted film festivals and benefited impressively from the festival’s ability to attract outside visitors. Nevada City, California, with a population of 3,000 has been hosting the Wild and Scenic Film Festival since 2003. The Nevada City festival attendance rate has increased from 500 viewers to 3,000 in the span of four years, greatly increasing the city’s revenue and the festival’s popularity. Ticket sales brought in approximately $40,000 in 2006, but the revenue to hotels and restaurants was amazing- 85% of the 300 hotel rooms were filled in the town by festival goers, and there were waiting lines at the restaurants.

Last year, White Earth Land Recovery Project, (with funding from The Tides Foundation and the Crookston Catholic Diocese) put on an Indigenous Film Festival with both a day’s premiere at the Bemidji High School, and two days of a great film festival launch. The two day festival was held in various sites in Bemidji and the attendance exceeded 255, not including the 200+ youth, representing five different schools from the surrounding area. Native films such as “Trudell”, “Edge of America” and “Homeland” were shown, and Klee Benally, renowned Native film maker talked with students and discussed his film- "The Snow Bowl Effect".

We believe in the power of media to create and nurture our community, and want to see this happen in Bemidji. Although this film festival was successful with its focus on Native and youth film making, we are interested in expanding the festival such that it would include a wider range of films, including shorts, documentaries, comedies and full length feature dramas covering a wide range of topics. We also hope to combine this festival with presentations by film makers, and some fine dining events. With this wider range of films we believe the Bemidji film festival could attract large audiences interested in the scope and variety of the festival’s selected films.

Knowing the extent to which a film festival can benefit a community both socially and economically, we look forward to being able to work with you to help make this festival a reality for the community and surrounding region. We envision this festival as being a promising annual addition to Bemidji’s tourism and artistic community.