The Grand Marais Film Society Announces New Season
Oct 07, 2024 09:02AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: Zhyar Ibrahim on Unsplash.com
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - October 7, 2024
Over the weekend, the Grand Marais Film Society announced its 2024-2025 season, which kicks off on Friday, October 25, at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
The Film Society was formed last year by a group of volunteers (Lynnea and Tom Morse, Joe Beres, Will Moore, Jay Decoux, and Kirsten Wisniewski) with the goal of providing affordable and memorable movie theater experiences for the Cook County community. With the nearest movie theater in either Duluth or Thunder Bay, Canada, many locals miss seeing a film on the large screen.
When the first movie, the ever-popular Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus was shown in October 2023, the group hoped the response would be positive, and that they could eventually go on to show even more movies during the winter months. However, the future of the Film Society would be dependent on the cost of the films, securing the rights to stream each title, and public support. "It costs almost $700 to just get the film right and reserve the ACA, but there's also insurance, promotion, ticketing services, and other fees that need to be covered. With those costs included, it's roughly $750 per show. We had just over $450 in ticket sales for the first screening, and so we anticipate needing about $300 in sponsorships per showing to make these sustainable, which can be split up amongst sponsors," Tom Morse told Boreal Community Media at the time.
Ultimately, community support was positive, sponsors were found for each title, and the Film Society had a successful first season—so successful, in fact, that this year, they're not only back but also making improvements.
According to an email sent to previous ticket buyers and supporters, the group plans to install a new screen at the ACA this year to improve the film viewing experience. " We anticipate this will be up and ready before the end of the year! Thank you to everyone who came to films and chipped in a little extra to make this possible," Board Members said.
Also new this year, they've released the dates for each movie ahead of time based on community feedback from last year. However, they're waiting to release the title of each film closer to the event date. Speaking of event dates, tickets for each screening are only $5 each this year, due to support from Visit Cook County (price does not include a small ticket fee). Movie lovers can also purchase a season pass or become a Film Patron, which provides extra support to the organization. Volunteers are also needed for the season.
Like last year, due to restrictions on film promotion, the Film Society cannot advertise the title of each film in the traditional sense (the restrictions prohibit sharing the names of films being shown on the radio or in print media publicly, Morse said last year). Instead, they rely on the quick wit of community members and fun word puzzles to help get the word out. (They can share with those on their email list and in their private Facebook group.) The October title is a spooky classic that was recently brought back into the spotlight with a newly released sequel, starring most of the original cast. Just don't say the title three times in a row...
To purchase tickets, click here.
To learn more about the Grand Marais Film Society, visit the Facebook group here.
By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - October 7, 2024
Over the weekend, the Grand Marais Film Society announced its 2024-2025 season, which kicks off on Friday, October 25, at the Arrowhead Center for the Arts.
The Film Society was formed last year by a group of volunteers (Lynnea and Tom Morse, Joe Beres, Will Moore, Jay Decoux, and Kirsten Wisniewski) with the goal of providing affordable and memorable movie theater experiences for the Cook County community. With the nearest movie theater in either Duluth or Thunder Bay, Canada, many locals miss seeing a film on the large screen.
When the first movie, the ever-popular Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus was shown in October 2023, the group hoped the response would be positive, and that they could eventually go on to show even more movies during the winter months. However, the future of the Film Society would be dependent on the cost of the films, securing the rights to stream each title, and public support. "It costs almost $700 to just get the film right and reserve the ACA, but there's also insurance, promotion, ticketing services, and other fees that need to be covered. With those costs included, it's roughly $750 per show. We had just over $450 in ticket sales for the first screening, and so we anticipate needing about $300 in sponsorships per showing to make these sustainable, which can be split up amongst sponsors," Tom Morse told Boreal Community Media at the time.
Ultimately, community support was positive, sponsors were found for each title, and the Film Society had a successful first season—so successful, in fact, that this year, they're not only back but also making improvements.
According to an email sent to previous ticket buyers and supporters, the group plans to install a new screen at the ACA this year to improve the film viewing experience. " We anticipate this will be up and ready before the end of the year! Thank you to everyone who came to films and chipped in a little extra to make this possible," Board Members said.
Also new this year, they've released the dates for each movie ahead of time based on community feedback from last year. However, they're waiting to release the title of each film closer to the event date. Speaking of event dates, tickets for each screening are only $5 each this year, due to support from Visit Cook County (price does not include a small ticket fee). Movie lovers can also purchase a season pass or become a Film Patron, which provides extra support to the organization. Volunteers are also needed for the season.
Like last year, due to restrictions on film promotion, the Film Society cannot advertise the title of each film in the traditional sense (the restrictions prohibit sharing the names of films being shown on the radio or in print media publicly, Morse said last year). Instead, they rely on the quick wit of community members and fun word puzzles to help get the word out. (They can share with those on their email list and in their private Facebook group.) The October title is a spooky classic that was recently brought back into the spotlight with a newly released sequel, starring most of the original cast. Just don't say the title three times in a row...
To purchase tickets, click here.
To learn more about the Grand Marais Film Society, visit the Facebook group here.
